At the 1998 World Cup, footballers from Iran and the USA symbolically posed together for a team photo.
Foto: imago/Mary Evans
It’s a ritual that can be seen at almost every training ground in Qatar. The images under the burning sun or bright floodlights are similar: After warming up, the players form a circle and show unity. It is no different with the Iranian national team, which begins this procedure on the premises of the Al-Rayyan Sport Club with the Iranian exclamation »Bord! board! Board!” concludes: “Victory! Victory! Victory!”
That never seemed more important than before the third group game between Iran and the USA this Tuesday (8 p.m. / ARD). It’s about getting into the round of 16 for both of them, but there’s actually more at stake. Politically, it was clear with the draw, no game would be as charged as this duel.
The development of the past months, weeks and days has made the encounter even more explosive. Iran calls the United States the “Great Satan.” Diplomatic relations have been severed since 1980. The US association has now removed the symbol that stands for the word “Allah” from the Iranian flag in the posts of its social channels for 24 hours to show solidarity with women in Iran, it said.
“After 42 years as a coach, I still believe that I can win games without such mental tricks,” said Carlos Queiroz, who as Iran’s national coach was clearly trying to build bridges over the rifts on Monday. The Portuguese worked in the United States in the 1990s – and has now praised the “progress of US soccer”. Both teams should simply put on a »big show«. Before a “very special game” for him, Queiroz, who was born in Mozambique, talked about his homeland, where a ball was enough to distract poor children. That’s what it’s all about: “If we have to learn something from this event, it’s the task of smiling for 90 minutes.” The 69-year-old received applause at the press conference.
His colleague Gregg Berhalter, who is 20 years his junior, also wants to keep the tension out of the game when the ball rolls in Al Thumama Stadium: “We will fight, they will fight. That’s all.”
But it’s not that easy in a match full of contrasts: In the only World Cup duel to date, Iran defeated the USA (2-1) in 1998, both teams had posed for a team picture together. Scorers Hamid Estili and Mehdi Mahdavikia rose to national heroes. Hundreds of thousands celebrated in Tehran at the time, and even some women danced with them. But the arch-conservative clergy was appalled by such images in the middle of a phase of detente. After this event, everything turned around again, politicians were arrested, reforms prevented, protests put down.
Once again it is obvious that the rulers of the Islamic Republic want to abuse the game for their propaganda. The national players are trimmed with all means on line. After being silent in front of the world during the national anthem before the lesson against England (2-6), the players moved their lips again before the last-minute win against Wales (2-0). Activists living in Germany who are close to the Discover Football organization suspect a direct connection to the arrest of ex-national player Vouira Ghafouri the day before.
The 35-year-old, known for his dissident attitude, is accused of having insulted the “sanctuary of the national team”. The incident also made it clear to professionals like Sardar Azmoun from Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen what could be threatened. Whether Ghafouri was released is not certain. Sources close to the government should not be trusted. Sports journalist Mehdi Aminpour was also arrested at his home on Sunday night. And he’s far from the only one. Even reporters in Qatar speak of intimidation. Last Friday the regime celebrated the victory against Wales with its repressive forces. The staged jubilation poses fueled even more hatred of the mullahs in the protest movement.
Soccer supporters long for the carefree days when “Team Melli”, “Team of the People”, really functioned as a connecting element. Even during the 2018 World Cup, the hearts of the nation flew to the footballers. Instead of shouts of encouragement, the street scene today is dominated by shouts of protest: »Zan, Zengedi, Azadi« – woman, life, freedom. At the World Cup, some fans showed t-shirts at the opening match that read “Woman. Life. Freedom« stood. Most recently, such confessions have resulted in insults in the Iranian camp, which appears to be just as divided as the country. Images also surfaced on Twitter of a woman being stopped by World Cup officials from holding up a jersey with the name of the killed Mahsa Amini. She had made up bloody tears on her face.
The appearance in Qatar is characterized by many exiles who had already traveled to Russia in large numbers. More than a million and a half now live in the United States. Many of them don’t know who to wish for victory, either. Incidentally, if there was a draw, the USA would advance.
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