Iran faces the United States on Tuesday in a decisive meeting in Group B
The Iranian Football Federation has filed a complaint with the International Federation of Football Associations, FIFA, once morest the background of removing the emblem of the Islamic Republic from the Iranian flag, in a post by the United States national team on social media.
The United States removed the emblem of the Islamic Republic, in photos posted on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The US side announced that it had decided not to use the image of Iran’s official flag, to show “support for women in Iran in their struggle for basic human rights,” amid continuing anti-government protests.
The protests that began on September 22, once morest the backdrop of the killing of the young woman, Mahsa Amini, while she was being arrested by the morality police, are facing severe repression.
“In an unprofessional act, the American Football Association’s Instagram page removed the symbol of God from the Iranian flag,” the Iranian news agency, IRNA, said.
It added that “the Iranian Football Association sent an email to FIFA to request a warning from the American Federation.”
A USAF spokesperson later said the posts had been removed and replaced with ones correcting the Iranian flag, but said, “We still support women in Iran.”
Iran comes second in the group with three points following an important victory over Wales. Followed by the United States with two points.
The confrontation will largely determine the fate of one of the two countries in qualifying for the next round.
