Iranian soccer team lies to fans about team winning league title to avoid a riot

It's common for teams in a playoff race to hide the result of a critical game from fans and players in the stadium, but this story from Iran's Persian Pro Gulf League is some next-level stuff. Deadspin has the full story of how one team tried to block communication for 90,000 fans in order to try and keep order.

Despite finishing second in the Iran Persian Gulf Pro League, fans of Tractor Sazi who were in the stadium were told their team had actually won the league. At the 87-minute mark all communication went dark.

"We were following the other game on television in the changing room but at 87 minutes in, suddenly the TV, radio and cellphone networks blacked out and we had no means of communication."

The reason was simple: Tractor was trying to keep the peace.

While Sepahan wins the cup, Traxtor announced as the champion of Iran Pro League at the stadium "to keep security" pic.twitter.com/p6EFOr008I

— Sobhan Hassanvand (@Hassanvand) May 15, 2015

It didn't work.

"When reality dawned for Tractor Sazi’s fans — 90,000 were in a stadium whose official capacity is only 70,000 — the mood changed, seats were smashed and fights broke out."

The video of the close is heartbreaking. The team was celebrating, then it dawned on them.