In a scathing protest against their government, Iran’s soccer team skipped the national anthem before their World Cup match against England.
Jeers from Team Melli fans at Khalifa International Stadium tried to drown out the Islamic Republic’s national anthem, which ends with a call for the country to endure forever. In the stands, some Iran supporters made a flag that read “Woman, Life, Freedom.”
Since Mahsa Amini died two months ago while in the custody of morality police, hundreds of protestors have died in Tehran and other cities. The 22-year-old was arrested for improper hijab wear and later died in jail.
Premier League player and sole Iranian national, Saman Ghoddos, reported that players should speak out in support of those calling for change, regardless of the consequences.
The Brentford player said, “Of course,” when asked if he felt he needed to support the protesters. I hate to bring politics into football, but with so many people killed in the name of liberty, the game has to take a back seat for a while.
Because it’s been going on for so long, it’s abundantly clear that something has to give. All of us are eager to make adjustments. I believe that, as a well-known athlete, you have a responsibility to [speak out] if you believe that doing so is morally appropriate. It’s the morally right thing to do to expose wrongdoing, regardless of whether or not you’re under pressure to do so.
zIn Iran, women are restricted in many ways, and one of those is the ability to go to a football game. Many people have demanded that the team be disqualified from the World Cup because the regime in question has been providing Russia with drones to use in its conflict with Ukraine.
eliminateGhoddos elaborated, saying, “No one is happy about it, everybody wants to see change. Simple to make the adjustment. The people want basic liberties, nothing more. Because I do not believe violence to be the appropriate response, I cannot say, “Go fight for it.” It’s been like this for too long, though, and action is required. Still, I’m not sure that evicting us is the best course of action. Maybe something will come of it, maybe not. Fixing the underlying cause of the problem is preferable to eliminating the team from the World Cup.
For the sole purpose of silencing protestors, the regime will have secret police in Qatar for the World Cup. This is Iran’s sixth World Cup appearance, but they’ve still never advanced out of the group stage.