PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Tuesday will be the biggest test for Team USA so far at the World Cup in Qatar. The U.S. needs to win its match against Iran to advance out of the group stage. However, this match is about much more than soccer.
Political tension between these two nations is nothing new, but it’s particularly palpable on the World Cup stage.
The U.S. Soccer Federation briefly displayed Iran’s national flag on social media without the emblem of the Islamic Republic, saying the move supported protesters in Iran. Iran’s government reacted by accusing America of removing the name of God from its national flag.
During a Monday press conference, Team USA coach Gregg Berhalter was asked about the omission by a reporter, who called it an insult.
“The result will depend on who puts more effort in and who executes better on the field. We’re not focused on those outside things,” he replied. “All we can do on our behalf is apologize on behalf of the players and the staff. But it’s not something that we’re a part of.
“Players and staff knew nothing about what was being posted, and sometimes things are out of our control.”
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The USSF said in a statement Sunday morning it decided to forego the official flag on social media accounts to show “support for the women in Iran fighting for basic human rights.”
The Twitter account of the U.S. men’s team displayed a banner with the squad’s matches in the group stage, with the Iranian flag only bearing its green, white and red colors. The same was seen in a post on its Facebook and Instagram accounts laying out the point totals so far in its group.
By Sunday afternoon, the normal flag with the emblem had been restored in the Twitter banner and the Facebook and Instagram posts with the altered flag had been removed.
“We wanted to show our support for the women in Iran with our graphic for 24 hours,” the federation said.
Federation spokesman Neil Buethe would not say whether the original decision had been cleared by USSF President Cindy Parlow Cone, a former national team player. Buethe said Parlow Cone was not available to discuss the matter.
The USSF displayed the official Iranian flag in a graphic showing Group B standings on its website.
As comments raged online, Iranian state television described the U.S. federation as “removing the symbol of Allah” from the Iranian flag.
The brief absence of the emblem came as monthslong demonstrations challenged Iran’s government following the Sept. 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been detained by the country’s morality police.
The protests have seen at least 450 people killed since they started, as well as over 18,000 arrested, according to Human Rights Activists in Iran, an advocacy group following the demonstrations.
Iran has not released casualty or arrest figures for months and alleges without providing evidence that the protests have been fomented by its enemies abroad, including the U.S.
Tehran also restricts media access and has detained over 63 reporters and photographers since the demonstrations began, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, making covering the unrest that much more difficult.
The Islamic Republic emblem, designed in 1980, is four curves with a sword between them. It represents the Islamic saying: “There is no god but God.” It also resembles a tulip or lotus.
At the top and the bottom of the flag, there are 22 inscriptions of “God is Great” as well, which honors the date on the Persian calendar when the Islamic Revolution took hold.
The flag has become a point of contention at the World Cup. Apparent pro-government supporters have waved it, shouting at those demonstrating over Amini’s death. Others at matches have waved Iran’s lion and sun flag, an emblem of its former ruler, the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
During the same Monday press conference, a reporter aggressively corrected Team USA Captain Tyler Adams’ pronunciation of Iran. Adams, who is Black, was then asked how he feels playing for a country with a history of racism.
“My apologies on the mispronunciation of your country,” he said. “That being said, there’s discrimination everywhere you go. One thing that I’ve learned, especially from living abroad in the past years and having to fit in into different cultures and assimilate into different cultures, is that in the U.S., we’re continuing to make progress every single day.”
The 23-year-old said as long as a person is willing to learn and make progress, that’s the most important thing.
Team USA will take on Iran in the World Cup starting at 2 p.m. EST. The U.S. needs to win to advance to the knockout round. Iran can move on with a draw.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.