US soccer removes Iran flag Islamic motif for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, have a look
In support of Iranian protesters ahead of Tuesday’s World Cup match between the two countries, the U.S. Soccer Federation is displaying Iran’s national flag on social media without the Islamic Republic of Iran’s emblem.
As a response, the Iranian leadership charged that America had changed their national flag to remove the mention of God.
US Soccer Removes Islamic Emblem From Iran Flag Ahead Of Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022 Match
Because of the U.S. Soccer Federation’s decision, the Middle East’s first World Cup, which organisers had hoped would be free of off-the-field controversy, now faces yet another political uproar.
All eyes on Tuesday. ๐บ๐ธ pic.twitter.com/8bCHlUdmRv
— U.S. Men's National Soccer Team (@USMNT) November 25, 2022
According to Islam, God created different types of animals for; traveling, eating & sex. Women are classified as animals like cow, sheep, etc. In 2021 the United Nations elected the Islamic Republic of Iran to commission on women's rights till 2026. Shame on the @UN totally sick. pic.twitter.com/A7RHrh8VlL
— Renee Lynn (@Voice_For_India) November 26, 2022
This is what Islamic regimeโs very scared of & wonโt let you hear about it from any outlets;
Truckers strike!It started since yesterday around the country & the guild has been trying to give bonuses to truckers in order to break the strike,but NO!#IranRevolution continuesโฆ pic.twitter.com/Pi2uXfvLOw
— Cassandane (@IranReportsNow) November 27, 2022
Additionally, it occurs as Iran and the United States square off in a pivotal World Cup match that is already complicated by the longstanding animosity between the two nations and the widespread protests that are currently opposing Tehran’s theocratic leadership.
In a statement released on Sunday, the U.S. Soccer Federation stated that it had chosen to do without the official flag on social media accounts in order to show “โsupport for the women in Iran fighting for basic human rights.โ
The Iranian flag only featured its green, white, and red colours on the banner with the U.S. men’s team’s matches in the group stage that was posted on Twitter. The same could be seen in a post outlining the group’s current point totals on its Facebook and Instagram profiles.
In a graphic showing the Group B standings on its website, the U.S. Soccer Federation included the official Iranian flag. Since the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, on September 16 while being held by the nation’s morality police, there have been months-long protests against the Iranian government.
According to Human Rights Activists in Iran, an advocacy group monitoring the demonstrations, at least 450 people have died during the rallies and more than 18,000 have been imprisoned. Iran claims that its opponents overseas, particularly the United States, are behind the protests without offering any proof and has not revealed any casualty or arrest statistics in months.
Covering the unrest is made more challenging by Tehran’s restrictions on press freedom and the Committee to Protect Journalists’ report that over 63 journalists and photographers have been detained since the protests started.
The Associated Press sent a comment request, but neither the Iranian soccer federation nor its mission to the UN responded right away. As online debate erupted, Iranian state television alleged that the United States federation had “removed the symbol of Allah” from the Iranian flag. An advisor to the Iranian Football Federation, Safiollah Fagahanpour, was quoted by Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency as saying that:
measures taken regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran flag are against the law” of FIFA competitions.
“They must be held responsible,โ Fagahanpour said. โObviously they want to affect Iranโs performance against the U.S by doing this.โ
At the World Cup, the flag has grown to be a source of controversy. It appears that pro-government supporters have brandished it while yelling at those protesting Amini’s passing. A symbol of Iran’s late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, other spectators at games have flown the lion and sun flag.