Monday, November 28, 2022 at 11:50 PM• Jeroen van Poppel • Last update: 23:52

The families of the Iranian players have been seriously threatened with ‘violence and torture’ if the players do not ‘behave’ ahead of Tuesday’s game against the United States, reports said. CNN based on a match security source. It is very important to the Iranian government that the players of the national team sing the national anthem.

In protest against the regime in Iran, the footballers kept their mouths shut during the national anthem before the first World Cup match, against England (6-2 loss). The players were called after that game for a meeting with members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. The national anthem was then sung during the second game, last Friday against Wales (0-2 win).

Before the tournament, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard would have promised “gifts and cars” if the players did not protest openly in Qatar. The atmosphere changed radically after the ‘humiliation’ of the silent players prior to the opening game. Carlos Queiroz, the Portuguese national coach of Iran, also had an interview with the guard. Initially, the choice lord took the position that his players were allowed to protest, as long as it remained within the limits of FIFA.

Since the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in September, Iran has been very unsettled. She was arrested by the religious police because, according to officers, she had not covered her head properly. Several days later, Amini died at the police station. The current regime in Iran, which has been in power for more than forty years, brutally suppresses any form of protest or demonstration.