U.S. displays Iran’s flag without the emblem of the nation

The United States Soccer Federation had temporarily displayed Iran’s national flag on its official social media accounts without the emblem of the Islamic Republic ahead of the two nations' World Cup match. The symbol was later returned to the flag on the website. Iran and the U.S. play each other on Tuesday in a crucial Group B match.

A now-deleted graphic of the Group B standings posted on Saturday across U.S. Soccer's official Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts displayed the Iranian flag only bearing its green, white and red colors. The symbol was added after the 1979 revolution. It represents the Islamic saying: “There is no god but God.” Anti-hijab protesters are using a flag without the emblem in protest against the oppressive theocracy of Iran.

U.S. Soccer told at the press conference on Sunday that it wanted to change the official flag for 24 hours to show “support for the women in Iran fighting for basic human rights” and did not discuss it with the team or players. Its social media soon went back to the original flag.

The Iranian Football Federation backlashed saying that the sports association will file a complaint against the US Soccer Team to FIFA’s Ethics Committee. Iran state-aligned Tasnim News Agency called for the U.S. to be kicked out of the 2022 World Cup on Twitter and added that a 10-game suspension is an appropriate penalty for the U.S. An official from the Iranian Football Federation told The Associated Press that the move was a “violation of international law.”


Sung-Hwi Kang yolo@donga.com