What’s at stake in Iran vs. US Credit Suisse stocks fall below 3 francs

The burden on the shoulders of the Iranians is great. The internal political conflict in Iran spilled over the Persian Gulf to Qatar during the opening game against England.

In the middle of the world stage, the team made a political statement against the mullah regime and oppression in Iran. Team Melli, as the national team is called, refrained from singing the national anthem.

The action did not go unnoticed in Iran. But the state broadcaster tried to make the silent protest unnoticeable by directing the broadcast at the viewers. And put pressure on the team.

According to CNN, citing a source, the Iranian government has threatened the families of the national players to prevent further protests. The pressure the team is under showed in the second game against Wales. The world hung on the lips of the Iranians during the national anthem, who hummed along with icy eyes.

The team now faces another game that will be about much more than just football: the game against the USA.

The governments of the two countries are very hostile. There have been no diplomatic relations between them since 1980. An approach is far away.

What’s at stake – from a sporting point of view

Ironically, both teams are in the process of reaching the round of 16 in the politically charged game. Iran is in a good position after their historic victory against Wales. A win would see the team advance one round for the first time in World Championship history.

Even a draw – assuming England beat Wales – is enough for Iran to progress to the knockout stage.

The US, on the other hand, is undefeated but has yet to win. In the event of a defeat or a draw, the “Great Satan” would have to travel home.

What is at stake – from a political point of view

Aside from arch-enemy rivalries, the World Cup was overshadowed by nationwide protests in Iran. The protest movement has now been going on for more than two months. To overthrow the mullahs’ regime.

The football-mad country grinds to a halt as the national team takes the field. Really.

After all, national pride – as we know it – is currently low among the population. This is evident on the one hand from the World Cup in Qatar, where Iranian fans tried to smuggle the original flags from before the Islamic Revolution into the stadium. And on the other hand, videos from Iran showing demonstrators burning the flag of the Islamic Republic.

Some videos also show who was particularly happy about Iran’s victory: the theocracy’s Revolutionary Guards.

For those in power, moving forward would mean one thing above all: triumph – which could be exploited for propaganda to distract from the nationwide protests.

How the arch-enemies “denied” in advance.

Even before kick-off, a confrontation broke out: the American Football Association shared an Iranian flag on social media that only consisted of the colors green, white and red. The emblem of the Islamic Republic in the center has been deliberately omitted.

The association wanted to “show support for women in Iran who are fighting for basic human rights”. The message has since been deleted.

The union could not undo the action. The Iranian government immediately reacted and demanded that the United States be expelled from the World Cup.

The tit-for-tat reaction came at a media conference. An Iranian reporter taunted the US. He instructed midfielder Tyler Adams: “You say you support the Iranian people, but you mispronounce the name of our country.”

After the rebuke, the reporter asked what it was like representing a country that discriminates against black people. Adams replied that there is discrimination everywhere.

But not only the reporter shot against the “Great Satan”, but also the coach of the Iranian national team Carlos Queiroz. He called the US social media campaign a lack of solidarity and immediately focused on the country’s social problems: “When we talk about human rights, racism and school shootings, we show solidarity with everyone.”

And there was something else

In the run-up, Queiroz had already messed with Jürgen Klinsmann. The former German football coach described the Iranian style of play as “unclean” which was “part of the culture”. With that last statement, Klinsmann got into a fight with the Iranian coach Carlos Queiroz. In an Instagram post, he sharply criticizes Klinsmann’s statements:

Klinsmann responded to the criticism, apologizing: “My comment about the match was purely about football.”

Not the first confrontation in football

Beforehand, the Iranian regime called the game the “mother of all games”. This has a history. Because it is not the first game in which Iran and the US meet.

The first meeting between the two national teams dates back to the 1998 World Cup in France. The game, which offered a lot of explosive power, went down in World Cup history as peaceful. The players shook hands, presented white roses as a sign of peace and posed for a photo together.

Iran left the field as the winner.

Thousands of celebrating fans then took to the streets in Tehran. Even then, the women reportedly left the house without covering their heads. The Islamic government would still celebrate the victory over the US as its greatest success.

At least this history of hijab is repeating itself.