Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Iranian Players Refrain from Performing National Anthem before Facing England


Mon 21 Nov 2022 | 04:33 PM
By Ahmad El-Assasy

Before their World Cup match against England on Monday, the Iranian players opted not to sing their nation's national anthem as a sign of support for the protesters back home.

At the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, the 11 players on the field were all silent as the national anthem played. Some of the Iranian spectators at the stadium heckled the country's own national song as well.

As the national anthem played before the game, Iranian state media filtered the footage of the players lining up.

It's been more than two months of nationwide protests, sparked by the death of a young woman Mahsa Amini after her arrest for flouting the strict Islamic dress code.

Security forces have violently cracked down on demonstrations, killing at least 419 people, according to Human Rights Activists in Iran, a group that has been monitoring the protests.

Iran defender Ehsan Hajsafi showed his concern at a press conference on Sunday about the political crisis and said he hoped his team could be a voice for the people.