Iran’s national football team has historically been seen as representative of the people rather than the government of the Islamic Republic.
Team Meri, as it is known as The Team, has been embraced as a non-political force and a secular passion that reflects a particular ideal: Iran in everyone’s imagination. Over the years, the team has brought unity and joy to a troubled country. Support for it was virtually unconditional.
until now.
As the World Cup in Qatar approaches, the world’s biggest sporting event will be held in the Middle East for the first time, leaving the Iranian team in an unfamiliar polarizing position.
A general view of the World Cup sign in Doha. (Reuters)
Team Meri is embroiled in Iran’s internal affairs, where nationwide riots led by women and youth continue, demanding an end to clerical rule and demanding fairer treatment and greater personal freedom. The protests have taken place during her police custody in mid-September, a young woman, Murthy Amini, 22, who was arrested by moral police in Iran’s capital Tehran for violating a law requiring women to cover their heads. spurred by his death.
Some activists inside and outside Iran have called on football’s governing body, FIFA, to ban Iran from participating in the World Cup. They are concerned not only with government crackdowns on protesters that have left more than 250 dead, but also with long-standing ones such as restricted access to stadiums for women to watch matches, and Iran’s access to Russia. It also cites more overt political grievances, such as providing weaponized drones to support the invasion. Ukraine.
FIFA recently sent a letter to all World Cup teams and their federations urging them to focus on football rather than politics. But support for Team Meri is divided even at home in this emotional and instinctive moment, according to analysts, fans, journalists, former coaches and players.
This division was evident in the hurt voice of Jalal Talebi, 80, who coached his native Iran at the 1998 World Cup in France. (Re-entered the group for the first round.) Talevi called football “a part of life” in an interview, but said he believed it was “not the time” to support and participate in the protests. World Cup. He said he may decline to be a commentator on international television and may not even be able to watch Iran’s game from his home in the Bay Area.
“How can I watch football when my neighbors, my brothers, my countrymen, my countrymen are in such a bad situation?” said Talevi.
Popular Iranian vocalist Mohammad Motamedy, 44, was named Team Meri’s official singer for this World Cup but declined, writing on his Instagram page.
Keyvan, 47, a lawyer from Tehran who asked to use only his first name, canceled tickets, flights and hotel accommodations for Iranian team games in Qatar, sparking protests and government He said he had a change of heart because of the violent crackdown. .
But other fans said they fully supported Iran’s participation. He said football was one of the remaining hobbies for those who had been
“It would be a collective punishment to take the World Cup away from us,” Golzadeh said.
Even national team players seem to disagree on whether or how strongly they should show their support for the protesters.
Iran’s national football team, known as Team Meri, poses before a friendly match against Uruguay in September. (Reuters)
The team’s star forwards Sardar Azmon and Mehdi Terami had a heated argument at a training camp in Austria in September, according to Twitter and Telegram reports by a freelance Iranian journalist. , reportedly after Azmoun posted a post on Instagram that said “national team rules” were stifling players from expressing their views on the nationwide protests. Head of an Iranian woman. Azmoun briefly deleted her Instagram feed of her own before resuming her more discreet posts.
Analysts say some fans have accused players of being recruited by the government and securing their loyalty through real estate deals and luxury car imports. Others accused the players of looking insensitive at the Austrian training camp after Amini’s death, celebrating goalkeeper Alireza Beiramband’s 30th birthday after an exhibition win against Uruguay with too much excitement. A day party was held.
“The excitement and joy we always felt for football and the World Cup is not present this time,” said Amir Ali, 54, an engineer in Tehran. Some say that if Meri loses, it’s a defeat for the regime.”
Those who sympathize with the players say they are undoubtedly facing enormous pressure, possibly from the government, not to openly side with protesters who seek to advance their careers in the tournament held every four years. have even faced threats from It will definitely test your concentration. And their every move continues to be heavily scrutinized.
Protests by fans holding Amini’s photo aloft and chanting the riot mantra “Women, Life, Freedom” are widely expected in Qatar both inside and outside stadiums. At a cabinet meeting on Oct. 30, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said he was worried about Meri, saying that he had teamed up with Iran’s closest Arab allies to prevent “problems from surfacing”. He said he had asked the foreign ministry to work with a Qatar.
Protesters from all walks of life in Iran took part, with students and women playing key roles, waving and burning headscarves.(Reuters files)
Inside Iran, if past World Cups are any indication, the government may limit large public gatherings where fans watch matches and participate in street celebrations.
Some Iranians have called on Team Meri (and their World Cup opponents, including England and Wales), to show solidarity with the protest movement during their stay in Qatar. This took the form of casual gestures such as wristbands and more overt gestures such as writing messages on T-shirts and jerseys, singing the Iranian national anthem, and refusing to celebrate a goal in a match. may take.
However, players may have become more daring. Esteghlal, a strong club side with several World Cup qualifiers, won Iran’s Super Cup on Wednesday, but the winning goal was not celebrated by Amir Arsalan Motahari. Instead, he shed tears captured in his photo. Another player, Medhi Gayedi, wrote on his jersey the name of a young fan who was shot dead by security forces in the northern city of Babor.
The Esteghlal players then solemnly folded their arms during the trophy presentation. The team’s official Twitter page declared “no one is happy” over a muted video of the post-match ceremony.
One player, Siavash Yazdani, told Iranian broadcast media that it was a “bitter victory in bitter times” and dedicated the match “to the women of Iran and the families of all the victims”.
The next day, Team Meri star Azmon posted “Honored Esteghlal” on his Instagram page against the black screen of mourning, along with team colors blue hearts.
