• Iran’s World Cup soccer team refused to perform the national anthem before their opening match against England.
• Many fans at home accused the team of siding with the state’s deadly crackdown on popular discontent.
• Protests have swept Iran since the death two months ago of young woman Mahsa Amini.

Iran’s World Cup soccer team didn’t sing their national anthem before their first game against England on Monday. This was because many fans back home accused the team of supporting a violent crackdown by the government on long-lasting popular unrest.

Protests calling for the overthrow of the governing theocracy have swept Iran since the death two months ago of young woman Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for violating the stringent Islamic dress code.

Dozens of Iranian public personalities, athletes, and artists have expressed support with the demonstrators — but not the national soccer team, who stayed silent during the national anthem during Monday’s match.

Before the match in Qatar, close across the Gulf from their birthplace, Iranian official media did not show the players lining up for the anthem.

The Iranian team could not avoid being overshadowed by the anti-government unrest that has shaken Iran’s theocracy, whereas other World Cup teams were entirely focused on their on-field tactics.

No Iranian player had expressed support for the demonstrations by compatriots from all walks of life, one of the most sustained challenges to the cleric elite since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, prior to the match.

The Iranian soccer team was once a source of fervent national pride throughout the country. With mass protests, many people would prefer that it withdraw from the World Cup.

Before departing for Doha, the team met with Iran’s hardline President Ebrahim Raisi. While the street unrest raged on, photos of the players with Raisi, one of whom was bowing in front of him, went viral, sparking an outcry on social media.

[embedpost slug=”iran-attacks-northern-iraqi-kurdish-positions/”]