AL RAYYAN, Qatar (AP) — Tensions ran high at Iran’s second World Cup game on Friday as fans supporting the Iranian government, those protesting against it, clashed with each other and stadium security flagged, T -shirts and other items that expressed support for the protest movement that has gripped the Islamic Republic.
Some fans were stopped by stadium security from bringing in Persian pre-revolutionary flags to match against Wales at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium. Others carrying such flags had them torn from their hands by pro-government Iran fans, who also shouted insults at fans wearing T-shirts bearing the slogan of the protest movement gripping the country , “Woman, Life, Liberty.”
Unlike in their first game against England, the Iran players sang along to their national anthem before the match, while some fans in the stadium wept, whistled and booed.
The national team has come under scrutiny for any statements or gestures about the nationwide protests that have hit Iran for weeks.
Shouting matches broke out in lines outside the stadium between fans who shouted “Women, life, freedom” and others who shouted “The Islamic Republic” back!
Small mobs of men surrounded three different women who were giving interviews about the protests to foreign media outside the stadium, disrupting broadcasts as they angrily chanted, “The Islamic Republic of Iran!” Many female fans appeared shocked as Iranian government supporters shouted at them in Farsi and filmed them up close on their phones.
One 35-year-old woman named Maryam, who like other Iran fans declined to give her last name for fear of government reprisals, began to cry as shouting men blowing horns surrounded her and covered her face film. She had the words “Woman Life Freedom” painted on her face.
“We want to raise awareness about his arrest and about the women’s rights movement. Simple,” said Maryam, who lives in London but is originally from Tehran. “I am not here to fight with anyone, but people have attacked me and called me a terrorist. All I am here to say is that football does not matter if people are killed in the street.”
Maryam and her friends were wearing hats bearing the name of an outspoken Iranian former soccer player Voria Ghafouri, who criticized Iranian authorities and was arrested in Iran on Thursday on charges of spreading anti-government propaganda. She said supporters of the Iranian government had taken their hats off their heads.
Ghafouri, who is Kurdish, was a star member of Iran’s 2018 World Cup squad but was surprisingly not named in this year’s squad in Qatar.
“It’s clear that the match had become very politicized this week. You can see people from the same country who hate each other,” said Mustafa, a 40-year-old Iran fan who also declined to give his last name. “I think the arrest of Voria has also affected the society in Iran a lot.”
Furious protesters in Iran have vented their anger over social and political oppression and the state-mandated headscarf, or hijab, for women. The demonstrations, spurred by the September 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the country’s morality police, have quickly escalated into calls for the downfall of the Islamic Republic itself. At least 419 people have been killed since the protests broke out, according to monitoring group Human Rights Activists in Iran.
The turmoil has overshadowed the start of Iran’s World Cup campaign. The opening game against England on Monday was the scene of protests as anti-government fans waved signs and chanted in the stands. Before that match, which Iran lost 6-2, their players remained silent while their national anthem played and did not celebrate their two goals. On Friday they sang the national anthem and celebrated wildly when they scored in the 2-0 win against Wales.
Ayeh Shams from the United States, who was with her brother at the match against Wales, said security officers confiscated her flag because it had the word “women” on it.
“We are American first generation. Our parents were born in Iran. We are here just to enjoy the games and provide a platform for the Iranian people who are fighting against the Islamic regime,” said Shams.
Zeinlabda Arwa, a security guard at the stadium, confirmed that authorities had been ordered to confiscate everything except the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“Whether you’re talking about Iran or Qatar or any country, you’re only allowed to bring in the normal flag,” she said.
An angry group of Iranian government supporters shouted at Elyas Doerr, a 16-year-old Iranian living in Arizona, who was wearing the Persian flag as a cape, until he took it off and put it in his bag. “They don’t like that it’s a political statement,” he said, adding that other Iranian fans had approached him to say they appreciated the gesture.
Before Friday’s game, Iranians chanted anti-government slogans from rooftops in Tehran. Scattered protests also broke out in Kurdish cities in the west of the country and across the central city of Isfahan on Thursday.
Iranian state TV on Friday dedicated its main news bulletin to the football skills of Iranians, wished the national team luck against Wales and broadcast a montage of Iranian goals throughout history.
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