Iran begins its World Cup match against New Zealand in Los Angeles on Monday, but the team will have to deal with activist protests before and during the match.
Protests take place ahead of the opening World Cup match between Iran and New Zealand (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
Protesters are planning to target Iran’s opening match at the World Cup with the aim of making it “hell” for the Iranian national team.
After arriving in the United States on Sunday, Iran will play their group opener against New Zealand in Los Angeles on Monday. Their participation in the tournament was in jeopardy due to the war between the US and Iran, but an agreement to end the conflict was announced on the eve of Iran’s opening game.
However, the Mail reports that the team will play against a backdrop of protests by activists who accuse them of “representing the government and not the people”.
Los Angeles is home to the largest number of Iranians outside the country, and up to 35,000 protesters are expected to speak out at SoFi Stadium before and during the Iran vs. New Zealand match.
One said: “Tomorrow will be hell.” “We’re going to have buses coming to the stadium from different cities in San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles…It’s going to be hell for them.”
They added, “We are going to boo the national anthem that is about to play. We are going to turn our backs and show the flag during the national anthem.”
A plan to defy FIFA by bringing a pre-revolutionary flag into a match could put the Iranian team in a difficult position, with the Iranian government saying the team’s coach is responsible for stopping the match “if an unofficial flag is brought in or slogans against the national team are chanted.”
The Iranian team arrived in Mexico last weekend and then moved to Los Angeles on the eve of the match against New Zealand (Image: Xinhua/Shutterstock)
However, Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei insisted on Friday that his players pay no attention to surrounding noise during matches in the tournament.
“We don’t pay any attention to the hype or what’s going on around us,” he said, adding: “We’re not political people…Football is separate from politics.”
Striker Mehdi Taremi also said on the eve of the tournament: “Our national team players play for all Iranians, whether they are in the diaspora or within the country.”
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