The eleven Iranian starters for the match against England refrain from singing their anthem

The eleven players from Iran’s starting team that will face England this Monday, in a Group B match of the World Cup in Qatarrefrained from singing the national anthem of a country that has been experiencing a wave of protests against the strict Iranian regime for two months.

During the week, team captain Alireza Jahanbakhsh stated that the dressing room would “collectively” decide whether to sing or not the anthem as a sign of support for the demonstrations that have shaken Iran for two months.

The eleven players remained straight, impassive and with a neutral face. as his anthem blared through the Khalifa International Stadium.

Iran has been engulfed in a wave of protests since the death on September 16 of Mahsa Amini, A 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman detained for violating the strict dress code that requires women to wear the headscarf in public.

Several Iranian athletes from other disciplines have chosen not to sing the anthem or not celebrate their victories in support of the protesters.

The Iranian team itself had already refused to sing the anthem during the preview of a friendly preparation in Austria against Senegal (1-1) on September 27.

Then dressed in a black jacket that hid the national coat of armsthe players remained silent, most of them with their heads bowed.