Iranian authorities warn players that their families will face “violence and torture” if they do not sing the national anthem
The Government of Iran has threatened the relatives of its national team in the Qatar 2022 soccer world cup with “imprisonment or torture” if the players of the national team “they don’t behave” duly in the game they are playing today against the selection of USA, reported CNN.
After the refusal of the Iranian players to sing the national anthem in their first match against England, On November 21, the players were summoned to a meeting with members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a source related to the security of the championship assured the American chain.
According to the sources, the Iranian authorities warned the players that their families would face situations of “violence and torture” if they did not sing the national anthem or if they joined some political protest against the regime in Tehran.
In the second match of the Iranian team, on November 25, in which they beat the Wales team 2-0, the players did sing the anthem at the beginning of the match, as could be verified by television images.
The source consulted by CNN, who closely monitors Iran’s security agencies operating in Qatar during the World Cup, He said dozens of IRGC officials had been recruited to control the Iranian players, who are not allowed to mix outside the team or meet with foreigners.
“There are a large number of Iranian security officers in Qatar. collecting information and monitoring the players”, insisted the chain.
Carlos Queiroz, the Portuguese coach of Iran’s national team met separately with IRGC officials after the threats to the Iranian players and their families had been passed on, the source said.
And, according to the American media, Queiroz has told the Iranian soccer players that they can protest at the World Cup, but only within FIFA rules.
CNN also claims that “in the last game against Wales, the regime (of the ayatollahs) sent hundreds of actors to create a false sense of support for the team. For the next game against the United States, the regime plans to significantly increase the number of actors present in the stadium,” the source detailed.
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