Flag Flap in the World Cup

The US Men’s National Team (USMNT) finds itself in a must-win Tuesday affair with the Islamic Republic of Iran in Doma, Qatar’s Al Thumama Stadium. An Instagram post doesn’t set will with the Iranian Government.

In its run-up to the match (Tuesday, 2 p.m EST), USMNT put up an image of Old Glory and above it a flag with just thick horizontal bars – green, white, and red (top to bottom) to represent Iran’s national flag. The display includes the flags of Group B’s other members– England and Wales.

Absent in the purported Iranian flag was the red symbol of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This omission from the flag’s center, says Iranian state news, violates the FIFA charter. The Iranian Government wants FIFA to boot the United States out of the World Cup. Per FIFA rules, teams may not offend another country or its people based on race, ethnicity, or a host of other factors. Such violations carry a ten-game suspension from international soccer competition.

USMNT says it omitted the symbol (four curved swords to stand for “Allah”) as a nod to women’s rights activism in Iran. The protests over the treatment of women in Iran gained fuel following the death of Mahsa Amini while in custody. Iranian police arrested the 22-year old for not wearing a head covering.

Iranian soccer players staged their own show of solidarity with the protests. Specifically, they did not join in song as the Iranian national anthem played prior to the team’s Group B opener with England. Iran lost 6-2.

In the wake of the controversy, USMNT pulled the post. The group says that it planned to remove it after 24 hours and show the actual Iranian flag in its future posts.

Ultimately, the Iranian soccer team will have more to say than the Iranian powers that be on the United States squad’s World Cup fate. The post that upset Tehran shows Iran has three points to the United States’ two. Iran blanked Wales 2-0. The United States has two draws in their ledger, 1-1 to Wales and 0-0 to England on Black Friday.

Iran eliminates the Americans with either a win or tie. The United States must notch a “W” to advance to the round of sixteen – i.e. the “knockout stage.”