At a Business of Soccer conference in March, Concacaf president Victor Montagliani sparked a thought that would soon become a harsh reality for Iran’s national team – that somehow, everyone would forget about everything else when the ball starts rolling.
Yet, the balls have been rolling for five days, but no one seemed interested in the action on the pitch of Iran’s first World Cup match against New Zealand on Monday, which saw the Iranian team’s players targeted by protesters.
At least two hours before kick-off, a large group of fans wearing T-shirts reading ‘Iran is our temple, we will take it back’ formed around the south side of SoFi Stadium, holding signs, posters, and flags, sending a clear message – ‘This is not our team’.
The protesters were fiercely against the current regime and saw the national team as a propaganda tool at best, if not something more serious.
Los Angeles, home to 166,000 Iranian-Americans, including descendants of people who fled Iran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, became a hub for these protests, with the area of Westwood known as ‘Tehrangeles’.
Those who gathered at Iran’s first World Cup game were fiercely against the current regime and saw the national team as a propaganda tool at best, if not something more serious.
The Iranian players were targeted before kick-off, with protesters shouting that they were ‘paid agents of the Iranian regime’ and not the real people of Iran.
The sentiment among the protesters was widely shared, with one fan, Robert, saying he hoped New Zealand wins, as the Iranian team is seen as the regime team.
Dotted flags around the pitch showing a lion and a sun, pre-revolutionary flags that have since been banned by FIFA, highlighted the protesters’ desire to show the real flag of Iran.
One fan, Ramin, came prepared with a pre-revolutionary flag mixed in with the American star-spangled banner, expressing his desire to show the world exactly what’s going on with Iran.
Ramin vowed not to celebrate if Iran scored, but accepted that the players had been put in an extremely difficult position, with no choice but to support the regime.
Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi’s attempt to stifle the constant political dialogue by saying they are not here to get involved in politics, we are here to play football, was never likely to materialize.
Ramin, along with the rest of the protesters, made it clear that they are done with the regime and want to see change, with 47 years being enough.
Add us as a favorite source on GoogleFollow