Whistling Heard in Stadium as Iranian National Anthem Played
Soccer fans at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, could be heard whistling during the Iranian national anthem amid reports Iranian players stayed silent while it was played ahead of their World Cup opener against England.
The whistles can be heard in video by Vinicius Guedes.
A big screen seen in the footage also shows several players with their mouths closed, not appearing to sing along.
Eurosport reported that the Iranian national team’s players had remained silent while the country’s anthem was played. Photos from the match also show fans holding up protest signs.
While it’s not possible to discern who is whistling from the video, it came with protests ongoing in Iran following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the country’s security forces in September. Credit: Vinicius Guedes via Storyful
Video transcript
[NO SPEECH]
