The match between the two hostile states USA and Iran on Tuesday evening is considered the most current political issue and “powder keg” of the World Cup. It is the first game between the national teams in 24 years and only the second World Cup duel between the two countries – and it takes place during a political ice age.
The first game in France in 1998 was symbolically charged, and the 2-1 win in Lyon is still celebrated by Iranian officials as a triumph over the USA. But the political situation was more relaxed then than it is today. The then President Mohammad Khatami is considered the first reformer in office, and he also tried to improve ties with the West. There were also friendly gestures during the match itself – such as swapping shirts and flowers.
WM: “Enemies meet”
Iran will face the United States at the World Cup in Qatar on Tuesday. Both countries face each other politically in bitter enmity.
protests and broken relationships
Today the situation is aggravated. Iran is ruled by arch-conservative hardliners, and relations with the West are deeply shattered. This has been the case especially since former US President Donald Trump canceled the nuclear deal with the West. Iranian foreign policy is also causing conflicts – most recently, for example, the delivery of Iranian drones to Russia to be used in the Ukraine war.
However, the game is currently becoming particularly explosive due to the serious protests in Iran, which are again bringing the international focus on the human rights situation and the difficult situation of women in the Islamic Republic. The protests have been brutally suppressed for weeks. A general of the Revolutionary Guard made official statements on the number of victims for the first time on Tuesday, he spoke of 300 dead. According to human rights organizations, there could be up to 450 victims.
USA – Iran also politically explosive
The game in the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha between Iran and the USA is very explosive both in terms of sport and politics. In the midst of the heaviest protests in decades, the pressure on the Iranian team is in the global spotlight.
The US team emphasized in advance that they support the protests. For the Iranian national team and the fans, the situation was already becoming a tightrope act. While Iran’s leadership hopes successes will give it momentum in domestic politics, the regime’s critics are hoping for internationally effective signs of solidarity. There had already been one in the opening game against England – the Iranians refused to sing the national anthem. The Iranian state broadcaster interrupted the live broadcast. In the next World Cup game against Wales, the professionals moved their lips to the anthem before their 2-0 win. Something similar was observed on Tuesday before the match against the USA.
CNN: Players under close scrutiny
According to a CNN report, the football players were previously summoned to a meeting with members of the Revolutionary Guard. In addition, family members have been threatened with jail, violence and torture if the players do not “behave” before the match against the USA, according to CNN, citing a source familiar with the matter.
According to the information, members of the Iran national football team are forbidden to move outside the team or to meet foreigners. “There are a large number of Iranian security officials in Qatar collecting information and monitoring the players,” CNN quoted the source as saying, which “is closely monitoring Iranian security officials in Qatar during the World Cup.”
FIFA wants to allow support for Iran protests
Meanwhile, it became known that the World Football Association (FIFA) said it would allow certain signs of support for the protests in Iran at the World Cup in Qatar. “FIFA allows messages promoting human rights and FIFA’s position is that ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ or the name or likeness of Mahsa Amini are permitted in stadiums,” read a reply to a message via FIFA’s complaints platform, which the AFP news agency was able to see on Tuesday.
There has been no further confirmation of this so far. According to the rules, however, content with political, insulting or discriminatory messages is prohibited. This also applies to unofficial country flags that could be seen as political messages.
Nationalist flag at Serbia
Other global political conflicts do not stop at the World Cup either. A nationalist flag that was hung up and photographed in the Serbian team’s dressing room recently caused a stir. Because the outlines of Kosovo, which has been independent since 2008, can also be seen under the Serbian national colors, the Kosovo Football Association (FFK) has already asked FIFA to sanction the Serbs. FIFA said it was investigating the incident.
According to the Qatari media, some spectators apparently wanted to protest against “Western double standards” and the reaction of the German Football Association (DFB) to the “Causa captain’s armband” in the match between Germany and Spain on Sunday. To do this, they held up portraits of the German player Mesut Özil and covered their mouths. The latter was probably intended to satirize the German team, which, after the ban on the “One Love” captain’s armband, was photographed with a corresponding gesture in a group photo.
The fact that Özil, who plays for Istanbul Basaksehir, was chosen for the protest could be related to the long-simmering conflict between the 34-year-old and the DFB. Özil separated from the German national team in 2018 after a dispute over a joint photo with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. One explanation is that viewers in Qatar criticized the DFB for using double standards when it came to freedom of expression.
Lots of attention for speedsters
Protest actions are attracting a lot of attention this year, precisely because of the strict regime in Qatar. This is also reflected in the repercussions of a streaker incident during the World Cup group game between Portugal and Uruguay on Monday. Minutes into the second half, a spectator ran down the pitch at Lusail Stadium holding a rainbow-colored peace flag. The rainbow flag is also considered a symbol of the LGBTQ movement.
The speedster’s Superman shirt read “Save Ukraine” on the front chest and “Respect for Iranian Women” on the back. The word “Pace” (Italian for peace) could be read on the rainbow-colored flag. The man was quickly stopped by stewards and taken to the catacombs, the flag was picked up by referee Aliresa Faghani and taken off the pitch. For a short time there was concern that the man could face greater consequences – but on Tuesday he announced that he was free and that he was not threatened with any legal consequences.
“Last run” with three messages
It’s about the Italian Mario Ferri, who himself played top-flight football at clubs in his home country, in India and Jordan. He has already appeared as a speedster at past World Cups, in the Champions League and the Italian Serie A. A statement about the campaign was published on his Instagram account on Tuesday. “I’m back,” it said. It was his last run on a field with which he wanted to send three important messages.
The first message was to Iran, where he has friends “who suffer” and where “women are not respected.” The world has to change, it takes courage and strong gestures.
He wanted to convey the second message with the “banned” rainbow flag: “FIFA has banned captain’s armbands and rainbow and human rights flags in the stands, they blocked everyone, but not me, like a Robin Hood 2.0 I carried the message of the people ‘ says Ferri. They want a free world that respects all ethnic groups and ideas. Ferri also called for a “rescue of Ukraine”: As a volunteer in Kyiv, he saw how much the people in the country were suffering.
