Iranian footballers have been warned by Tehran officials that they face retaliation for the “insulting” decision not to sing the national anthem ahead of their World Cup match in England

Iranian soccer players have been warned by officials in Tehran that they face retaliation for their “offensive” decision not to sing their national anthem ahead of Qatar’s World Cup match against England.

The team could face reprisals if they refuse to sing Iran’s national anthem in the remaining World Cup matches, an Iranian politician has warned. All eyes will be on the team in Friday’s game against Wales.

Medhi Chamran, leader of the Tehran City Council, warned that the country “will never allow anyone to insult our national anthem”, reports The Guardian.

The Iranian national team looked icy on Monday as the national anthem was played at the Khalifa International Stadium before their 6-2 defeat to England.

It was seen as a show of solidarity with the protests currently sweeping Iran following the September 16 death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran’s morality police.

The Iran national team looked icy as the national anthem was played at the Khalifa International Stadium on Monday before their 6-2 defeat by England

The 22-year-old died three days after he was arrested in Tehran for allegedly violating the Islamic dress code for women.

But the Iranian national team could now face retaliation for their opposition after Chamran said on Tuesday: “We will never allow anyone to insult our national anthem and our flag.

“Iranian civilization has a history of several thousand years, this civilization is as old as the entire European and American civilization.”

A conservative MP in Kurdistan has also called for the Iranian national football team to be replaced with loyal youngsters ready to sing the national anthem, the Guardian reports.

Meanwhile, a senior British politician said the threat to the lives of Iranian players was now “grave and serious” after they refused to sing the national anthem.

Conservative MP Alicia Kearns, chair of Britain’s Foreign Affairs Committee, said Britain should support Iran’s international footballers if they seek asylum after their “very brave and courageous political statement”.

Iran’s heavily censored media made little mention of the Iranian team’s failure to sing the national anthem, but the ultra-conservative Kayhan newspaper criticized “certain players” for remaining silent.

During the soccer match, Iranian fans in the stands chanted Amini’s name, held signs and wore T-shirts with protest slogans and booed the national anthem.

Demonstrators supporting the Iranian team waved anti-regime banners on the stands in support of protests that have taken place in Iran over the past two months.

Protesters in the crowd watching Iran play England wave protest signs during the World Cup match in Qatar

Another daily, Vatanemrooz, reported that protesters in Iran celebrated their country’s humiliating defeat in the streets, cheered in cafes as England scored and honked their horns after the match.

Photos from central Tehran have circulated on the internet, showing motorcyclists honking their horns and chanting “Six!” shout. scanned. about England’s six goals against Iran.

Authorities closed a cafe in the northeastern city of Mashhad when they announced it was cheering for England.

“None of the players were mentally ready,” wrote the reform-minded newspaper Shargh in Iran.

The nationwide protest movement initially focused on Iran’s state-mandated hijab, or headscarf for women, but quickly turned into calls for the overthrow of Iran’s ruling Shia clerics.

The Iranian national team is under intense pressure from protesters to show their support ahead of the FIFA World Cup.

The players faced a barrage of public criticism last week after meeting President Ebrahim Raisi during a farewell ceremony where they remained silent on the issue of protests. Some players were photographed bowing to Raisi.

Iranians mourn the coffins of people killed in a shootout during their funeral in the city of Izeh in Iran’s Khuzestan province on November 18. In one of the worst acts of violence since the protests began, assailants on motorcycles shot and killed seven people on November 16, including a woman and two children aged nine and 13.

Even when the Iranian national team performs on the world stage in Qatar, the Iranian security forces continue to abuse protesters.

More than 400 civilians are believed to have been killed and many more injured and arrested since the protests began in late September.

Iran has been wracked by more than two months of anti-regime protests sparked by the death of Amini in police custody after she was arrested for not wearing a compulsory hijab.

Since then, protests have taken place almost daily to demand an end to the country’s strict interpretation of Islamic law and the overthrow of the mullahs’ regime.

News from the country has been limited amid widespread internet outages, but hundreds if not thousands of protesters have reportedly been killed by security forces in an increasingly violent crackdown.

Human rights groups have accused security forces of firing live ammunition and birdshot at protesters, and beating them with sticks, acts of violence captured in numerous videos circulated online.