Anthem protests are apparently not a uniquely American thing.
Iran lost its opening group stage match to England, 6-2, in the 2022 World Cup on Monday. But that wasn’t the only newsworthy element of the proceedings.
Iranian players chose not to sing their nation’s national anthem before the match began in what was a clear sign of protest against the tyrannical Muslim regime that cruely enforces strict Shi’ite theology on all citizens in Iran.
According to Sky Sports, the only person on Iran’s squad or staff to sing was a team official who was standing next to head coach Carlos Queiroz. While thousands of fans at the game and millions more on broadcasts around the world saw the demonstration, Iranian stations reportedly did not show the protest on domestic broadcasts of the game.
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The protest is not an isolated event in the context of Iranian sports. A female rock climber named Elnaz Rekabi also took a jab at her nation’s tyrants by participating in recent competition without wearing a hijab, which is a requirement for all Iranian women. Both Rekabi and the soccer team’s protest are in response to Iran’s “Morality Police” killing Mahsa Amini in custody after she went out in public without a hijab in September.
It is unclear if Iran will continue to demonstrate before their matches, but we will find out on Friday when they square off against Wales in their second group stage contest.
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