Iran anthem booed as World Cup Pride clash flares

Iran national – Iran’s national anthem was booed by a section of the crowd at Lumen Field again on Friday night before the team’s World Cup Pride clash against Egypt in Seattle, as FIFA’s Pride scheduling sparked protests outside the stadium and tension over what questions co

Loud boos met Iran’s national anthem before kickoff at Lumen Field on Friday night, a hostile reception that returned for a second time at this World Cup and landed on the same date as FIFA’s Pride celebration.

The Iranian team faced Egypt in Seattle for its final Group G game. with the match sitting amid the pressure of reaching the knockout stages. Inside the stadium. the anthem drew boos from a section of the crowd. repeating the atmosphere Iran had encountered in its opening two games: the opener against New Zealand and the subsequent Group G match against Belgium.

Outside the ground, the noise carried different stakes. Protests against the Iranian regime began before kickoff and drew a visible show of opposition. Supporters of the movement against the government in Tehran waved the pre-revolutionary Iranian flag. banned by FIFA. featuring a sword-wielding lion and a sun. Images of Reza Pahlavi—the exiled son of Iran’s last Shah and a prominent figure in the opposition—were also held up.

In Downtown Seattle, the number of those pre-revolutionary flags was said to dwarf the Pride flags. Chants of ‘they are terrorists, they must go’ rang out as protestors clashed with Iranian fans supporting the team.

The decision to stage a Pride match involving Iran and Egypt has also triggered wider controversy. centred on the record of LGBTQ+ rights in both countries. Same-sex relations are illegal in Iran. where gay men have been executed on sodomy charges. while Egypt has prosecuted gay and lesbian people and suppressed outward expressions of gay pride. including rainbow flags.

The build-up to the match carried this friction into the media process. Before Iran’s coach and goalkeeper answered any questions in their Thursday press conference, FIFA’s executive director of public relations Daniel Marin stepped in and read a statement on behalf of the Iranian team.

“This Islamic Republic of the Iran Football Federation has asked us to inform the media that they are only willing to answer questions in relation to the game,” Marin said.

Marin added: “We fully respect the right of all journalists to ask questions. In this case, we ask you respect the rights of the federation here today to only answer questions in relation to the team, the tactics, the match, and so on.”

Even so. Amir Ghalenoei. Iran’s coach. was still pressed with questions about what would happen inside Lumen Field and around the stadium on Friday. Egypt also attempted to narrow the focus back to football. During Thursday’s practice at Husky Soccer Stadium in Seattle. Egypt players were barred from answering questions about Pride. with team staff stepping in to prevent reporters from asking such questions.

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan, in Arabic, responded to the pressure by steering the conversation: “We are all focused on football. This is all that we think about.”

As Iran and Egypt prepared to meet in Seattle, the same anthem that was booed earlier in the tournament once again became a flashpoint, while the Pride symbolism of the occasion collided with protests that spilled far beyond the stadium gates.

Iran national anthem boos World Cup Pride match Egypt vs Iran Lumen Field Group G Mohamed Salah Daniel Marin Amir Ghalenoei Hossam Hassan Reza Pahlavi protests Seattle FIFA Pride