Iran's World Cup opener in Los Angeles overshadowed by anthem boos, flag protests and the shadow of war
A 2-2 draw with New Zealand on Monday was the backdrop for deep divisions among Iranian-Americans, hours after a peace deal was announced and a court upheld FIFA's ban on pre-revolutionary flags.
Before the whistle
Outside Los Angeles Stadium, the largest Iranian diaspora community in the United States was anything but united. Hundreds of protesters chanted slogans against the Tehran regime, many waving the pre-revolutionary lion-and-sun flag that FIFA had banned as a political symbol. Others headed into the stadium in Team Melli shirts, insisting they were there only for the football. At one point, protesters snatched an official Iran flag from a fan and ripped it apart.
said the 46-year-old Los Angeles resident, who left Iran a dozen years ago. Kia Keanh, walking in with his family, saw it differently.They are not my team. They are a government team,
I'm just here to watch the sport, it's not about the regime.
A morning in court
The day began not on the pitch but in room 836 of the Stanley Mosk Courthouse. Lawyer Shahrokh Mokhtarzadeh argued that denying the lion-and-sun flag violated free speech. FIFA's three lawyers countered that a private company can set its own rules. Judge Curtis A. Kin sided with football's governing body.
Free speech is incredibly important, it is sacred, a bedrock of our society, but it is not without limitation, such as private actor, on private property, and as shown by previous cases, regulating in reasonable way. I deny the application.
Still, many smuggled the banned flags past security or wore the emblem on T-shirts. One group unfurled the old flag opposite an enormous current-flag display during the pre-match ceremonies.
The 90 minutes that made thousands forget
Inside, a heaving crowd watched Iran come from behind twice to draw 2-2 with New Zealand. The national anthem was met with a mix of boos and cheers. Ella Bah, 42, wore a lion-and-sun flag like a dress, changing clothes to conceal it before entering.
We're not here to cheer them on. We're here to be the voice for the people inside Iran.
A team uprooted by war
The match took place hours after President Donald Trump announced a preliminary peace deal to end the US-Israel war with Iran, which had closed the Strait of Hormuz. The team had moved its training camp from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, after the war began on 28 February. Some officials were not granted US visas, and star striker Sardar Azmoun was absent after earlier social media posts that drew a warning from the Revolutionary Guards. Head coach Amir Ghalenoei later called his side
in the tournament.the most oppressed one
A day in three acts
- President Trump announces a preliminary US-Iran peace deal late on Sunday evening.
- A Los Angeles court upholds FIFA's ban on pre-revolutionary flags at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse.
- Kick-off at Los Angeles Stadium. Fans boo the current Iranian anthem, wave banned flags, and Iran draw 2-2 with New Zealand.
