- Country has been rocked by anti-regime protests
- Fans in stadium seemingly drown out playing of anthem
Iran chose not to sing their country’s anthem before their opening World Cup match against England on Monday, in an apparent show of support for protesters back home.
All of the starting 11 players were silent as the anthem was played at the Khalifa International Stadium. Iranian fans in the stadium did make noise though, possibly in an attempt to drown out the anthem. Before the tournament, Iran manager Carlos Queiroz said he would not discipline players who chose to protest in Qatar.
