Soccer-Iranian World Cup squad declines to sing national anthem, backing protests

FILE PHOTO: The head coach of the Iranian national football team, Carlos Queiroz, attends the Iranian team training at Azadi training camp in Tehran, Iran on September 14, 2022. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

DOHA/DUBAI (Reuters) -Iran's World Cup team declined to sing their anthem before their opening World Cup match on Monday in a sign of support for mass protests back home after many fans accused the squad of siding with a violent state crackdown on the unrest.

Protests demanding the fall of the ruling Shi'ite Muslim theocracy have gripped Iran since the death two months ago of young woman Mahsa Amini after her arrest for flouting the strict Islamic dress code.