Some fans prevented stadium security from carrying Persian pre-revolutionary flags into the match against Wales at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium. Others carrying such flags were snatched from the hands of pro-government fans in Iran, who also shouted abuse at supporters wearing T-shirts bearing the slogan of the protest movement that has taken hold in the country, “Woman, Life, Freedom”. Unlike their first match against England, Iran’s players sang their national anthem before the match as some fans on the pitch wept, whistled and booed. The national team has come under close scrutiny for any statements or gestures regarding the nationwide protests that have rocked Iran for weeks. Chants broke out in queues outside the stadium between fans chanting “Women, Life, Freedom” and others chanting “Islamic Republic!” Small crowds of men surrounded three different women giving interviews about the protests to foreign media outside the stadium, interrupting the broadcasts as they angrily chanted: “The Islamic Republic of Iran!” Many female fans appeared shocked as supporters of the Iranian government shouted at them in Farsi and filmed them close-up on their phones. A 35-year-old woman named Maryam, who like other Iranian fans declined to give her last name for fear of government reprisals, began to cry as men honking horns surrounded her and filmed her face. On her face she had painted the words ‘Woman Life Freedom’. WATCHES | Protesters against the Iranian regime face off at the World Cup match:
Anti-Iranian Regime Protesters Confront World Cup Match
Stadium security in Qatar confiscated flags, jerseys and other items expressing support for Iran’s anti-government protest movement, but some protesters at Iran’s match against Wales managed to get their message across. Maryam and her friends had worn hats bearing the name of an outspoken Iranian former soccer player Voria Ghafouri, who had criticized Iranian authorities and was arrested in Iran on Thursday on charges of spreading anti-government propaganda. He said supporters of the Iranian government had removed their hats from their heads. “We want to raise awareness of his arrest and the women’s rights movement. Simple,” said Maryam, who lives in London but is originally from Tehran. “I’m not here to fight anyone, but people attacked me and called me a terrorist. All I’m here to say is that football doesn’t matter if people are killed in the streets.”
Iranian-Canadian speaks of threat from police
Two Iranian-Canadians spoke to CBC’s Thomas Daigle outside the stadium before the game. “Right now, football is the least important thing on people’s minds in Iran. The most important thing, everyone’s focus, is to get rid of the corrupt regime and get their basic human rights,” one of them said. Another said she and a fellow protester had been “threatened by the police, but added, ‘we are trying to be the voice of our people.’ A third unidentified protester who spoke to the CBC before entering the field lifted his USA team jersey to reveal a protest T-shirt depicting a winged woman with free-flowing hair, symbolizing the protesters’ theme of “Women, Life, Freedom.” . Furious protesters in Iran have vented their anger at social and political repression and the state veil, or hijab, for women. The protests, sparked by the September 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the country’s morality police, quickly escalated into calls for the downfall of the Islamic Republic itself. At least 419 people have been killed since the protests broke out, according to the monitoring group Human Rights Activists in Iran. The turmoil overshadowed the start of Iran’s World Cup campaign. The opening match against England on Monday was the scene of protests as anti-government fans waved signs and shouted in the stands. Before that match, which Iran lost 6-2, its players remained silent as their national anthem played and did not celebrate their two goals. On Friday they sang the national anthem and celebrated wildly when they scored in a 2-0 win over Wales.
Only “normal” flags are allowed
Ayeh Shams from the United States, who was at the Wales game with her brother, said security guards confiscated her flag because it had the word “women”. “We are first generation Americans. Our parents were born in Iran. We are here to enjoy the games and give a platform to the Iranian people fighting against the Islamic regime,” Shams said. A soccer fan wears a sticker on her arm calling for freedom for women in Iran in memory of Mahsa Amini, before the World Cup B soccer match between Wales and Iran on Friday. (Francisco Seco/The Associated Press) Zeinlabda Arwa, a security guard at the stadium, confirmed that authorities had been ordered to confiscate anything but the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran. “Whether you’re talking about Iran or Qatar or any country, you’re only allowed to fly the normal flag,” he said. An angry group of supporters of the Iranian government shouted at Elyas Doerr, a 16-year-old Iranian living in Arizona who wore the Persian flag as a cape, until he took it off and put it in his bag. “They don’t like that it’s a political statement,” he said, adding that other Iranian fans had approached him to say they appreciated the gesture. Before Friday’s match, Iranians shouted anti-government slogans from rooftops in Tehran. Scattered protests also broke out in Kurdish towns in the west of the country and across the central city of Isfahan on Thursday. Iranian state television on Friday dedicated its main newscast to Iran’s footballing prowess, wishing the national team good luck against Wales and showing a montage of Iranian goals throughout history.
