ANTALYA, Turkey (AP) – Players carry small backpacks during Iran’s national soccer team’s game against Nigeria on Friday in memory of the victims of a deadly missile attack on an elementary school.
The February 28 strike left more than 165 people dead, most of them children. probably launched by the USwhich attacked a school in southern Iran. Neither the United States nor Israel have accepted responsibility for the attack, which has faced harsh criticism from the United Nations and human rights groups. The U.S. military said it was investigating and would never target civilians.
During Friday’s national anthem, the Iranian team placed small pink and purple school bags in front of the children in memory of the murdered children.
Video of the ceremony also showed players wearing black armbands in memory of those who died after the game. war It has begun.
The match was held in Antalya, southern Türkiye.
Nigeria won the match 2-1. world cup They geared up for Iran ahead of the tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The Islamic Republic’s team is scheduled to play three group stage matches in the United States in June, but Iran’s ambassador in Mexico City said that Iran has asked FIFA to hold these three matches in Mexico following a decision by US President Donald Trump. disappointed The team refrained from participating, citing safety concerns.
Iranian government and soccer officials said they had no intention of boycotting the World Cup, but that military attacks on Iran by Israel and the United States made it impossible for the national team to travel to the United States.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the world soccer governing body wanted the tournament to be held “as scheduled” and put a damper on Iran’s attempts to change the match.
Separately on Friday, Iranian judicial authorities threatened to seize the assets of soccer player Sardar Azmun, two semi-official news agencies reported. The announcement follows threats from Iran’s hardline attorney general that authorities plan to seize the assets of celebrities deemed critical of the government.
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