Is the Use of the Lion and Sun Flag at the World Cup Prohibited?

Is bringing the Iranian flag with the Lion and Sun emblem instead of the official flag to the World Cup stadiums prohibited? The short and quick answer is apparently yes! But how did this happen and what is the reasoning of the World Cup organizers for this prohibition? The old flag of Iran with the Lion and Sun emblem has a history of several hundred years. According to the Encyclopaedia Iranica, the Lion and Sun emblem has been used since around the 15th century (9th century in the Solar Hijri calendar) and became widespread during the Safavid era (especially during Shah Abbas in the 17th century), being used as a national symbol of Iranians on flags, coins, and artworks. However, this historical emblem faced opposition from Ayatollah Khomeini from the very first days of the fall of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi's regime, and at his insistence and through speeches he delivered on this matter, it was removed from the Iranian flag. Shortly thereafter, a new emblem that combines the phrases 'Allah' and 'La ilaha illallah' replaced the Lion and Sun emblem, and 22 'Allahu Akbar' were added to the flag inspired by the 22nd of Bahman (the day the monarchy was overthrown in Iran). Now, nearly 40 years after these events, the official flag with the emblem described in the constitution as the 'emblem of the Islamic Republic' remains a point of contention among some Iranians, especially during competitions like the World Cup football matches. During the Iran vs. Morocco game, some Iranians brought the historical Lion and Sun flag instead of the official flag, which they refer to as the 'Islamic Republic flag.' However, it seems that the organizers of these competitions were not pleased with this action! This is not the first time that the use of the Lion and Sun flag has faced problems during World Cup competitions. During the World Cup in Germany, organizers also prevented this flag from entering the stadium. Even the stadium's loudspeakers announced during Iran's games that this flag should not be used. At that time, the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization was listed among terrorist groups, and apparently, Iranian officials had introduced the Lion and Sun flag to the organizers as the flag used by this organization. Apparently, the German organizers were trying to prevent a 'terrorist' organization from using its symbols in the stadium. However, in Russia, the situation is different, and the argument of the terrorist nature of one of the opposition groups to the Islamic Republic in Iran is not sufficient to prevent the display of the Lion and Sun flag, as this organization has been removed from the list of terrorist organizations. This time, as Pejman Farahi, a supporter of the national team, says, the Iranian flag with the Lion and Sun emblem has encountered problems due to being deemed 'offensive.' Pejman, who went to the Saint Petersburg stadium with the Lion and Sun flag, had to give up waving it, recounts the incident: 'I didn't encounter any problems when entering the stadium and got in with the flag. For a while, I had no issues. But behind me, there were people sitting with a very large Islamic Republic flag. After a while, the stadium security officials came over and told me that I was not allowed to wave my flag. When I asked why, they said that some people had complained and said that this flag contains offensive symbols and, according to FIFA rules, should not be used.' This national team supporter insisted several times and tried to explain to the organizers that this is a political disagreement and that this is a historical flag of Iran. He says that he even tried to convince the organizers during halftime. But when this argument proved futile, he decided to watch the game. Pejman says: 'I wrapped the flag around my neck like a scarf. The excitement of the game was high, and I couldn't spend all my time arguing. I wanted to watch the game.' At least one video posted on social media shows that one of the national team supporters faced opposition from the organizers when entering the stadium and was unable to bring his flag inside. And of course, my own observations from inside the stadium confirmed these problems. I didn't even see a national team supporter with the Lion and Sun flag inside the stadium! Meanwhile, in the city, some Iranians were cheering for the national team with the Lion and Sun flag. FIFA regulations contain explanations about the prohibition of using 'offensive' symbols, which seem to have been included mainly to prevent the spread of racist and discriminatory slogans in the regulations. However, what symbols and flags are considered 'offensive' and who determines this offensiveness remain unanswered questions in these regulations. This situation will likely be repeated during the national team's upcoming games against Spain and Portugal, and for the time being, the Lion and Sun flag will be prohibited not only inside the country but also outside of Iran!