Iran’s players wore black armbands and held schoolbags as their anthem played before a friendly in Turkey on Friday in what a team official said was a protest over the killing of schoolgirls on the first day of the US-Israel war on Iran.
Iran were facing Nigeria in the resort town of Belek before the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, where their participation is in doubt over the conflict.
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The men’s team lined up holding pink and purple bags with ribbons on them – a reference to the attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, which Tehran says killed more than 175 people, including children and teachers on the first day of joint US-Israeli strikes.
“The players are holding the school bags close to their heart in remembrance of the 165 girls the Americans killed in an Iranian school,” an Iranian team spokesperson confirmed.
US military investigators believe it is likely their own forces were responsible but have not yet reached a final conclusion or completed their investigation. This month, some of Iran’s women’s football team stayed quiet during the national anthem at an Asian Cup match, leading state TV in Tehran to call them “traitors”.
Iran’s football federation had wanted their national team’s games at the World Cup moved from the US to Mexico, but this was rejected by Fifa.
Iran, who lost Friday’s game 2-1 to Nigeria, play Costa Rica in another friendly in Turkey on Tuesday.
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