England vs Iran – Time for football to take a backseat at the World Cup?
“Keep politics out of football” is a phrase you hear all too often, in fact it seems to be the de facto slogan of this World Cup. But with social tensions at boiling point in Iran, how should their group stage fixture with England be viewed?
On the 16th September 2022 Mahsa Amini (also known as Jima Amini) died in hospital of injuries that are alleged to have been sustained as a result of police brutality following her arrest by Iranian Guidance Patrol for the incorrect wearing of her Hijab.
As of late November it is understood that approximately 90,000 people have protested as a result of her death. Many are labelling it a revolution as Iranians fight back against the restrictions on women’s liberty imposed by the Islamic State that governs the country.
With this in mind, the result of a football match today may not seem relevant, arguably a trite distraction from a state of civil unrest that has led to over 16,000 arrests and the deaths of hundreds of people, including at least 58 children.
However, the football World Cup has the ability to suck viewers in more than any other event worldwide. FIFA estimated 2.572 billion people watched some part of the 2018 Russia World Cup Coverage.
This sort of exposure gives the protests a platform to capture attention on an international stage. This is an opportunity to shine a light upon the oppression of women in the Middle Eastern nation and it is clear the regime is wary.
There are rumours aplenty that pressure was placed on players to keep quiet on the situation inside the country. However, comments from Iran’s Captain Ehsan Hasjafi yesterday suggest that at least a core group of the players have decided who they will side with. When asked by reporters ahead of the England game about the protesters in his home country he said the following:
“We are here but it does not mean that we should not be their voice, or we must not respect them.
“Whatever we have is from them. We have to fight, we have to perform the best we can and score goals, and present the brave people of Iran with the results.”
On the pitch, England are expected to overcome Iran comfortably today. For Iranians the biggest result today may end up being measured more by the amount of conversations that can be started, than goals that can be scored.
Paddy Knowles and Reuven Blignault will be continuing to cover the tensions in Iran on the 21st November with reporting live on the day from various locations in London for Sports Gazette.
