Nike steps up to the plate.
WASHINGTON (Circa) – When Iran takes the field for their first World Cup match in Russia, they won’t be wearing Nike – at least not free Nike.
The Oregon-based sportswear company canceled a shipment of sponsored shoes to the Iranian national team just days before the 2018 World Cup began in Russia, leaving Iranian players scrambling to find backup shoes.
In May, President Trump withdrew from the “Iran Deal” signed by President Obama in 2015. The Iran Deal relaxed and removed many sanctions against Iran in exchange for a dismantlement of its nuclear program. But when the United States left the deal, many sanctions were reintroduced.
In a statement, Nike cited these sanctions as the reason they declined to continue their sponsorship of team Iran.
“The sanctions mean that, as a U.S. company, we cannot provide shoes to players in the Iran national team at this time,” Nike explained.
That statement met with backlash, though, as some pointed out that Nike sent the Iranian team boots for the 2014 World Cup, when similar sanctions were in place.