Iran National Football Team's Use of 'Palestinian Keffiyeh'; Wish They Thought of the Suffering People of Iran Too

The use of the 'Palestinian keffiyeh' by players of the Iran national football team during official matches has faced widespread criticism from fans and social media users. Many social media users have questioned their previous claims of not being political, recalling the inaction and silence of players and coaching staff regarding the nationwide protests of 2022. Mohammad Taghavi, a former player of the Iran national football team, wrote on social media platform 'X': 'I wish the national football team players, who are so concerned about the people of Gaza and showed their support by wearing the keffiyeh, had also thought about the suffering and oppressed people of Iran during the World Cup.' The Iran national football team entered the field wearing Palestinian keffiyehs and black armbands before their match against Qatar in the final of the four-nation tournament in Jordan. All reserve and bench players, along with the coaching staff, coordinated their actions in support of the Islamic Republic's backing of Hamas's attack on Israel, known as the Al-Aqsa Flood, by wearing Palestinian keffiyehs around their necks before the game. During last year's nationwide protests, some national team players, such as Vahid Amiri, Mehdi Torabi, and Saeed Ezatolahi, explicitly referred to the protesting people as rioters, while others like Mehdi Taremi and Alireza Jahanbakhsh claimed they were not political and focused on football. Alireza Jahanbakhsh, a player of the national team, stated on Thursday, November 17, before the match against England in the group stage of the World Cup, that the team's focus was on the competitions, not the political issues related to the protests. While some members of other Iranian sports teams joined the protesters and protested against the crackdowns by refusing to participate in various fields, singing the Islamic Republic's anthem, or engaging in similar protest actions, the national football team players attempted to remain in a safe zone regarding the events in Iran and the nationwide protests by claiming they were not political. The government's announcement of support for the football team angered the people and weakened the team's morale, leading to the protesters' happiness at Iran's defeat. The passive behavior of the national team players and coaching staff towards the events in Iran faced anger and even hatred from some Iranians, who expressed happiness at one of the heaviest defeats in the national team's history. The scattered street celebrations following the 6-2 loss of the Iran national football team against England in the 2022 Qatar World Cup indicated the depth of the people's distance from the national team. Although extremist supporters of the Islamic Republic, members of the Basij, and repressive forces sent by the Islamic Republic as spectators to Qatar suppressed opponents in the stadiums and the presence of security forces in the national team's camp, they exerted all their power to drag the football players into the political arena, further widening the gap between the people and the national team. The national football team players' previous alignment with the regime has been costly for Iranian stars. Ali Karimi, Mehdi Mahdavikia, Javad Nekounam, Hossein Kabbi, Masoud Shojaei, and Mohammad Nasrati were six players who wore green armbands in solidarity with the nationwide protests and the Green Movement of 2009 during the first half of the match against South Korea in the World Cup 2010 qualifiers. Ali Karimi and Mehdi Mahdavikia subsequently retired from the national team. FIFA requested an explanation from the Iranian Football Federation regarding the resignation of these players from the national team, and in response, the Iranian Football Federation labeled the actions of these six players and the wearing of green armbands as a political act. Now, one year after the peak of nationwide protests, the supportive actions of the national football team players towards Palestinians have revived memories of their claims of not being political and led to further criticism. Experts believe that such actions by members of the Iran national football team, even if under pressure from government agents, will increase the distance between the people and the national team.