Iranian Athletes Refuse To Sing National Anthem At Various Events Amid Protests

Several Iranian sports teams have been seen refusing to sing the national anthem before or after their events, in an act seen to be in solidarity with the ongoing protests.

Iranian beach soccer player Saeed Piramoon symbolically cuts his hair after scoring a goal.

Source : Twitter/@ICHRI

New Delhi: Videos of Iranian athletes refraining from singing the national anthem before or after the match is surfacing on the Internet amid the ongoing protest against the government. A Reuters report said on Friday that the purported video showed the national basketball team refusing to sing along with the national anthem. 

On Saturday, the sitting volleyball team also became the latest group to refrain from singing the national anthem after defeating Bosnia-Herzegovina.

In solidarity with #IranProtests, Iran’s sitting Volleyball team refuses to sing the national anthem after winning the championship game in Sarajevo.

The country’s national beach football and basketball teams have also refused to sing the anthem. #MahsaAmini#مهسا_امینی pic.twitter.com/nSaIG8He4B

— IranHumanRights.org (@ICHRI) November 13, 2022

They remained silent throughout the medal ceremony. Earlier this week, the water polo team also refused to sing the national anthem in Thailand after a competition.

Similarly, the national beach football team, last week, didn't sing the national anthem at the beginning of a match against the United Arab Emirates in Dubai, the report mentioned. During the match, Saeed Piramoon after scoring a goal symbolically cut his hair on camera as a show of solidarity with the protestors in Iran.

Symbolic goal celebration by #SaeedPiramoon at #EmiratesIntercontinentalCup’s final in solidarity with #WomanLifeFreedom protests in #Iran. Team Iran won this championship.@BeachSoccer_WW#MahsaAmini #IranProtests #BeachSoccer#مهسا_امینی #سعید_پیرامون
pic.twitter.com/yIFC7XJU31

— Nasibeh 🕊️✌️ (@Nasibeh530) November 6, 2022

However, the act of defiance has not gone unnoticed and in a statement, the Iranian Football Federation said those who do not follow professional and sports ethics "will be dealt with".

“People who have not followed professional and sports ethics … will be dealt with according to the regulations,” said the statement published by Iran’s Football Federation, according to CNN.

It also said that “as per regulations of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Olympic Code of Ethics and the rules of FIFA, political behaviour must be avoided in sports fields."

Protests in Iran erupted after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini under the custody of the morality police for "inappropriate attire". Women play the most prominent role during these protests by waving and burning headscarves.

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that 336 protesters had been killed in the unrest as of Friday, including 52 minors. Thirty-nine members of the security forces had also been killed, while nearly 15,100 have been detained, it said.