Iran goalkeeper Makani banned for wearing Spongebob trousers

The football federation of Iran have banned goalkeeper Sosha Makani after he was pictured wearing yellow trousers. 

According to ISNA news agency, the 29-year-old - who plies his trade for Persepolis in Tehran - faces six months out of the game after a photo of him wearing the offending clothing surfaced online, with fans comparing him to cartoon character Spongebob Squarepants. 

A committee charged with policing the morality of the national game deemed his flamboyant choice of legwear as inapproprate, with American fictional characters having previously fallen foul of the authorities. 

Makani has previously found himself in trouble after he was videoed dancing with an unveiled woman and was forced to serve a prison sentence. 

And with officials concerned with how the country's cultural and sporting personalities appear in public, his lates indiscretion has again landed him in hot water.