Iran’s First Match Under the Shadow of Public Protests
The England national team is set to face our country’s national team today during one of the toughest and most important periods in the history of football in this country. The team and its coach have headed to Qatar under circumstances where, after reaching the semi-finals of the last two major tournaments, namely the previous World Cup and the European Championship games, expectations among the British have significantly risen. It is these high expectations that, following the team’s recent defeats, have unleashed a wave of criticism towards Gareth Southgate.
Nevertheless, for the first match and England’s encounter with Iran, British media, while not giving much chance to our national team, are focusing beyond the match result on the behavior of Iranian players and the reflection of public protests in Iran and the regime’s crackdowns. Social activity and demonstrating commitment and belief in values have become part of the professional athletes’ sports activities, and British media have found the behavior of Iranian players intriguing, waiting for their reaction or lack thereof to the events in Iran. Naturally, these media are also aware of the existing security restrictions for Iranian players.