This matters because football in Iran is not free. It sits heavily under the influence of a state apparatus dominated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — a designated terrorist organization that was responsible for the downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 in 2020, which killed 176 people, including dozens of Canadians. The regime has spent years trying to turn its national team into a propaganda instrument, a smiling face to show the world while it jails, tortures and executes its critics at home. When FIFA bans the people’s flag, it hands Tehran the image it wants: a stadium where the only Iran on display is the official one.
Headlines
