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A now-deleted graphic of the Group B standings posted on
Saturday across U.S. Soccer's official Twitter, Instagram and
Facebook accounts displayed the Iranian flag only bearing its
green, white and red colours.
Iran has been gripped by protests since 22-year-old Mahsa
Amini's death in September while in police custody after she was
arrested for flouting the country's strict Islamic dress code.
The intent of the posts was to show "support for the women in
Iran fighting for basic human rights", U.S. Soccer media officer
Michael Kammarman told a news conference on Sunday. Players were
not consulted on the decision to alter the flag.
"We didn't know anything about the posts but we are supporters
of women's rights, we always have been," U.S. defender Walker
Zimmerman said.
"We're focused a lot on Tuesday and the sporting side as well...
but at the same time we're firm believers in women's rights and
support them.
"And we know that it's a lot of difficulties and a lot of
heartbreak and in a very disturbing time."
The banner on U.S. Soccer's Twitter page was also changed on
Saturday to feature the flag without the emblem. It was changed
back 24 hours later to the banner they had been using during the
tournament.
Iran's state-affiliated Tasnim News Agency said the Iranian
Football Federation will file a complaint against U.S. Soccer to
the FIFA Ethics Committee for "disrespecting the national flag"
of the Islamic Republic.
Iranian leaders have accused the United States and other foreign
adversaries of fomenting the protests in which Iranians from all
walks of life have mounted one of the boldest challenges to the
theocracy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Washington has imposed sanctions on Iranian officials over the
crackdown on protesters. Activist news agency HRANA said 450
protesters had been killed as of Nov. 26, including 63 minors,
and over 18,000 have been arrested.
Iran's players declined to sing the national anthem in their
first game against England in an apparent show of solidarity
with protesters. They sang quietly on Friday before their 2-0
win over Wales, where boos and jeers were heard from Iran
supporters.
"We can't speak for them and their message. We know that they're
all emotional," Zimmerman said. "They're all going through
things right now, they're human. Again, we empathise with that
human emotion and completely feel for them."
The United States and Iran will face off in a decisive Group B
clash with their place at the World Cup on the line, in a match
which was already freighted by decades of enmity between the
nations.
With England sitting top of Group B with four points and facing
bottom side Wales in their final group game on Tuesday, the
Iran-U.S. contest will determine which team goes through to the
last 16.
Their eagerly awaited meeting is a rematch of the 1998 World Cup
group stage contest - which Iran won 2-1 - when relations
between the two nations had also been hostile.
(Reporting by Hritika Sharma; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
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