The world of soccer is full of memorable commentary from the game's energetic broadcasters. At times, the announcers' colorful words are what the fans remember long after they forgot the details of a key play or an important victory. Iran’s historic 2018 World Cup win against Morocco was not an exception. The wonderful broadcast of Iran’s beloved soccer commentator Adel Ferdosipour appears to have struck a positive chord within the country.
Moments of collective public celebrations are rare for any nation, but there are especially scarce in Iran. The country has endured almost 40 years of international isolation as well as restrictive social policies that hamper public displays of revelry. Ferdosipour's emphatic shouts of "take in the pleasure" and "enjoy" sound much sweeter within that context. His broadcast was emotional, honest, and more importantly, managed to capture the collective public emotion.
It would be a shame not to have a record of Ferdosipour’s announcement in English, so I translated the last four minutes of the broadcast.
"Ehsan [Hajsafi] sends in the free kick…GOAL! In the net! Did Mehdi Taremi score or was it an own goal? Goal for Iran. Minute 95 their goal opens. How much did we enjoy this! Joonam* (my life) Mr. Bouhaddouz! I think it was an own goal by Aziz Bouhaddouz. The first own goal of the Cup results in our 1-0 victory. 1-0 for Iran. Look at these fans. Take in this pleasure. Enjoy. You see Carlos Queiroz. Minute 95 the result is 1-0. Mehdi Torabi was there. Let’s see Ehsan Hajsafi’s excellent cross. What a good and beautiful own goal! We are watching this together. A diving header. A ball that Aziz Bouhaddouz places in their own goal. Joonam Queiroz! How good is this team? How good are these boys? How much are we enjoying this?
1-0 for Iran. Our second victory in the history of the World Cup. The history of the Iranian soccer will not forget these 90 minutes. Mr. Cakir* should blow the [final] whistle! The ball comes to the left. A cross by Achraf Hakimi. Ya Ali!* And it’s caught! Caught. Rouzbeh [Cheshmi] says it’s over! Ramin [Rezaeian] says it’s over! And it’s over for real! It’s over for real! Congratulations to all of you! What an eidi* (gift) they gave us, these players. What good boys we have! How beautiful and dear are they? How much did we enjoy this? A sweet victory. A memorable victory. Three valuable points. Saint Petersburg becomes eternal for us. This team deserves any type of praise and compliment. The entire world is forced to remember Iran. Beiranvand had a clean sheet like Alireza Haghighi. He is our second goalkeeper to have a [World Cup] clean sheet. An own goal resulted in our victory."
*Iranians typically refer to their loved ones as their "jan" or their life. Also, if used in reaction or reference to a pleasurable moment it can express joy to its utmost degree.
*Turkey's Cüneyt Çakır was the referee of the game.
*Iranians practicing Shia Islam often call on Imam Ali in moments of peril. Ali was the cousin and the son-in-law of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam. He ruled as the fourth caliph from 656 to 661.
*Eidi is a gift that is usually given by elder relatives and family friends as part of the celebration of Muslim holidays. The game coincided with Eid al-Fitr, an important religious holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting.
