The final World Cup group stage match will feature Iran vs. the USA.
Before the two teams’ Tuesday group stage match, Iran’s state-affiliated Tasnim News Agency called on FIFA to disqualify the USA from the World Cup.
Both teams have a chance to advance to the knockout stages thanks to victories over England and Wales on Friday, but there have been calls to ban the USA from the competition.
While demonstrations against the Tehran government’s rule continue, the USA has flown the Iranian flag on their social media platforms without the Islamic Republic of Iran’s logo.
They posted an image of the Iranian flag in its purest form, with the colors red, white, and green, on Twitter.
The absence of the 1980-designed emblem coincides with protests against the Iranian government in response to the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, on September 16 after she had been arrested by the nation’s morality police.
Human rights activists in Iran estimate that since the protests began, 450 people have died and more than 18,000 have been detained.
The American federation announced on Sunday that it had chosen to take down the official flag from its website and social media pages to support Iranian women who are fighting for fundamental human rights.
However, Tasnim News Agency stated on Twitter that by section 13 of the applicable FIFA rules, any individual who violates the honor or integrity of a nation, an individual, or a group of individuals… shall be punished with a suspension lasting at least ten matches or a specific period, or any other appropriate disciplinary measure.
The Iranian Football Federation will officially complain about the situation to FIFA’s ethics committee, the agency confirmed on Sunday.
In response to remarks made by Jurgen Klinsmann following their team’s 2-0 victory over Wales to set up their match against the USA on Tuesday, Iranian football and head coach Carlos Queiroz have also recently called for his resignation from his position as a BBC pundit.
