Beckham the peacemaker? LA À±±À to play ¹ñ²È¤Î team of Iran, where he is ¿¼¤¤Âº·É¤ÎÇ°¤òÊú¤¯d as ËÁ¸±Åª¤Ê hero and fashion icon
David Beckham is seen as a ¹Âç¤Ê¡¿Â¿¿ô¤Î¡¿½ÅÍ×¤Ê sportsman and his poster adorns millions of ʽ¤Ç°Ï¤às in Iran
Can David Beckham ¿®´É¤ò¼è¤ê½ü¤¯ ¶ÛÄ¥s between Iran and the US? Iranian football fans certainly hope so.
They are bursting with ͽ´ü after Iranian ¸ø¼°¤Î¡¿Ìò¿Ís said Beckham's LA À±±À club has ¾·ÂÔ¤¹¤ëd the Iranian ¹ñ²È¤Î team to a friendly match in the US next month.
The game would be a ÊúÍʤ¹¤ë ¹¶·â¤¹¤ë¡¤¾×Æͤ¹¤ë with the football crazy Á´½»Ì± in Iranwhere Beckham is a ½ËÆü¡¤½Ë¤¦d ËÁ¸±Åª¤Ê hero and fashion icon. He smoulders from posters on the bedroom ʽ¤Ç°Ï¤às of millions of ½½Âå¤Î¾¯Ç¯¾¯½÷s.
"The American club has asked for a friendly match with Iran's football team," said Hassan Ghaffari, the Ĺ¡¤Î¨¤¤¤ë of the foreign relations °Ñ°÷²ñ of Iran's football Ï¢¹ç.
Selling tickets for the friendly will be no problem in Los Angeles, which is home to so many Iranian ¹ñ³°ÄÉÊü¡¿³¤³°°Ü½»s that Iranians have °¦¾Îd the city Tehrangeles.
Iran's proudest footballing moment ¡Êµ¡¤Î¡Ë¥«¥à ten years ago when the ¹ñ²È¤Î team ¡Ê·Ù´±¤Î¡Ë½ä²ó¶è°è¡¤¼õ»ý¤Á¶è°è the US 2-1 in the World Cup in ¥Õ¥é¥ó. It was also a victory for sportsmanship and ³°¸ò - the Iranian footballers gave the American team flowers before the kick-off.
Then-US ÂçÅýÎÎ Ë¡°Æ Clinton was also keen on better ´Ø·¸ with a country ÂçÅýÎÎ Bush later branded part of an "axis of evil".
Clinton sent a ¥Æ¥ì¥ÓÊüÁ÷¤¹¤ëd ¹¥°Õ¡¿¿ÆÁ± message to Iranians during the historic match.
In 2003, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ordered Beckham's ľÌ̤¹¤ë to be ¹õ¿Í¡¿¥Ü¥¤¥³¥Ã¥Èd out on advertising billboards
How times have changed. Hilary Clinton on Tuesday ¶¼¤¹d to "obliterate" Iran if it ³«»Ï¤¹¤ë¡¤ÂǤÁ¾å¤²¤ëd a ³Ë¤Î attack on ¥¤¥¹¥é¥¨¥ë.
The sabre-Æ°Íɤµ¤»¤ëing ¶¡µë¤¹¤ës the ideal ŬÀڤʻþ´ü for Beckham to spearhead football ³°¸ò. Not that he is beloved by all Iranians.
As »ÔĹ of Tehran in 2003 Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ? now the ¶¯¹ÔÏ©Àþ ÂçÅýÎΡ¤¡¿¼ÒĹ ? ordered Beckham's ľÌ̤¹¤ë to be ¹õ¿Í¡¿¥Ü¥¤¥³¥Ã¥Èd out on advertising billboards in the Iranian »ñËÜ¡¿¼óÅÔ. It was an ÌÀ¤é¤«¤Ê ¡Ê·ã¤·¤¤¡Ëȿȯ against the growing ±Æ¶Á¡ÊÎÏ¡Ë of Western culture.
In the same year Beckham was ÊóÆ»¤Ë¤è¤ì¤Ð ¼Âह¤ëd Æþ¤ë¤³¤È¡¿»²²Ã¡Ê¼Ô¡Ë into Tehran - because he was too popular with the country's ÀÄǯ.
His ¥Ó¥¶ request was turned É餫¤¹¡¿·âÄƤ¹¤ë on ¡ ȹñ²È¤Î °ÂÁ´¡É grounds because the Åö¶É ¶²¤ì¤ëd that ÊúÍʤ¹¤ë ¡Ê¿Í¤¬¡Ë·²¤¬¤ës of fans dogging his every ³°¸« could have turned into unruly ¹³µÄ¤¹¤ës against the Islamic À¯¸¢.
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