Iranian Regime Threatens Families of World Cup Team in Run-Up to Today’s Match with USA –
By Jim Hoft
Published November 29, 2022
The Iranian team has added pressure to win the match today against the USA.
Losing could mean torture or worse for family members and the players.
The Iranian team did not sing the regime anthem prior to their first match as protests continue in the country.
Iran has a history of punishing athletes who embarrass the regime on the world stage.
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The families of Iran’s World Cup soccer team have been threatened with imprisonment and torture if the players fail to “behave” ahead of the match against the USA on Tuesday, a source involved in the security of the games said.
Following the refusal of Iranian players to sing the nation’s national anthem in their opening match against England on November 21, the source said that the players were called to a meeting with members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The source said that they were told that their families would face “violence and and torture” if they did not sing the national anthem or if they joined any political protest against the Tehran regime.
The players sang the anthem before their second game against Wales last Friday, which saw 2-0 victory for Iran.
The source, who is closely monitoring Iran’s security agencies operating in Qatar over the World Cup period, said that dozens of officers from the IRGC had been drafted in to monitor the Iranian players who are not allowed to mingle outside the squad or meet with foreigners.
“There are a large number of Iranian security officers in Qatar collecting information and monitoring the players,” the source said.