Mahmoud's European Vacation

Even repressive and slightly unhinged extremist rulers like international soccer! Take for instance, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who apparently wants to visit the Iranian team in Germany during the World Cup. I can see him now at the June 11th opener against Mexico, bratwurst in hand, chanting obscenely about Jared Borgetti's mother. Good thing they weren't drawn against the US this time round. (They can't play each other until the championship match or third-place game, so it ain't happening.)

As the article hints, Mahmoud brings more baggage than the current contretemps over the Iranian nuclear program. Germany has a law punishing Holocaust denial with jail time, and Mahmoud's remarks on the subject put him well into David Irving territory and then some. So if he came, the German authorities would be put either in the awkward position of arresting him or in the awkward position of explaining why they aren't arresting him.

But the biggest loser if Mahmoud takes a summer vacation to Germany is the Iranian national team. An Ahmadinejad visit would be an incredibly distracting situation, one in which politics, rather than soccer, will take center stage. With an experienced squad, and playing in a country with which many of their players are familiar, Iran have a not terrible chance of getting out of Group D, a chance that could well be scuppered if a visit from their dear leader starts interfering with their preparation.

UPDATE: What's Farsi for "Psyche!"?