Clashes that broke out between the fans of two Iranian soccer teams on Friday April 26 in Tehran have so far claimed one life and left as many as 300 people wounded.
Iran's Emergency Service later announced that the death was caused by drug abuse and had nothing to do with the violence that broke out at the stadium.
It was a scoreless draw in Iran's Super League between Sepahan team from Isfahan and Persepolis from Tehran.
A Sepahan manager told semi-official news agency ISNA that Persepolis fans started the big fight by throwing stones at some 7,000 Sepahan fans visiting Tehran.
Meanwhile, a disciplinary committee official attributed the violence to "irresponsible behavior of the two teams managers," adding that they should have tried to calm down the fans.
He said "some spectators showed unpleasant non-athletic behavior before, during and after the game."
The official promised "strict treatment" of the case, as this was the second case of major violence after soccer matches in Iran in less than two weeks.
According to ISNA, the emergency service stationed at the stadium attended to 295 cases of injury, while 45 men who were wounded more seriously, were taken to hospitals in Tehran.
A Sepahan team manager told reporters that stones hurled at the stadium caused head injuries to about 50 of Sepahan's fans.
