A representative of Iran’s soccer federation called on Sunday (27) that the United States be expelled from the World Cup over posts on social media that allegedly disrespected the Asian country’s flag.
US Soccer drew the ire of Iran by including a doctored Iranian flag in two posts on its official social media accounts on Saturday (26).
A spokesman for US Soccer said the decision to use an Iranian flag without the country’s official emblem and two lines of Islamic script in posts on Twitter and Instagram was intentional and intended to show support for Iranian women, in a nod to the protests. who rocked Iran and accompanied their team to the World Cup in Qatar.
Iran condemned the US decision to use an incorrect flag, which would violate the statutes of FIFA, the governing body of world football.
“Respecting the flag of one nation is an international practice that all other nations must follow,” Safia Allah Faghanpour, legal adviser to Iran’s football federation, was quoted as saying by Iran’s semi-official state news agency. “The action taken in relation to the Iranian flag is unethical and against international law.”
The comments were reported by Tasnim News, whose social media profile includes an image of an American flag in flames.
The USA and Iran will face off in a decisive game this Tuesday (28), full of political overtones and high stakes: the loser will be eliminated from the Cup.
Iran cited a specific FIFA regulation that said it called for penalties for anyone “who offends the dignity or integrity of a country, a person or a group of people through contemptuous, discriminatory or derogatory words or actions (by whatever means) “.
FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the dispute but is unlikely to intervene during the World Cup.
In the Qatar Cup, Iran’s presence on the pitch made headlines: fans arriving at games with the country’s pre-revolutionary flag were told that it is not allowed to enter the stadium with it.
Iran’s players, meanwhile, received praise, and criticism, for refusing to sing the national anthem in the opening game. The second time they went out into the field, they seemed to sing grudgingly.
US Soccer’s spokesman, who requested anonymity to discuss the internal discussions, said the US FA had not been contacted by FIFA about the social media posts.
He said the two posts were deleted after a series of internal discussions and that the official flag of Iran would be used in the future.
The US players and their coach, Gregg Berhalter, were not involved in the decision to use the incorrect flag or remove it, the spokesman said.
This Monday (28), Berhalter said in an interview that he wanted to “apologize on behalf of the players and the team” for the incident.
He added that “our thoughts are with the Iranian people”, referring to the tense situation in the country.
Iran has faced protests for weeks that began after a 22-year-old woman accused of violating the country’s strict dress code law died in police custody.
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