Tehran's attitude to alcohol consumption put the blockers on any John Delaney's style free bar stunts following Ireland's qualification for the World Cup in 2002 (of course, John was only the humble treasurer then). And of course, their attitude to women at sporting events meant forty Irish female football fans had stand on the terrace in full Islamic garb but that's a topic for another day.
Authorities in Lens have adopted at least some of the spirit of our friends in the Iranian government and banned 'alcoholic containers' from the city centre during matchdays for Euro 2016.
Drinking, they insist, will be confined to bars, the stadium, and the designated fanzone.
The fact that the city has been burdened with hosting the England-Wales game on 16 June may not be coincidental to the decision they've taken today.
Ticketless Brits have been warned by their police to give Lens a wide berth on matchday, advertising the much more booze-friendly Lille - where Ireland play Italy on 22 June - as a more suitable venue for appropriate bantz.
What does it mean for the Irish? Well, we won't need to bother about Lens unless we finish third in our group, in which case we may end up playing the winners of Group B (potentially England) in Lens in the round of 16.
Now, obviously the more snooty and gung-ho of our followers have already turned their nose up at the idea of finishing third in the group, while the more pessimistic reckon we'll be exceedingly lucky to get that far.
Still, the prospect of facing England in a city where alcohol has been banned from the city centre should prove an instructive experience nonetheless.
