The Group B FIFA World Cup match Iran
vs Wales took place on Friday, November 25. Although Iran defeated Wales with a
2-0 score, many have started to believe that the people of the country actually
want their football team to lose in the Qatar World Cup.

Iran faced England at the Khalifa
Stadium on November 21 for their first match in this tournament. Apart from the
fact that Iran lost the game by a 6-2 score, the game also made headlines when
Iran’s players refused to sing the National Anthem and stood silent impressively,
standing in solidarity with anti-government protesters in the country.

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Iranian-American journalist and women’s
rights activist Masih Alinejad tweeted that day, “Iran
is the only country in the World Cup that its people want their national
football team to lose since the team doesn’t represent the people but the
regime. We want our people to win in the streets where protesters are getting
killed for demanding freedom & dignity.”

The tweet was in reference to the anti-government
protests that broke out in Iran following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini,
who was killed in the custody of Morality Police for allegedly not wearing her
hijab correctly. During the protests, hundreds of people were beaten up and
killed for demanding freedom of expression and attire.

Also Read | FIFA World Cup 2022: Welsh fans applaud Iranian players after Wales’s 2-0 defeat to Iran

Many Twitter users agreed with
Alinejad’s tweet, with a Twitter user by the name of Voice of Iran tweeting, “Shame on this team! They are no different than our oppressors.
They are the Islamic republic team, not the Iran team”.

Another person wrote, “It’s a crime
happening here in Iran! By the Islamic Republic and its terrorist #IRGC.
Exactly right now! While the IR team is playing football against England.”

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Here are some of the other tweets that agreed with Masih Alinejad:

Many others however disagreed with Alinejad’s tweets. One user wrote, “The Iran football squad is absolutely with the people. We Iranians love football – A win for the team is for the people, not this evil regime”. Another Twitter user added, “If they’re the regime team, how come they refused to sing the anthem as a form of protest?”