Iran’s national soccer team players have not sung the anthem before the start of their first match at the World Cup in Qatar, in a gesture interpreted as a sign of support for the protests rocking the Islamic Republic since the death of young Mahsa Amini.
Iranian television interrupted the broadcast after noting the silence of the players, according to the DPA news agency, which also confirmed that some fans had booed the anthem inside the stadium itself. Among the crowd at the Jalifa International Stadium were people with the emblem ‘Woman, Life and Liberty’ on their clothing.
On Sunday, the captain of the Iranian national team, Ehsan Hajsafi, had already called for reforms in Iran and expressed his condolences to the families of those killed in the protests — more than 400, according to human rights organizations.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has urged athletes not to «disrespect» the country in their participation abroad, aware of the importance of messages coming from an area especially followed within Iranian borders.
In fact, the team had been criticized after posing on November 14 with the president, Ebrahim Raisi, which was understood as an alignment with the government at a time when thousands of people have taken to the streets to protest the death of Amini, arrested for wearing the veil incorrectly, and to demand social progress.
