Iran has threatened the families of Iranian World Cup players with “violence and torture” if the players do not “behave” in Tuesday’s match against the United States men’s national team, according to reports.
According to a World Cup security source, Iran has a “large number” of security personnel watching how the players behave in Qatar. Following these threats, Iran coach Carlos Queiroz met with Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps officers, according to the source, but it is unclear what the meeting was about.
Prior to Iran’s first World Cup match against England last week, the team did not sing along to the national anthem.
It was the team’s way of expressing solidarity with Iranian protesters protesting the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, who died in police custody after being improperly dressed in her headscarf. According to Human Rights Activists in Iran, over 450 people have been killed and over 1,800 have been arrested for protesting since September.
According to Kiley’s source, Iran initially offered “presents and cars” to the players prior to the team’s game against England, but then resorted to threats after that game. Players appeared to sing along with the national anthem before Iran’s second World Cup match against Wales on Friday.
According to Kiley’s source, Iran sent actors to Qatar to create a “false sense of support and favour among fans,” and even more actors are expected to attend Iran’s next match against the USMNT.
An Iranian media outlet called for the United States to be kicked out of the World Cup ahead of Tuesday’s match, after the USMNT’s Twitter account posted a scrubbed version of Iran’s flag on the social media site.