Football also splits an Iran torn apart by street protests in two. The fear of repression did not stop many anti-government demonstrators who took to the streets in various cities to celebrate the elimination of Iran from the World Cup by the United States .
The players are considered "traitors" , accused of having turned their backs on the cause of the demonstrators after threats from the regime following the opening match against England, before which they had not sung the anthem precisely to show solidarity with the street protests.
The celebrations, however, did not last long, the authorities have once again shown that they are willing to shed blood to silence the criticisms and disputes. In Anzali, in the north of the country, 27-year-old Mehran Samak was shot and killed in the head while celebrating by honking his car's horn .
Samak is yet another victim of a regime that for over two months has been suffocating in blood the protests that exploded with the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, who died on 16 September after being arrested for not wearing the veil correctly. Hundreds of victims, at least 50 minors, thousands arrested .
Last night dances, songs, horns and carousels multiplied in different cities. The young people wanted to send a clear signal: there is no flag, not even in sport, under the regime of the ayatollahs . And Samak may not be the only victim: some footage posted on social media shows the authorities beating women and opening fire on protesters .
The movement felt betrayed. The footballers, after keeping their mouths shut during the anthem at the first game – an apparent expression of solidarity with the protesters – sang in the subsequent games against Wales and the United States. In between there was the arrest of the famous Iranian footballer former international Voria Gafhouri, later released on bail. And there have been threats of arrest and torture against the team's families , CNN revealed.
(Unioneonline/L)
