TABRIZ, South Azerbaijan

Araz News: The final bout for the top seat in the Iranian Premier League is underway as Tractor Sazi leads Naft Tehran 2-1 at halftime in the championship game. Tractor Sazi fans are out in full force as supporters have come from all areas of South Azerbaijan to support their national team.

Araz News has received reports that the stadium of 70,000 is filled to capacity and spectators have climbed an adjacent hill overlooking he stadium to catch a glimpse of the game. All roads to the stadium are now blocked.

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Tractor Sazi Azerbaijan, or Trakhtur as it is known the local Turkish dialect, has become the unofficial team of South Azerbaijan and serves as a point of pride for Azerbaijani national identity in Iran. Azerbaijani-Turks gather in the tens of thousands for each game to not only support their team, but also to chant national slogans calling for self-determination as well as greater linguistic and cultural rights. It is quite common for Azerbaijani activists to be arrested during Tractor Sazi matches.