There are currently a couple of very noteworthy articles posted in The Guardian, which I hope do not get lost in the euphoria over England's win - oh, congratulations on that point, by the way!
Here are a couple of excerpts form the first:
'In an interview before the game, Ehsan Hajsafi, the Iranian captain, opened his remarks by saying “in the name of the god of rainbows", a phrase uttered by a 10-year-old boy, Kian Pirfalk, who was killed by Iranian security forces.
'Hajsafi said he was standing by the Iranian people and offered condolences to the grieving families in Iran.'
...
'The Bayer Leverkusen forward Sardar Azmoun wrote on Instagram: “At worst I’ll be kicked out of the national team, which is a small price to pay for even a single strand of Iranian women’s hair. Shame on you for killing the people."'
'Hengameh Ghaziani and Katayoun Riahi were detained after being summoned by prosecutors looking into their “provocative" social media posts, Iran’s state-run Irna news agency said. On Saturday, Ghaziani published a video on Instagram of her removing the hijab. “Maybe this will be my last post," she wrote. “From this moment on, whatever happens to me, know that as always, I am with the Iranian people until my last breath."'
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/nov/21/iran-world-cup-national-anthem-silent-protest-qatar
The second article is a pointed comparison of the Iranian players' stand with the inaction of other teams. I'm sure the response of Spain's FA and squad will be equally if not more lily-livered, but I doubt we will have a voice as strong and clear as Jonathan Liew's to call out our own.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/nov/21/england-show-their-true-colours-with-meek-surrender-in-armband-fiasco
Heroes and Heroines of Iran
posted on 21/11/22
“Iran’s players have risked unemployment, humiliation, imprisonment, threats against their families from a depraved autocratic regime. England have shown that they are not even prepared to risk a yellow card.”
Sums it up nicely. Bunch of fecking posers and yet we’re forced to constantly listen to them and their pundit mates lecture us as if they’re on some higher plane of intelligence.
Almost makes me thankful for those rat criminals at FIFA for showing them up for what they are.
posted on 21/11/22
Iran's players should be offered asylum if they want it. Brave of them to speak out. I would have like England players to have worn the rainbow armband.
FIFA wanting to turn the clock back 100 years. So disappointing.
posted on 21/11/22
Understandably the Lionesses aren't happy with what's happening.
posted on 21/11/22
How many of the Iran squad play in Europe?
They could all ask for asylum and probably get it.
posted on 21/11/22
I wonder what Nohlman has to say about all of this? People power something he seems to have abandoned all hope in seeing
posted on 21/11/22
A while after posting the articles, I read that the team had attended a reception with the PM of Iran before departing for the tournament, and had been harshly criticised by the supporters of the uprising.
In another article interviewing match-going fans, several Iranians said that a win would immediately be seized upon by the regime, and would therefore prefer an England victory.
It's got to be heart-rending to find yourself in a situation like this.
posted on 22/11/22
So the Iranian people want freedom but the regime and their supreme leader are in the way of that, and more interested in continually funding small, pointless and hopeless terrorist cells that don't have a hope of achieving anything.
posted on 22/11/22
I just want to see Iran thrash the yanks when they play them......come on Iran.
posted on 22/11/22
This is why all this is BS and no one really cares about Migrant deaths of actually care about people who are LGBTQ or women wearing or taking off the Hijab. It's all virtue signalling from these organisations and also getting back at feeling hurt over not winning the rights to host the World Cup. They were all in on bribing people at Fifa. Qatar just paid more.
posted on 22/11/22
I don't agree that some governments, FAs and other organisations don't care; it's just that they care more about stuff like money, oil and gas. On an individual level, loads of people care, how much is not so clear. Most football fans just care more about football, sadly.