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Iranian players declined to sing the national anthem in their match against England.
In FIFA 2022 World Cup which was won by England by 6:2, Iranian players refused to sing their national anthem before the start of the match. Iranian players have refused to sing their national anthem before their World Cup match against England in a show of support for government protests in their country.
Some of the musicians shouted and jeered during the song and others held up signs saying “Women, Life, Freedom”. Iran captain Carlos Queiroz has said his players are free to demonstrate.
There has been a strong crackdown on protests in Iran that led to the death of Mahsa Amini in prison in September. Amini, 22, was arrested by the squad’s deputy on charges of breaking the law.
Human rights activists say more than 400 protesters have been killed and 16,800 others arrested in attacks by Iranian security forces. Iranian officials have described the protests as “riots” orchestrated by the country’s foreign enemies.
Iranian fans can also be heard chanting ‘Ali Karimi’ in the first half for the former footballer who is one of the most critical critics of the Islamic Republic and one of the most popular faces of the protests.
Fans were also heard chanting “Be-Sharaf”, which means dishonorable in Persian. It is an adjective used in protests against the security forces in Iran. Speaking before the match, Iranian Players’ captain Ehsan Hajsafi said the players were “supporting” the dead.
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Queiroz said his players were free to protest against women’s rights in their country as long as it was “based on the rules of the World Cup and in the spirit of the game”. Iranian Players hid their national team badges when they played in two international tournaments in September.
After that, Queiroz said that the political turmoil at home has affected his party. “It’s not fair to come to this World Cup and ask them to do something that’s not their job,” added the former Manchester United assistant. “They want to bring people pride and joy. “You can’t imagine behind the scenes what these kids are doing in the last few days, just because they want to prove themselves as footballers.”
Speaking about what happened at half-time, BBC Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker said: “It was a very tough and important move. “Football tries to use its power for good.”
It is impossible to escape the symbolic movement of the game. All Iranian players refused to sing the national anthem as it played at the Khalifa International Stadium.
One fan I spoke to was in tears hearing it on the deck. “For my people…” he told me, his voice breaking. “They are killing my people.” The rhetoric on the Iranian side was loud and unrelenting. “Iran. Iran” echoes the sound of the sound, the color, the name, and the map of the country on which it is drawn. The women, with their hair covered tightly, and wrapped in the Iranian flag, screamed every time their team reached the net.
It’s a hot ball game, but it’s more than that. In a sea of Iranian and English flags, a woman stands with a small poster saying “Woman, Life, Freedom” in support of protesters returning to her country.
