U.S. defeats Iran at the World Cup, but Iran's players can hold their heads high.
Today’s World Cup soccer match between the U.S. and Iran offered intrigue of both the sporting and the political kind. In sporting terms, the question was whether the U.S., with its pretty but punchless attack, could breach Iran’s porous defense and send the Americans into the knockout stage of the tournament with a victory. For the U.S., it was a case of win-or-go-home.
In political terms, the question was whether Iranians, both on the field and in the crowd, would continue to manifest their discontent with the regime, even in the face of stepped up pressure, including threats, to curb their protests.
The sporting and the political questions overlapped. If, as I had expected after Iran’s dreadful display against England in the first match, Iran had already been eliminated from qualifying for the next round, their fans would likely have been subdued today. However, the Iran team proved to be better than it showed against England (though still not good) and Wales, rather than Iran, turned out to be the doormat of the four-team group.
Iran, therefore, had everything to play for against the U.S. Indeed, its team needed only a draw to advance.
Accordingly, the Iranian fans were sky high for the match. As much as they may hate the regime, their nationalism had them at a fever pitch.
At the same time, the regime, determined not be embarrassed again, had taken measures to squash displays of disrespect by players and fans. Back in Iran, it arrested a former member of the national team who has been an outspoken critic. In addition to this indirect threat against current players, the regime reportedly had threatened retaliation against their family members if they failed to sing the national anthem.
As for Iranian fans, word was that the regime had “spotters” in the crowd to report anyone who booed the national anthem. As a result, there was no booing or whistling during its playing Nor were those protest tee-shirts and flags on display. According to The Athletic:
The “Woman. Life. Freedom.” shirts and those bearing other protest slogans, which were impossible to miss at Iran’s opener against England, were almost entirely absent to the naked eye. So were flags of pre-Islamic Revolution Iran, which have long been a symbol of protest particularly among Iranian expats.
Several people I talked to, all of whom did not want to be named due to safety concerns, wore shirts bearing those slogans under button-down shirts, which many later told me were inspected by security upon arrival. Some said they found creative ways to smuggle the flags in, and left it at that.
As for the players, nearly all of them sang, although muttered might be a better description. Only the goalkeeper appeared to be singing in a normal sense. Maybe he’s that one Iranian out of eleven who likes the regime. Maybe he has a large family.
As a longtime observer of national anthem crooning at international soccer matches, I can say that it’s not unusual for a few players on a given team to remain quiet. Not every nation can be Italy or Canada.
Some players don’t sing because they are focused solely on the upcoming match. Some don’t know the words to their anthem. Nowadays, many national teams, including America’s, recruit players from other countries who have only a vague connection to the nation seeking their services. (This is not the case with Iran, though.)
But when only one member of the starting eleven really sings the anthem, that makes a statement. And when only one sings even in the face of threats by the government, the statement comes across loud and clear.
Iran’s players have given the regime a black eye. Let’s hope that by minimally complying with the singing requirement, they and their family members will avoid punishment.
The match itself — a 1-0 victory for the U.S. — brought no joy to the Iranian players and their fans. Iran had no answer for the quintet of Sergino Dest (AC Milan, by way of Holland), Tyler Adams (Leeds United), Weston McKennie (Juventus) , Yunus Musah (Valencia, by way of England), and Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), while he was in the match. Even Josh Sargent (Norwich City) was causing problems with his hold-up play. It’s worth noting, by the way, that none of these players is more than 24 years old.
The U.S. seized control early, and once Pulisic scored his brave goal in the 38th minute, the Iranian fans, so loud early on, were not heard from much. Only towards the end of the match, as Iran began to pose a serious threat against a U.S. team in retreat, did the pro-Iran crowd come back to life.
Sports fans are pretty much the same all over the world.
Even apart from the win-or-go-home stakes for the U.S. team, I’m glad Iran’s tournament is over. This team simply isn’t good enough to grace the final 16.
At the same time, I’m glad these courageous players recovered from their 6-2 humiliation at the hands England to play respectable soccer and finish third in their group.
The Iranian players can hold their heads high, both in sporting and political terms.