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Secret agents stalk ‘brave’ Iranian players from the sidelines at World Cup
Iran players are under intense pressure as they go into their second World Cup group game against the USA amid a backdrop of unrest in their homeland
Iran’s footballers are under surveillance from secret agents who have been sent out to the
World Cup to watch their movements from the sidelines, according to a prominent human rights activist.
Maziar Bahari said players face repercussions for shows of dissent amid a harsh crackdown on the anti-government protests in their homeland.
The campaigner and editor expressed his admiration for the ‘brave’ players in their silence during the national anthem before the side’s opening game against England, which they lost 6-2.
He said the domestic players — being carefully monitored from the stands and sidelines in
Qatar — face sanctions which could include the end of their club careers and possible arrest on home soil.
Iranian footballers have been praised for their bravery as they face possible repercussions for showing dissent to the regime.
metro.co.uk
Iran Threatened Families of National Soccer Team with ‘Violence and Torture’: Report
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened the families of players on Iran’s World Cup soccer team with imprisonment and torture if the players do not “behave” before their match against the United States on Tuesday, according to a new report.
A source told
CNN that players were called to a meeting with members of the IRGC after the team failed to sing the country’s national anthem during their opening match against England last week. The IRGC reportedly warned afterward that players who did not sing the national anthem or who participated in any
political protest against the Iranian government would leave their families subject to “violence and torture” as retribution.
On Friday, ahead of their game against Wales, the team sang the nation’s anthem.
“There are a large number of Iranian security officers in Qatar collecting information and monitoring the players,” the source told CNN, adding that players are not allowed to meet with foreigners during the World Cup.
The Portuguese coach of Iran’s team, Carlos Quieroz, who reportedly met separately with IRGC officers, has said players can protest at the World Cup within FIFA regulations.
Widespread protests in Iran began on September 17 at the funeral of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested in Tehran by Iran’s “morality police” for allegedly wearing her hijab too loosely on September 13. She died three days later.
While Iranian officials have said that Amini died of a heart attack, her family says she was “severely beaten” while in custody. A lawyer for the family said “respectable doctors” believe she was beaten while in custody. Her death has sparked weeks of protests across Iran, in which some women have burned their hijabs and publicly chopped off their hair.
An Iranian general acknowledged for the first time Monday that more than 300 people have been killed in the protests.
The captain of Iran’s national men’s soccer team spoke in support of the anti-government protests last week.
The captain of Iran’s national men’s soccer team spoke in support of the anti-government protests last week.
“I would like to express my condolences to all bereaved families in Iran,” Ehsan Hajsafi said at a news conference. “They should know that we are with them. And we support them. And we sympathize with them regarding the conditions.”
“We have to accept the conditions in our country are not right and our people are not happy,” he added. “We are here but it does not mean we should not be their voice or we should not respect them.”
Meanwhile, Iran state media have called for the United States to be removed from the World Cup after the United States Soccer Federation supported the anti-government protesters by posting an edited version of Iran’s flag on its social-media platforms. For 24 hours, the federation posted the Iranian flag without the emblem of the Islamic Republic to show “support for the women in Iran fighting for basic human rights.”
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened the families of players on Iran’s World Cup soccer team with imprisonment and torture if the players do not “behave” before their match against the United States on Tuesday, according to a new report.
news.yahoo.com
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