Members of Iranian team while their national anthem was being played at FIFA world cup in Doha
Doha
In what becomes the biggest embarrassment and snub to the Iranian government that is not relenting before the protesters against the compulsory wearing of hijab rule, the country’s national football team players refused to sing their national anthem before their opening match against England on Monday at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The national team did so in support of the anti-government protests taking place across Iran after a young woman Mahsa Amini's death in September.
As Iran's national anthem was played at Khalifa International Stadium, television cameras showed the Iranian players standing stoically and silently. Iran lost the match to England, 6-2.
Iran has headed into the tournament amid a backdrop of mass protests against the regime, following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody in September.
Many people shared thevideo clip of Iran soccer team players with deadpan expression and standing silently as their national anthem was being played on Twitter:
The unrest in Iran began in September when a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, died while in the custody of the morality police. Protests have since spread across the nation, challenging the authority of the government even as security forces have cracked down. Hundreds of people have died in the violence.
Spectators were also seen booing and heckling while the national anthem was being played.
The decision not to sing the national anthem isn't the first time the Iranian team has shown support for the protesters. In late September, the team opted to wear black jackets to cover the country's colours in their friendly against Senegal.
Before flying out to Doha for the World Cup, the team met with President Ebrahim Raisi. The meeting didn't go down well with protesters, and banners of the team were burned on the eve of the tournament.
Masih Alinejad, a New York-based activist from Iran, went further in her condemnation of the team, reported CBS News. "Iran is the only country in the World Cup that its people want their national football team to lose since the team doesn't represent the people but the regime," she wrote.
Iran's beach football, water polo, and basketball teams have also recently refused to sing the national anthem. At a news conference on Wednesday, the captain of Iran's football team, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, refused to confirm if his team would sing the anthem.
"That's something that also has to be decided about in the team, which we already talked about, and everybody's talking about," he said.
Ahead of Monday's game, some Iran fans in Qatar also signaled support for the protesters back home. They wore T-shirts saying, "Women, life, freedom", which is the popular chant of the movement that has arisen since Amini's death.
The decision by the football team to remain silent during the anthem on the sport's biggest stage represents the boldest move so far from the country's athletic stars. It is unclear whether players will face any consequences.
On Sunday, defender Ehsan Hajsafi became the first Iranian player at the World Cup to publicly speak out in support of the protests, reported Al Jazeera.
They should know that we are with them and we support them and we sympathize with them regarding the conditions," he said. England also made a strong political gesture before kickoff by taking a knee in protest of racism and inequality. While they didn't take a knee in their September friendlies, they've decided to do so ahead of every game they will play at the World Cup.
"We think it is a strong statement to go around the world for young people, in particular, to see that inclusivity is very important," England manager Gareth Southgate said on Sunday.
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