Football upstages politics as Iranians rally behind their team at World Cup

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His words would prove largely true. The game ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw, and each time Iran – known as Team Melli – scored, the stadium erupted in deafening celebrations. There were two opposing sets of Iranian flags in Los Angeles, home to a large Iranian American community that is largely staunchly opposed to the governing system in Tehran. Some fans waved the Islamic Republic flag, adorned with the name of God. Others opted for the pre-1979-revolution flag featuring the lion and sun, used by the Iranian opposition. But when Team Melli were building up an attack, their supporters sang in unison. Chants of “Iran, Iran” rang throughout the stadium, and the fans held their breath collectively each time Iran’s attackers came near New Zealand’s goal. Concerns of unrest around the game did not materialise. Iranian fans vastly outnumbered their New Zealand counterparts at the stadium, and the game ended without any major incident. A small group of demonstrators had gathered outside the venue, waving Israeli flags and chanting in support of opposition figure Reza Pahlavi. They also called on United States President Donald Trump to resume the war with Iran, although Washington and Tehran have already reached a ceasefire deal. “President Trump, finish the job,” they chanted on a loud megaphone. Protesters also shouted slogans against the Palestinian group Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah. One of the demonstrators held a banner featuring the faces of Team Melli players with red crosses on them. “IRGC Team,” it said, referring to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, with red ink meant to resemble blood dripping from the letters. Protester Kourosh Kiumarsi told Al Jazeera that the Iranian squad is the “regime team”. Asked about the Israeli flags at the demonstration, he said: “Israel and the USA attacked the regime and helped the people of Iran. They are not at war with Iran. They are at war with the Islamic Republic regime.” Despite the intensity of the slogans at the protest, it was small and contained. “I love that all the hype was just outside of the stadium,” said Sudi Farokhnia, who wore a green, white and red wig and a shirt featuring the lion and sun flag. “Once you walked into the stadium, all you could hear was Iran, Iran, Iran. The energy was amazing. The people were amazing,” she told Al Jazeera after the match. But that does not mean the entire affair was apolitical. It would be difficult to argue that the pre-revolution flag is not a political statement. FIFA bans political symbols at international matches, but thousands of Iranian fans on Monday were able to come in with lion-and-sun flags, shirts and hats. Many also wore political slogans like “Make Iran Great Again” and “free Iran”. FIFA did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment on the issue. There were also other political expressions at the match. Arash, an Iranian fan who asked to be identified by his first name only, wore a shirt that said “Mibab 168” on the back. The US-Israel war on Iran killed hundreds of civilians, including 168 children at a girl’s school in the southern city of Minab, during the first day of the conflict. “This is not a political shirt. This is not just to send a political message,” Arash told Al Jazeera. “It’s a simple, simple statement: Schools are sanctuaries, whether it’s school shootings, bombings. School is a place of virtue. It’s a place of learning. It’s a place that – no matter who you are, what you believe in, what country – school should be off limits.” Inside the stadium, a group of Iranian fans also revealed a “MINAB 168” message during the game. There were also Palestinian and Israeli flags visible in the stands. The match kicked off with a political message: Many fans jeered the Iranian national anthem, which opposition activists see as representative of the government. Iran’s participation in the tournament was in peril earlier this year because of the war. Team Melli were forced to stay in Mexico as their base camp, while all their group-stage matches were in the US, because the Trump administration refused to host them. Once the ball was kicked, however, that all faded into the background. It was 11 versus 11. And the football delivered excitement, joy and disappointment. Iran dropped two valuable points against a lower-ranked team, but came twice from behind and hit the woodwork once. And each of the two times the net bulged, the goals brought happiness to a nation with two flags at home and abroad that has gone through war and immense hardship. There was a number of protesters outside. But when Iran scored, almost all Iranians cheered. 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