England’s first opponents must juggle political as well as sporting expectations with splits in their camp
The biggest question for Iran before the World Cup is not how the team will perform against England, the USA and Wales but how the players will behave in Qatar against a domestic backdrop of protests, violent reaction from the regime and calls for the country to be thrown out of the tournament.
Hints can be found in recent domestic games. On Wednesday one of Iran’s biggest clubs, Esteghlal, won the Super Cup, but when presented with the trophy, most of the squad did not celebrate. State television quickly cut away. A month earlier their Tehran rivals Persepolis wore black wristbands in a league game against Tractor – only the international midfielder Mehdi Torabi did not. Few were surprised given that during a crackdown against protesters in 2019, Torabi scored and lifted his shirt to reveal the message: “The only way to save the country is to obey the leader.” He later insisted it was his idea.
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