The meeting that put England and Iran face to face, this Monday, went far beyond a football game in group B of the World Cup in Qatar. At Khalifa International Stadium, both teams used the Qatari stadium as a stage for protests.
On the Iranian side, the players led by Portuguese coach Carlos Queirós did not sing the anthem as a form of support for demonstrations against the Tehran government. After the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, thousands of people took to the streets in protest, where hundreds of deaths were recorded and the Iranian national team has been, in recent games, one of the faces of the demonstrations.
In the stands, Iran’s supporters were more vocal, breaking the silence and protesting their country’s executive with very noticeable whistles. In addition to the jerseys supporting the national team, there was no lack of demand posters and also those in support of the demonstrators in the country.
Before the game, the English also had their say. After the captain, Harry Kane, was advised not to wear the inclusive captain’s armband, against discrimination, the players took a knee before kick-off. The practice, which was recurrent in the English First League, was replicated on the stage of the biggest national team competition in a demonstration against racism.
At the end of the game, England beat Iran by 6-2, in a meeting that was also marked by the replacement of the Iranian goalkeeper, Alireza Beiranvand, after seriously injuring his nose following a collision with his teammate, Majid Hosseini. FC Porto player Mehdi Taremi scored twice in the match.
Read more at: TSF
