Iranian Panionios players rebuked

Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reportedly said Friday that the country's soccer federation has issued a condemnation of two Iranian players belonging to Greek club Panionios for taking part in a match against Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv in a Europa League match on Thursday.

The federation reportedly said that it "strongly condemns" the two players - Masoud Shojaei and Ehsan Hajsafi - for playing against the team from Israel. Moreover, it said it will first speak to the players before reaching a decision on the case. The two countries are bitter rivals and athletes from Iran avoid playing against Israeli players and teams.