TEHRAN It's not a new story; and like a superstition, it's deep-rooted and hard to be uprooted.

The red or the blue? This is the question. They are simply two colors for the ordinary people but not for the Iranian white-hot soccer-crazy fans. The two colors have caused a heated debate, conflict and melee for 30 years.

The red color has represented Pirouzi and blue has symbolized Esteghlal. The two teams have always been the backbone of Iranian national squad and most of their erstwhile players are now heavyweight coaches.

The trouble surfaces when the objective behind sports vanishes. Unity is the lofty goal, as the five interwoven circles of Olympic Games representing five continents of the world indicate.

Regretfully, a great many supporters and some dailies go to extremes. They give them pseudo-character and make them reach the pinnacle of success, but no sooner have they extoled some players than they force them to touch their nadir.

Here raises a question: What are they looking for?

If looked at optimistically, one may say that most of the spectators and advocates are unaware of the destructive consequences of such a fluctuation. But what about the print media? They have hired professional sports writers who know from A to Z of Iran's football.

Some Pirouzi- and Esteghlal-biased papers have always fully supported their favorite team's wrongdoings and censured the other side's misdeeds. They have been continuing their policy more destructively since the brawl occurred in the last minute of Pirouzi-Esteghlal derby on Friday, December 29, 2000.

Well, their ruinous trend is merely fanning the flames of hostility, widening the gap, and above all sowing the seeds of discord among the fellow citizens of the same homeland and the players of national lineup.

Are they promoting the culture of fair play and sportsmanship? Are they leading the country's football toward a bright future?

And the main question: Who must stop them?