Iran arrives at the World Cup with a change of coach and protests in the country

No team will arrive in Qatar with as many problems on and especially off the field as Iran.

With discussions in the cast and change of coach, the team has not had the ideal preparation in recent months. But the biggest issue lies in the Iranian political environment.

The death of Mahsa Amini, 22, who was beaten to death while in the country’s police custody for failing to wear a hijab (a veil that covers the head) in the proper manner, has sparked protests from Iranian women. Movement that gained worldwide support and found support in national team players.

Before the friendly against Senegal, on the 27th, the holders took to the field wearing black jackets, a sign of solidarity with the movement.

The following Sunday, striker Sardar Azmoun posted a message on his Instagram account in support of women in his country.

“Because of the national team rules we couldn’t say anything until the end of the preparation period, but I can’t accept any more. The biggest punishment is being expelled from the national team, which is a small price to pay to protect even a single strand of Iranian women’s hair. Shame! You kill them so easily. Long live Iranian women.”

The post was deleted minutes later. Azmoun and other players posted a black circle as his profile picture to symbolize the protests.

The atmosphere was not good on the pitch either, with the squad divided over the work of Croatian coach Dragan Skocic. The final straw came when he gave an interview to a Zagreb newspaper in which he questioned the technical quality of the Iranians. He was fired, rehired six days later and then released again, in a sequence of events that confused even athletes between the end of July and the beginning of August this year.

Team members wrote messages of support on social media, such as Azmou, who promised support for Skocic. They were criticized by others.

“You don’t speak for all of us, boy,” replied Captain Ehsan Hajsafi.

The choice to replace the Croatian was made by an old acquaintance of the athletes.

“When your family calls, you have to answer it,” said Carlos Queiroz from Portugal.

He led Iran to two World Cups. In both he fell in the group stage, but in the first, in 2014, he pushed Argentina to the limit and was only surpassed by a stroke of genius from Messi in stoppage time. Four years later, in Russia, he came close to defeating Portugal, qualifying and leaving Cristiano Ronaldo out of the playoffs.

Even with the criticism that he is a too conservative coach and too focused on defense by journalists who follow the selection, his return was welcomed by the squad. Several current names had their first chance in the selection thanks to Queiroz, who led Colombia in part of the South American qualifiers, but ended up being sacked after suffering a 6-1 thrashing against Ecuador.

Iran is in Group B and opens against England on 21 November. United States and Wales are also in the bracket.

In the friendlies against Uruguay and Senegal, Queiroz favored a 4-1-4-1 formation. The concern is that the decision could, for tactical reasons, leave one of their two best players on the bench: forwards Sardar Azmoun, who plays for Bayer Leverkusen (ALE) or Maehdi Taremi, from FC Porto (POR).

It will be the sixth Iranian participation in World Cups. In addition to seeking an unprecedented qualification for the round of 16, the team will have the chance to repeat its most memorable result in the history of the tournament. In 1998, in a confrontation that also had geopolitics as a backdrop, they defeated the United States 2-1.