San Francisco Frontiers - 'The mullahs' team': Split loyalties for Iran fans at World Cup

A boisterous protest greeted fans arriving at SoFi stadium in Los Angeles, with demonstrators waving the pre-revolutionary flag detested by the leaders of the Islamic republic.

"This team is not the Iranian people's team, it's the regime's team," said Ava Amin, a philosophy student who came to demonstrate with a banner calling for "regime change."

"When the people get murdered, they ignore it and stay silent," she told AFP.

On paper, the large Iranian community in Los Angeles -- which is sometimes nicknamed Tehrangeles -- could have made "Team Melli" feel as if they were playing a home game in their frenetic 2-2 draw with New Zealand.

But a significant portion of the diaspora in California is fiercely opposed to the Islamic republic and wants to use the attention generated by the World Cup to highlight what they say are abuses committed by the military-backed clerics who have held power for 47 years.

"It's the mullahs' team, so we can't support them," said Gilbert Gastin, an Iranian-American who has lived in exile for 20 years.

- Anthem -

The 44-year-old construction worker said he was there to protest the bloody crackdown on popular demonstrations in Iran in January -- a crackdown that left thousands dead, according to numerous NGOs.

"This regime has killed so many people over 47 years, we are here to remind everyone that Iran needs democracy," said Gastin, wearing a T-shirt printed with the pre-revolutionary flag -- horizontal green, white and red stripes overlaid with a sun and a lion.

Tehran considers the flag unacceptable and had threatened to halt the match if such banners were brought into the stadium.

Yet, despite FIFA regulations banning political symbols, many fans entered the venue proudly displaying it -- and making little effort to hide their protest T-shirts, according to several AFP journalists.

Here and there, stewards asked some fans to put away the banners or face expulsion, but hundreds remained on display during the game inside the 70,000-seat stadium.

Boos mingled with cheers when the Iranian national anthem was played -- much like in Qatar in 2022, when the World Cup took place just months after the bloody suppression of protests sparked by the death of young Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested over a supposedly improperly worn headscarf.

- 'Not easy' -

It was an atmosphere lamented by some fans, such as Farideh Mansoor.

The players "did everything to get here," the business owner, who lives in San Diego, told AFP.

"That's why we have to support them. It is sport! It is not something political," added the Iranian-American, who moved to the United States 35 years ago.

The controversy around the squad comes on top of the many tensions surrounding the build-up to the tournament, which is being jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

At the end of February, US and Israeli forces launched attacks on Iran, which hit back at American allies in the Gulf and choked off the Strait of Hormuz, strangling oil supplies and denting the global economy.

On Sunday, Washington and Tehran announced an outline deal to end the war.

The Iranian team's World Cup participation had been clouded by the hostilities, and an original plan to base their training camp in Arizona was nixed in favor of Tijuana, just across the Mexican border. More than a dozen team officials and support staff were refused US visas.

"It's not easy for them," admits Hamid Parvizi, who came to protest against the team.

"I'd like to support them, but when you're talking about Iran, it's impossible to separate sports and politics," said the 34-year-old accountant, noting that the squad arrived in Tijuana wearing pins commemorating those who died in a strike on an Iranian school during the war.

The FC Barcelona fan remains convinced that political factors influence the selection of Iran's national squad.

He particularly regrets the absence of Sardar Azmoun -- Iran's third-highest goalscorer of all time -- who he believes was dropped due to a social media post that displeased Tehran.

"With things like that happening, I can't trust that team," he said.

K.Hernandez--SFF