{"id":3075,"date":"2022-11-22T04:37:21","date_gmt":"2022-11-21T18:07:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/?p=3075"},"modified":"2026-09-25T11:08:07","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T01:38:07","slug":"iranian-silence-speaks-volumes-on-a-day-of-high-emotion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/iranian-silence-speaks-volumes-on-a-day-of-high-emotion\/","title":{"rendered":"Iranian silence speaks volumes on a day of high emotion"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Asian Game’s coverage of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is proudly sponsored by SMC.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Mehdi Taremi might not have celebrated after scoring either of Iran\u2019s goals in their 6-2 thumping by England at the Khalifa International Stadium but, in a game where every reaction was scrutinised for symbolism, the Porto striker\u2019s sombre response to both of his goals was notable for his demeanour.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There was no punching of the air, no joy. Not even the flicker of a smile. Such is the mood around the Team Melli squad that anything more than picking the ball up and receiving the recognition of his team mates would have been surprising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was an Iran team that carried the weight of events at home on their shoulders. There was a defiance in their pointed silence during the playing of the Islamic Republic\u2019s national anthem, a period that was greeted with mass booing by the Iranian fans in the crowd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The supporters who follow Iran at the World Cup are often very different to those who fill the Azadi Stadium to capacity when opponents are entertained in Tehran. The majority attending in Qatar are expatriate Iranians, flying in from the United States, Europe and around the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a constituency that has no love for the regime in Tehran. Many are the offspring of those who left in the wake of the revolution in 1979, when Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini came to power and the country\u2019s brightest and best sought to escape the theocracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is these fans who carry the pre-Islamic Revolution flags over their shoulders, and it is these fans who show no love for the trappings of the state. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But during Iran\u2019s previous World Cup appearances \u2013 most recently in Brazil and Russia but also in France in 1998 and Germany eight years later \u2013 the playing of the national anthem has been respected. Not this time, however. Not when the country is once again in turmoil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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https:\/\/t.co\/70qK6Mpb8m<\/a><\/p>— Gol Bezan (@GolBezan) November 21, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote>