Iran’s athletes are allowed to participate in the nationwide women’s rights rallies while they are competing in the World Cup in Qatar, but they must do so in accordance with the competition’s regulations, national team coach Carlos Queiroz said on Tuesday.
Iran players can protest during the World Cup, as per coach Queiroz
The murder of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, while she was in the custody of the morality police sparked widespread protests that lasted for two months, according to the rights activist HRANA news agency, which reported 344 deaths and 15,280 arrests.
Iran asserted that the tragedy was the consequence of pre-existing issues and accused its rivals of encouraging the demonstrations in an effort to overthrow the regime. The clerical establishment, which has been in control for more than 40 years, is experiencing a crisis of legitimacy as a result of the protests.
When Iran played two warm-up internationals in September, the players covered their national team emblem, which was seen as a support for the protestors.
However, they have received harsh criticism on Twitter in recent days for meeting with Iranian officials prior to their flight to Doha, where they began their first training session on Tuesday.
As long like it complies with World Cup rules and is in the spirit of the game, the players are free to protest as they would if they were from any other nation, Queiroz said at a press conference.
FIFA, the organisation that oversees soccer worldwide, has historically opposed players, teams, and fans participating in protests and sloganeering, but in recent months has adopted a more tolerant stance toward protests, as seen when several teams wore t-shirts advocating for human rights in a protest against World Cup hosts Qatar.
In a furious response, Queiroz asked the reporter how much he would pay him to answer the issue of whether he was glad to coach in a nation that oppressed women.
The coach stated that despite being placed in the difficult Group B alongside England, Wales, and the United States, Iran’s players have set the goal of moving on to the second round. At the Khalifa International Stadium on Monday, they kick off against England.