Iran Team Refuses To Sing National Anthem Ahead Of FIFA World Cup Game Against England In Support Of Anti-Government Protestors Back Home

The Iranian players did not sing the national anthem before their first World Cup match against England on Monday, ostensibly in support of anti-government protesters in their homeland. Before the match in Qatar, captain Alireza Jahanbakhsh said the team would jointly decide whether to refuse to sing the national anthem to show solidarity over the protests that have rocked the regime in Iran. The Iranian players stood motionless and grimaced as their national anthem sounded around the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha.

Iran has been rocked by two months of nationwide protests since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody on September 16. Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian of Kurdish origin, has been died three days after being arrested in Tehran for allegedly violating the Islamic republic’s dress code for women, which includes the mandatory headscarf.

Some Iranian athletes have chosen not to sing the national anthem or celebrate victories in support of the protesters. Jahanbakhsh, who used to play for British club Brighton, was angered last week by a British journalist’s question about the national anthem.

“Every player has a different way of celebrating and you ask about the national anthem and that’s also something that has to be decided within the team, which we talked about,” he said.

“But to be honest, we’ve never made a big deal out of it because people only think about football.”

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The crackdown since Amini’s death has left nearly 400 people dead, according to the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights group. The state’s response has led to the question of whether the team represents Iran or the regime that has ruled with an iron fist since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

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