Iranians in the USA plan protest before the team's World Cup debut
The Iranian football team was preparing for its debut at this year's World Cup, in Los Angeles, this Monday (15), with the expectation of protests by Iranian citizens and descendants in the city against the Tehran government and the US-led war.
The team arrived in the United States for the first time in this World Cup on Sunday (14), coming from their training base in Tijuana, Mexico, and landing in Los Angeles just as an agreement to end the war between the USA and Iran was announced.
The game against New Zealand is scheduled for 10pm Brasília time.
Iran's participation in the tournament has been marred by controversy amid the war, which began in February when the US and Israel launched attacks against Iran.
This followed nationwide protests in January in which thousands of people were killed in a violent regime crackdown.
In recent weeks, the soccer team moved its base from Arizona to Mexico, while its federation complained that not all team members had received American visas and that tickets intended for fans had been withdrawn.
In Los Angeles, home to the largest Iranian community outside of Iran, many of whom fled the country after the Islamic Revolution, Iranian-American fans say they are torn between excitement at seeing the team on world soccer's biggest stage, anger at Tehran's crackdown on protesters and concern about Washington's bombing campaign.
Flag debate
Security was heightened in Inglewood, California, on Monday morning, near the stadium where the match will be held. Several nearby streets were already blocked and police were patrolling the area.
About a dozen protesters gathered in front of the stadium, and larger protests are expected later. Some members of the community said they will watch the match on TV, worried about possible disturbances at the stadium or that their presence might imply support for the Iranian government.
"How can they go and support a team that comes with the flag of the Islamic Republic and the national anthem?" asked Koroush Krumarsi at a protest held in front of the team hotel on Sunday.
Others have indicated they will attend the game and attempt to smuggle protest symbols, including the flag of pre-revolutionary Iran, which has the same colors as the current official flag but with a lion and sun in the middle.
This creates a potential conflict with security and the right to free speech in the United States.
Iran has threatened to halt matches if unofficial flags are flown or slogans are chanted.
A California nonprofit filed a lawsuit seeking to block any restrictions, but the request was rejected Monday in a court hearing, according to The Athletic, which cited the judge as saying that a stadium is not a public forum and that imposing such a change at the last minute could be harmful to employees.
Fifa, the highest governing body in world football, states, when asked about the matter, that it prohibits flags or clothing of a political nature. But it did not specifically comment on its approach to the pre-revolutionary Iranian flag.
Source: CNN