Iran’s World Cup soccer team declined to sing their national anthem before their opening match against England on Monday.
Many fans back in Iran accuse the squad of siding with a violent state crackdown on persistent popular unrest.
Protests demanding the fall of the ruling Shia Muslim theocracy have gripped Iran since the death two months ago of young woman Mahsa Amini after her arrest for flouting the strict Islamic dress code.
Before Monday's game, when all players on the team observed silence during the playing of the national anthem, dozens of Iranian public personalities, athletes, and artists had shown support for the demonstrators.
Before the game began in Qatar, close across the Gulf from their home country, Iranian official media did not show the players lining up for the national anthem.
The demonstrations by Iranians from all walks of life were one of the most persistent challenges to the cleric elite since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, but no Iranian player had shown support for them before to the game.
The Iranian soccer squad used to be a source of fervent national pride all around Iran.
Many would prefer it to withdraw from the World Cup in light of recent widespread demonstrations.
Iranians are especially furious because while their team has been mainly silent, athletes from around the world have been speaking out for the Iranian protesters.
The crew had a meeting with the hardline Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi before departing for Doha. As the street disturbance continued, pictures of the players with Mr. Raisi went online, showing one of them bowing in front of him. This sparked outrage on social media.
As of Saturday, 410 protestors had died in the turmoil, including 58 minors, according to the activist HRANA news agency.
According to HRANA, at least 17,251 people have been detained, along with 54 members of the security services. The number of deaths overall has not been estimated by the authorities.
