The Iranian national team did not sing their national team before their 2022 FIFA World Cup opening match against England on Monday, in protest of the death of Mahsa Amini.
The 22-year-old woman died on September 16 while being held by law enforcement for failing to conform to the country’s strict Islamic dress code.
Her death has led to widespread protests in Iran and received condemnation from human rights groups and governments all over the world.
The Iranian national team in Qatar joined in the protests by not signing their national anthem in their Group B match against England.
Some sections of the Iranian fans at the Khalifa International Stadium were also heard booing in protest.
Before the game, Iran captain Ehsan Hajsafi stated the national team stand with families that have lost loved ones like Amini.
“Before anything else, I would like to express my condolences to all of the bereaved families in Iran,” he said.
“They should know that we are with them, we support them and we sympathise with them.”
Iran started their World Cup campaign with a 6-2 defeat to England. This will be their sixth World Cup having previously appeared in 1978, 1998, 2006, 2014 and 2018 editions and they have never managed to make it past the group phase.
