{"id":36419,"date":"2026-06-16T18:58:35","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T18:58:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/people-booed-irans-national-anthem-during-the-world-cup-match-against-new-zealand-against-fifa-regulations\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T18:58:35","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T18:58:35","slug":"people-booed-irans-national-anthem-during-the-world-cup-match-against-new-zealand-against-fifa-regulations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/people-booed-irans-national-anthem-during-the-world-cup-match-against-new-zealand-against-fifa-regulations\/","title":{"rendered":"People booed Iran’s national anthem during the World Cup match against New Zealand, against FIFA regulations."},"content":{"rendered":"
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The atmosphere was politically charged ahead of the World Cup match between Iran and New Zealand, with protests taking place before the match.<\/h2>\n
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June 16, 2026, 02:26<\/span>Updated June 16, 2026 02:26<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Iran’s national anthem was met with boos (Image: FIFA via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n
Iran’s national anthem drew jeers from some in the crowd at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium as the team’s unprecedented and eventful build-up for this World Cup finally ended. Iran was not even expected to appear in the finals when co-hosts the United States and Israel launched a bombing campaign in February.<\/p>\n
A peace deal may have finally been agreed on Sunday, but the development of the match only highlighted the complexities and polarization surrounding the team’s participation.<\/p>\n
Booing could be heard inside the stadium during the national anthem, but a few minutes before that, a huge cheer erupted when footage of the team in the tunnel was shown on a giant screen above the pitch, and the team cheered loudly as the match kicked off.<\/p>\n
The Iranian community in Los Angeles is primarily made up of people who fled the country around the time of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, or their children, so anti-establishment sentiment is strong here.<\/p>\n
FIFA won a lawsuit in the early hours of Monday morning to ban flags with the pre-revolutionary “lion and sun” emblem from being brought into stadiums, but there were many flags inside the venue ahead of kick-off.<\/p>\n
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Fans inside the ground defied FIFA rules regarding pre-revolutionary Iranian flags (Image: AP Photo\/Mark J. Terrill)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Protesters had promised “hell” in the build-up to the match, and aggressive anti-establishment slogans were chanted around SoFi Stadium, describing Tehran’s leaders as “terrorists”, while many at the match were keen to separate the team from the nation they represent.<\/p>\n
Kiyan Jafari, wearing a cape and headband emblazoned with “The Lion and the Sun,” said before the match:<\/p>\n
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“This is unprecedented, we haven’t seen anything so brutal for a long time. We’ve been thinking for a long time, should we still be here today? This is still an Islamic (regime) team, but we don’t know what they put the players through.<\/p>\n
“I want them to know that as long as they are Iranian and they support us, I still support them.”<\/p>\n
“Unfortunately, Iranians are divided on how they feel this team represents or supports the government,” said Marian Rogers, who left Iran as a teenager in 1977 for Bedford and immigrated to the United States.<\/p>\n
“I don’t believe in that. I believe it’s just football. I want to take the politics out of it.”<\/p>\n
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