The comment fields on US social media are filled with both angry and grateful Iranians. The reason is that the US national team has started using a version of the Iranian flag without their national emblem. In the center of Iran’s green, white and red flag, one finds a symbol consisting of four baskets and a sword. It is a stylized version of the word “Allah”, and has been part of the flag since the revolution of 1979. The words Allahu Akbar – meaning “Allah is greatest” – are written eleven times in the red and green parts of the flag. None of these details are used anymore by the US national soccer team, which faces Iran in a World Cup match on Tuesday. – This is a one-off case to show solidarity with Iran’s women, writes communications manager at the American Football Association, Neil Buethe, in an email to news. The US Soccer Federation posted this tweet after the opening match of the World Cup. Then Iran’s flag was unedited. The American Football Association posted this tweet after two games in the group stage. Then Iran’s flag is edited. Dagbladet mentioned the editing first in Norway. – For many, it is all well and good that the USA is doing this. Because it can’t get worse than it already is, says the Norwegian-Iranian media sociologist Sharam Alghasi to news. news’s Norwegian-Iranian journalist Lokman Ghorbani does not think the move will go down well with the Iranian authorities. – The regime and their loyal supporters will not like it. But the people who demonstrate in the streets against the Iranian regime and want a change, like it. The opposition will see it as a good sign that the US is supporting protesters and the opposition, he says. The flag played a central role when the military and regime loyalists celebrated Iran’s victory against Wales: DRAGON FIGHT: Both the regime and the opposition are trying to “own” the national team. The military and supporters of the regime celebrated in the streets after the victory over Wales. Photo: ATTA KENARE / AFP Want the USA kicked out of the World Cup The background for the flag change is the month-long protests against the Iranian authorities. They started when the 22-year-old woman Mahsa Amini died after she was arrested by the country’s morality police. The reason she was punished: She used the hijab in the wrong way. The flag move arouses mixed reactions, first the furious ones: – By posting a distorted image of the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the USA team has broken Fifa’s rules. The ten-match suspension is an appropriate punishment, and the USA should be kicked out of the World Cup, writes Iran’s state news agency Tasnim on Twitter. They further write that Iran’s football association will submit a complaint to Fifa’s ethics committee. Ghorbani believes that the Iranian authorities will use the situation to inflame the opposition to the United States in parts of Iran’s population. news JOURNALIST: Lokman Ghorbani. Photo: news – They will react strongly and use this as propaganda. At the same time, they want to show their loyal supporters that “we were right and Western intelligence is behind the demonstrations and the women’s struggle”. – The Iranian authorities see the US as their arch-enemy and Satan himself, he adds. The excitement is palpable ahead of Tuesday’s meeting between the nations. – It will be absolutely extreme, says Alghasi. – There is so much pressure on this national team, both from the regime and the opposition. And now this comes to the top, he continues. FIFA has not yet answered news’s question about whether they plan to punish the American association. We have also not made contact with the Iranian Football Association. The USA’s flag grab is praised In the comments, however, there are also many who express gratitude towards the American team. – Thank you for not using the flag of the Islamic Republic, writes one user under the USA’s post on Instagram. USA: The American national team’s social media has taken a clear stand on the ongoing conflict in Iran. Photo: PATRICK T. FALLON / AFP An Iranian woman who calls herself “Moj” and has over 100,000 followers on Instagram, thanks the United States for removing the Allah symbol from the flag. – This religious symbol represents Iran’s theocratic oppression, gender apartheid and hatred, which the majority of Iranians reject and want removed. Allah was added to the flag after the Islamic Revolution by the regime in 1979. Thank you, “Team USA,” she writes. The Iranian national team has been in the spotlight throughout the World Cup. During the opening match against England, Iran’s supporters booed when the national anthem was played in the stadium. The players refused to sing along to the lyrics. There have been mixed feelings about the Iranian national team, which attracted many when they met the Iranian president before the World Cup. Before the match against Wales, the players suddenly sang again, but very weakly. – I think they have been pressured to sing. Someone tried to move their lips just a little, Alghasi told news on Friday.
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The US has published edited versions of Iran’s flag on social media – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule
