Los Angeles, California, United States — For years, cheering on the Iranian national football team was a way for some Iranian Americans to celebrate their home country without endorsing the clerical government that has ruled Iran since the 1979 revolution.
But this year, as Iran competes in the 2022 World Cup, politics are on the pitch, as players and fans echo the protests sweeping Iran following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died after being detained by the country’s morality police in September.
