The Gateway Pundit reported that on Monday, when Iran’s World Cup team took the field for their opening match, they refused to sing their national anthem before the match. The act was a show of support for the mass protests taking place in Iran after Mahsa Amini’s death from injuries sustained after her arrest for the “improper” wearing of a hijab and the violent, brutal crackdowns on protestors that followed.
Now, the brutal Iranian regime has let the footballers know that there will be a price to pay for their defiance and bravery.
Iran‘s footballers have been warned by officials in Tehran they face retribution for their ‘insulting’ decision not to sing their national anthem ahead of their Qatar World Cup match against England.
The team could face reprisals if they refuse to sing Iran’s national anthem in their remaining World Cup games, an Iranian politician warned, meaning all eyes will be on the team during their game against Wales on Friday.
Medhi Chamran, the chairman of Tehran city council, warned that the country ‘will never allow anyone to insult our anthem’, reports The Guardian.
Meanwhile, a senior British politician said the risk to the Iranian players’ lives is now ‘serious and severe’ after they refused to sing the national anthem.
Conservative MP Alicia Kearns, who chairs the UK’s Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, said Britain should support Iran’s international footballers if they seek asylum following their ‘very bold and brave political statement’.
Iran’s heavily censored media made little mention of the Iranian team not singing the national anthem, but ultra-conservative newspaper Kayhan criticised ‘certain players’ for remaining silent.
During the football match, Iran fans in the stands chanted Amini’s name, held signs and wore T-shirts with protest slogans and booed during the national anthem.
The Gateway Pundit has reported on the massive the protests occurring in Iran in response to Amini’s death.
Since Amini’s death, Iranian men and women have continued to protest against the regime’s brutality and have paid the price for daring to speak up. Protestors have faced being fired on with an AK-47 , firing indiscriminately on protesters in the street from their moving vehicles, murdering Hadis Najafi , a powerful symbol of the uprisings, the kidnapping, torture, rape and murder of Nika Shakarimi, a woman being dragged by police and sexually assaulted by a gang of Islamic Republic oppressive forces and sadly, so much more.