In a damning open letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, a human rights group is calling on Iran to be banned from the 2022 World Cup.

The World Cup kicks off on Nov. 20 in Qatar, with Iran scheduled to have its first match, against England, the following day. 

“For over four decades, Iranian women have been denied their most basic liberties. We have been banned from enjoying sports, watching games in stadiums, and cheering for our favorite football teams,” wrote Open Stadiums, a group that advocates for Iranian women’s rights.

• “Over the past few days, we have seen sports journalists and photographers arrested and left in solitary confinement with no charges brought against them,” the group wrote.
• They added that FIFA has been notified of the arrest of “one of nine female journalists” at the 2018 AFC Champions League final in Tehran’s Azadi Stadium, which Infantino attended, per Open Stadiums.
• The letter also discussed Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman whose death in Iranian police custody on Sept. 16 has sparked protests across the country, including by Iran’s national soccer team.

“You repeatedly made a public commitment that FIFA would solve these gross human rights violations,” wrote Open Stadiums, addressing Infantino, “but we have, sadly, come to the conclusion that these were all empty words and promises.”

Qatar Under Question

FIFA’s choice of location for the World Cup, Qatar, continues to be scrutinized. 

In addition to logistical concerns involved in bringing an estimated 1.2 million fans to a nation of around 3 million people, the country has reportedly conscripted civilians and diplomats to work security at stadiums and hotels against their will.

Denmark’s jerseys will protest Qatar’s human rights record.

Nike reported a 4% increase in first-quarter revenue to $12.69 billion, beating analysts’ estimates of $12.27 billion.

But Nike’s net income dropped 22% year-over-year to $1.5 billion, and the company’s stock was down more than 12% as of market close Friday. Before the report, shares had declined around 40% on the year. 

Nike CFO Matthew Friend said the quick improvement of transit shipping time, which was previously affected by supply chain issues, led to increased inventories.

• The Swoosh reported a 44% year-over-year jump in inventories to $9.7 billion.
• Compared to one year ago, inventories in North America are up 65%.
• Inventory in transit rose 85% since last year.

“We are taking decisive action to clear excess inventory,” Friend said, adding that the increased inventory levels are due in part to late arrivals.

Nike will mark down more goods, especially apparel, to reduce inventory and work with its wholesale partners. In the second quarter, Nike expects inventory levels to normalize and revenue to increase 10%.

North American sales increased 13% to $5.5 billion, sales in Greater China declined 16% to around $1.7 billion, sales in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa increased 1% to $3.3 billion, and sales in Asia Pacific and Latin America increased 5% to $1.5 billion.

New Deal

On Friday, Nike announced JD Sports and Zalando as the first European companies to be part of its Connected Partnership loyalty program, which launched in November with Dick’s Sporting Goods in the U.S.

Peloton has filed another loss — this time in the courtroom.

Lululemon won dismissal of a Peloton lawsuit that sought to protect a new athletic wear line from the former’s trademark complaints.

In November, Lululemon wrote in a cease-and-desist letter that the connected fitness company infringed on patents for apparel design. The judge stated that the letter informed “Peloton of the intention to file suit in federal court” and “specified the causes of actions Lululemon would pursue.”

Lululemon provided a deadline of Nov. 19, 2021, “by which Peloton needed to comply with its demands before Lululemon brought its claims to court.” The letter directed Peloton to stop selling specific apparel products.

Thirteen days after the letter was sent, Peloton sued Lululemon, requesting the court claim there were no trademark violations.

• Peloton said it had been selling apparel since 2014 and only started its clothing line after an “amicable” termination of the companies’ co-branding relationship last year.
• Lululemon sued in a California court five days later for infringement of six design patents, but the case was paused in March due to the New York case.

The federal court claimed Peloton’s lawsuit “is clearly an anticipatory action that warrants dismissal.”

Court Callings

Earlier this month, a U.S. International Trade Commission judge sided with DISH Network in a case that alleged Lululemon and Peloton infringed on streaming technology patents. 

Lululemon reported $1.87 billion in Q2 revenue, and Peloton posted $678.7 million in Q4 revenue.