Iran’s anthem was jeered by some sections of the crowd at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles as the team’s unprecedentedly turbulent build-up to this World Cup finally concluded. Iran were not expected to even be at these finals when co-hosts the United States, alongside Israel, began a bombing campaign in February.

While a peace deal may have finally been agreed on Sunday, the build-up to the game only served to highlight the complexities and polarised views around the team’s participation.

The anthem was greeted by audible boos within the stadium, but minutes earlier, there had been loud cheers when images of the team in the tunnel appeared on the giant screens above the pitch, and the team also had strong vocal backing once the match kicked off.

The Iranian community in Los Angeles is primarily comprised of those who fled the country around the time of the 1979 Islamic revolution, or the children of those who did, and as such anti-regime sentiment is strong here.

FIFA won a case to ban flags with the pre-revolution ‘Lion and Sun’ emblem on from being brought to the stadium earlier on Monday, but plenty were in evidence within the venue in the lead-up to kick-off.



-Football Mirror