According to the British “Guardian” report on November 30, local time, after the Iranian national team lost 0:1 to the US team and bid farewell to the World Cup, the Iranian people celebrated in many places across the country, and there were many cheers and fireworks on social media. Picture of fireworks. Some foreign media lamented that Iran is the only country that celebrates its team’s loss in the World Cup.
People in many places in Iran celebrate the national team’s loss
In September this year, 22-year-old Iranian woman Mahsa Amini (Mahsa Amini) was arrested by the morality police for not wearing a hijab properly, and then died accidentally. Protests, and many people see the Iranian football team as a symbol of the regime.
However, amidst the wave of celebrations, an Iranian man was shot dead by state security forces, sparking anti-government demonstrations across the country again.
Mehran Samak, 27, honked his horn in Bandar Anzali, a city on the Caspian Sea northwest of the Iranian capital Tehran, to celebrate the loss, according to activists for the Norway-based Iranian Human Rights Organization (IHR). After the ball, he was “directly targeted by security forces and shot him in the head”.
The US-based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) also confirmed Samak’s death. CHRI released a video of Samak’s funeral on the 30th, in which mourners chanted slogans against Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Surprisingly, Saeid Ezatolahi, an Iranian national football player also from Port Anzali, revealed that he knew Samak and posted a photo of them together in the youth football team on Instagram. Ezzatollahi did not comment on the cause of his friend’s death, but said: “One day the (pretend) mask will come off and the truth will come out… This is not what our young people deserve. This is not what our country deserves. Got it.”
Iranian national football player Saeed Ezatorahi posted a photo with the deceased
Iranian fans held celebrations in Mariwan, a Kurdish-inhabited city in western Iran, Amini’s hometown Sarquez, and the capital Tehran.
Iranian fans also protested against the government outside the Qatar World Cup stadium in Doha.
Elham, a 21-year-old Iranian fan, told the Guardian on the phone before the Iran-US match kick-off that she hoped the US would win because a victory for the Iranian national team would be handed over to Iran in power Gift from the recipient: “This is not my national team. This is not Team Melli (the name of the Iranian national team) but Mullah’s Team (the Islamic leader).”
On match day, Qatari authorities stepped up security at the arena, with some security guards patrolling on horseback, and Iranian fans were asked to unfurl their national flags before entering the arena to check for prohibited items. There are not only ordinary security personnel throughout the stadium, but also policemen with batons.
A group of fans briefly held up signs spelling “Masha Amini” at the start of the second half, drawing applause from surrounding Iranians before the signs were removed by security but protesters were allowed to remain in their seats.
Under pressure from public protesters at home, the Iranian national team refused to sing the national anthem in their first game against England, losing 6-2; they sang the national anthem in subsequent games. Celebrations were also seen in the capital Tehran following Iran’s loss to England.
Outside the stadium after the Iran-U.S. game, Reuters reporters saw security guards chasing and grappling two fans around the perimeter of the stadium. Three guards pinned a man to the ground wearing a T-shirt that read “Women, Life, Freedom,” a slogan at the heart of Iran’s protest movement.
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