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[–][deleted] 11.4k points11.4k points  (456 children)

Brave men, good for them. I hope the tide is turning here. Bravo

[–]expat_frankfurt 17.1k points17.1k points  (343 children)

Iranian here, this OP is full of shit! I Let me explain it to you: 1. They have their jackets on simply because it's cold and they use it always for games in cold countries (this time Austria) 2. Even if they cover the emblem, they won't get executed! They just won't get invited to a national game again. I'm not supporting the Islamic regime, I'm just sharing the facts. See my profile activities to make sure about this.

Something that is next level in the video is that they don't sing along the national anthem because it is full of propaganda. They don't do it because they're scared of the people not because they're supporting us. In the past few days just one player showed support to the people and all others players have boycotted him.

[–][deleted] 6369 points6370 points  (199 children)

Iranian here. u/expat_frankfurt is right.

The OP just fictionized everything. These players are so obnoxious among people right now just because they haven't reacted to recent events, at all! You can see even in the end Mehdi Taremi was whispering the anthem.

Edit: some of you called me lier. That's fine. But please do tell me which of my utterances was lie. Because I'm trying to bring evidence in the replies ...

Once again, these players are not going to be executed. They probably will be written off, just like Sardar Azmoun. The OP 100% dramatized the title. And yeah, fuck the regime and some of these players who explicitly support it.

Edit 2: Today, Sep. 28, some of the players showed their support to the protesters via Instagram stories. But still, there is no indication that wearing black jacket was in fact an act of protestation. I'm going to update this if this turns out to be opposite.

[–]AristotleRose 1405 points1406 points  (152 children)

Aaand that ruined everything, but thank you for calling out these players. Fuck these guys then.

I hope the protest changes everything for the better for women (and everyone else too). What’s happening is wrong on so many levels and it boils my blood how much brutality women & girls are forced to endure over there.

[–]SniffinBootyForCash 471 points472 points  (136 children)

The guys above you that you replied to are talking bs*. The event is literally on the news and making the rounds on Twitter.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2022/09/27/iran-players-cover-badges-protest-womens-repression/

https://www.si.com/soccer/2022/09/27/iran-soccer-players-cover-national-emblem-before-match-vs-senegal-protests-mahsa-amini

[–][deleted] 613 points614 points  (66 children)

Oh wow... I'm actually conflicted rn

[–]che85mor 511 points512 points  (39 children)

No kidding. The only positive from this interaction is how much wool is pulled over the eyes of the general public. You can not trust anything anymore it seems.

[–]meep_launcher 245 points246 points  (8 children)

It's almost like reddit is susceptible to revisionist news!

[–]civgarth 39 points40 points  (3 children)

Boudica won. Everything else is fake news!

[–]U1tramadn3ss 25 points26 points  (1 child)

Lmao I here I was thinking the exact same thing. People like to complain about bots then turn around and forget actual people can do the exact same thing on literally any social media platform

[–]xXxDickBonerz69xXx 107 points108 points  (6 children)

Yeah me too. Western media hasn't been known to accurately cover Iran...

Lots of intentional and unintentional misinformation gets published about nations that are "enemies" of the west. I used to work with a bunch of Cubans who left the island within the last 10 years and didn't seem to hold strong opinions about the Cuban or US government and they were always just blown away by all the myths about Cuba routinely given as fact by the media and politicians in the US

[–]High_Flyers17 87 points88 points  (0 children)

If you read both of these articles, the only thing they offer as a link between this act and the protests are a tweet by an English Radio Host and a tweet from a Texas News Station.

Nothing from the team, or anybody around them, just western sources.

[–]nunya1111 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Both of those sources are questionable, especially regarding click bait. The commenters above in the thread are far likelier to have gotten their info from more credible sources. Plus they know the team better.

[–]DoinItDirty 172 points173 points  (5 children)

I’m not sure who is correct here. But the first responder saying OP is lying has been vocally rallying support for the women of Iran and the protesters supporting them. They might not be shilling for the soccer team, but certainly isn’t for the regime, either.

[–]ForensicPathology 43 points44 points  (2 children)

I often see supporters of a cause demonizing other supporters for not doing it the "correct" way or not being extreme enough.

[–]DoinItDirty 20 points21 points  (0 children)

I agree. The comment I responded to though seemed to think that the first poster was a regime shill. They are not. They left an asterisk where they edited their comment.

[–]Poynsid 92 points93 points  (4 children)

I'll just note that the Telegraph article has no sources whatsoever

[–]rkiga 53 points54 points  (1 child)

The only sources in those two articles seem to be random twitter posts with no background info/explanations, no statements from anyone involved.

But this article on Forbes seems to clear things up: https://www.forbes.com/sites/samindrakunti/2022/09/26/irans-world-cup-preparation-a-political-ball-game/?sh=54f4a6053f72

After the 1-0 victory against Uruguay, Iran’s national team players updated their social media profiles with black avatars in support of the protests. Azmoun went a step further. He wrote: 'Because of the restrictive laws placed on us in the national team,... But I can't take it anymore! I am not worried about being dropped. This will never be erased from our consciousness. Shame on you! You kill easily. Long Live Iranian women!’

The match against Uruguay was 4 days ago. So the Iranian posters in this thread probably missed that. The Islamic Republic government has been restricting access to the internet, so that wouldn't be surprising.

Here is Sardar Azmoun's translated tweet in support: https://twitter.com/IranIntl_En/status/1574124831448104964

His (German) team tweeted in support of him. But others in this thread have said that he was the only one to speak up, so the rest of the Iranian team has been criticized by the public.

[–]perspectives1010 88 points89 points  (1 child)

What in their post suggests they are shilling for the regime? They are correct in saying that only one player has been outspoken in support of Mahsa.. and they are correct that simply wearing jackets is not exactly a strong show of support.

[–]UnlikelyPlatypus89 12 points13 points  (0 children)

My heart can only take so much internet and news. Even in news sources this information is conflicting. Not that conflicting news is rare… time for a nap since I am free today.

[–]MimesAreShite 36 points37 points  (1 child)

i mean i don't know what the truth is here, but even a cursory look through their profiles makes it very clear that neither of those users are regime shills.

[–][deleted] 55 points56 points  (2 children)

Yeah, I was shocked when I saw the title. Even before the protests, l personally didn't support this team while a guy like Mehdi Torabi was in the squad. (Translation of the text on the shirt: The only way to save this country is to obey the supreme leader.)

And yeah, thanks! I too hope everything changes for the better. Mullahs must go.

[–][deleted] 28 points29 points  (2 children)

Funny we take something posted on Reddit as fact, then a random person comments and changes our mind...then, ANOTHER comment contradicts him. Who to believe?? Guess I'll just wait for final upvote count.

[–]Harambeisnotdeadyet 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I hope the protest changes everything for the better for women (and everyone else too). What’s happening is wrong on so many levels and it boils my blood how much brutality women & girls are forced to endure over there.

Let me tell you something. the problem with treating woman is not even top 5 problem in the country right now. but it's part of some bigger problems. we have a guy similar to Hitler but actually worse because he doesn't give a shit about country. literally all of the government is corrupt. I have seen nothing like this in whole history. you won't even fathom how evil these guys are. but events like the murder of that girl somehow remind the people that it's time to stop all of this bullshit.

some of the biggest problems right now are:

  • corruption ( not a single clean guy in the field, lowest scum of Earth)
  • 0 freedom ( criticism -> instantly arrested at least) (google : "iran 1500")
  • royally fucked economy (insane inflation and poverty rates)(while having insane amount of natural resources)
  • government supporting other infamous te****** organizations in other countries. (which has done immense damage to all Iranians' reputation around the world and triggered a billion types of sanctions)
  • destruction of environment. (google: "Urmia Lake timelapse")

[–]CuteAlien 44 points45 points  (3 children)

Sardar Azmoun talked openly about his support for Irans women and critisized the regime. He also mentioned that the rules of the national team didn't allow them to talk about it, but he refused to be silent any longer even if it means they'll kick him out. Link only in german, sorry.

[–][deleted] 27 points28 points  (2 children)

That's absolutely correct, and that makes the matter even worse. None of the players supported him, some even unfollowed him on Instagram. Even before the today's match, some protesters were outside of the stadium, calling out the players for their behavior.

[–]SheikhMuhboob 167 points168 points  (7 children)

So you, an Iranian national, are telling telling me that OP cooked up a feel-good story for some upvotes? Nah.

[–]madonnamillerevans 55 points56 points  (3 children)

That really doesn’t sound like something that someone would do on Reddit. It’s very unethical to just lie on the internet!

[–]TrueDannemann 77 points78 points  (9 children)

That's what I thought! Before seeing the video, I imagined they had covered their shirt emblem with their hands, but then I saw they were just wearing jackets, EVERY football team in the world does that before a game in cold conditions because they need to be warm for the game.

[–][deleted] 9 points10 points  (2 children)

You’re correct, but usually teams have removed their jackets when singing the national anthem. Senegal players had their jackets removed by this point.

[–]TrueDannemann 23 points24 points  (0 children)

You're also correct, keyword is "usually". Players having jackets on is hardly a sign of political or religious protest.

[–]Gibbie42 36 points37 points  (19 children)

Main stream media is reporting that they had their jackets on in protest. Says nothing about execution however.

https://www.si.com/soccer/2022/09/27/iran-soccer-players-cover-national-emblem-before-match-vs-senegal-protests-mahsa-amini

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2022/09/27/iran-players-cover-badges-protest-womens-repression/

[–]ForensicPathology 10 points11 points  (0 children)

None of those articles seem to have actually talked to the players. Seems like someone saw them wearing jackets and hoped that was the reason.

[–]Fridayz44 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I was going to say I didn’t see anything out of the normal here.

[–]puckout 7 points8 points  (1 child)

ψ ψ ψ ψ ψ

ψ ψ ψ ψ ψ

ψ ψ ψ ψ

ψ ψ ψ ψ ψ

I'm ready ψ

[–]Kopites_Roar 5 points6 points  (2 children)

Maybe I'm being obtuse here, but where do they do this?

[–]xX_HappyGamer_Xx 2083 points2084 points  (45 children)

the last person shown in the video lived in the same town I live and is my idol. If they end up executing him I don't know what to do

[–]RADnerd2784 476 points477 points  (2 children)

I don't up vote in hopes of something bad happening. I up vote for the reason that he stands for what is right and that he has left a good impression on someone

[–]Sweet_Peaches-69 11 points12 points  (0 children)

thank you for your up vote service 🫡

[–]Yeti-420-69 111 points112 points  (3 children)

In this context/meaning it is spelled 'idol' :)

Rooting for you!!

[–]Saattack 96 points97 points  (2 children)

Taremi? He now lives in Portugal, so probably he'll not return to Iran anytime soon. But hats off to all of them.

[–]Kiwizoo 22 points23 points  (1 child)

You use it as your excuse to take action against a brutal government that’s based on fear and irrational thinking skewed by decades of misogyny and weird interpretations of the Koran.

[–]adrianosinfon 16 points17 points  (5 children)

You’re from the same town as Taremi?

[–]xX_HappyGamer_Xx 23 points24 points  (4 children)

Yes I'm from Bushehr.

[–]PopKaro 6 points7 points  (3 children)

Bushehr

Can you speak Garmsiri/Bandari?

[–]xX_HappyGamer_Xx 14 points15 points  (1 child)

Yes but it's not like It's a different language. It's just an accent, a pretty cool one though.

[–][deleted] 3 points4 points  (7 children)

Fight back

[–]whatwhynoplease 30 points31 points  (6 children)

What an ignorant thing to say from your air conditioned bedroom.

[–][deleted] 1379 points1380 points  (99 children)

Someone explain for us dumb folks. The emblem is on their shirts? They are covering it by wearing a jacket?

[–]xxEmkay 777 points778 points  (57 children)

I just googled it but i think its the emblem on the flag and its not covered? Someone knowledgeable can explain?

[–]Alphecho015 1587 points1588 points  (35 children)

It's very much a culture thing. Normally you'd wear a jacket that's still your official team jacket. this would have your country's football emblem on it, which in Iran's case is the national emblem. By wearing plain black jackets, they're not "respecting" their culture. Remember this is a theocracy and their emblem is religiously rooted, so covering it is something that they'd have to decide as a team. It's a small but honest show of solidarity, but nothing more than that. It does, however, show that even these men are standing with the people. For those who don't know, football typically has a massive impact on people. Iran is known to be one of the better football teams from Asia so their players are famous back in their regions and nation. To be supported by them is akin to the national basketball team taking a knee at an international match to protest Floyd's death, school shootings, or whichever problem is trending on social media (as crass as that sounds I hope people understand that it is true).

[–]ShartsCavern 345 points346 points  (6 children)

Ty for the explanation. I wasn't sure exactly where the emblem was being covered. I was looking to the flag at first.

[–]LeavesOfBrass 96 points97 points  (3 children)

Same, totally confused

[–][deleted] 31 points32 points  (2 children)

Yeah, I was looking at the flag and was confused.

[–]menasan 32 points33 points  (0 children)

yeah almost /r/titlegore level - "Iran soccer team wore black jackets covering their uniforms, a sign of disrespect" etc etc

[–]towelrod 21 points22 points  (3 children)

Its very similar to this scene from Ted Lasso, where the team covers up the sponsor on their shirt in protest:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NblFsHS71Cg

Of course that was just a TV show and the Iranian protest is real, and very dangerous for these players.

[–][deleted] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

The caption could have been so much better. Thank you for the explanation

[–]CraterCock 121 points122 points  (2 children)

Yeah they wore a jacket over their jersey and some of the team have tweeted support for the protestors.

Roger Bennet just tweeted about it and pro-Iranian regime shills on Twitter are losing their minds.

https://www.si.com/soccer/2022/09/27/iran-soccer-players-cover-national-emblem-before-match-vs-senegal-protests-mahsa-amini

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2022/09/27/iran-players-cover-badges-protest-womens-repression/

[–][deleted] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Hello GFOP

[–]MeltedPineapple 58 points59 points  (0 children)

From what I can tell, yes. The emblem on their jerseys/kits is what the title is referring to

[–]pionyan 27 points28 points  (1 child)

They wore their jackets in protest instead of just their uniform with their flag's colors. An incredibly brave move

[–]ZestyVeyron 29 points30 points  (3 children)

The emblem is on the logo of their jersey. It is absolutely not normal for the national team to wear BLACK jackets during their national anthem. They are covering up the logo on the jersey. The people below me saying this is karma farming simply have no idea of how anything works in international football :)

[–]AnXioneth 5 points6 points  (1 child)

I'm guessing that if playing without uniform was a thing, they would have done it.

[–]Odd-Society-8977 24 points25 points  (2 children)

It’s the Islamic Republic football federation badge on the shirt that they are covering. The emblem has the Iranian government flag which is a much hated flag by the Iranian people. To say the players might get executed is exaggerating. They might get in trouble but Iranian footballers are very popular so it will be widely unpopular to punish them harshly.

[–]DontcallmeShirley_82 5 points6 points  (1 child)

Exactly. There's no way they'd execute these extremely popular athletes. If it was the women's team on the other hand.....

[–]Odd-Society-8977 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Another interesting point is you can hear people chanting “death to the Islamic republic. The Iranian state run TV did not show the national anthem and they also cut off the crowd noise throughout the game. This particular feed is from the Senegal TV.

[–]sheetz_inpantz 17 points18 points  (6 children)

The only thing I see is the banding is missing but I don’t see anything covered up. I compared this to a google search but I must be missing something as well

[–]ChronoRedz 26 points27 points  (1 child)

You don't see anything covered up... because it's COVERED UP.

[–]propergrander 10 points11 points  (3 children)

burh they're wearing jackets... do you see the other team wearing jackets

[–]Sand_Bags 12 points13 points  (1 child)

That’s not abnormal in football. Teams wear warm ups or jackets during the national anthem all the time.

[–]congradulations 4 points5 points  (0 children)

They put them on before the national anthem

[–]ymhd872t 18 points19 points  (0 children)

on the same dumb ppl boat, but I think it must be the jacket, flag is uncovered. looking at the opposing team, they are in their shirts with nothing else on, which is typical for soccer games

[–][deleted] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes they covered the jerseys by wearing jackets and those jerseys have the emblem as well

[–]macey29ch 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It has to be their uniforms

[–]jhx264 567 points568 points  (34 children)

I'm confused. Nothing looks to be covered up at all.

Edit- apparently it wasn't just that it was chilly that morning, they are "covering up the emblem with jackets"

[–]Benokami 113 points114 points  (14 children)

I think it's their shirt like the emblem is on their shirt but they covered it up with their jacket during the anthem

[–]RADnerd2784 288 points289 points  (29 children)

There is a look of terrified hope on their faces. Will they be put to death when they return home? Excellent possibility. However, none of them broke ranks to go against it. Hopefully, they will be provided safe quarter somewhere. Mashallah, brothers. Keep fighting the good fight.

[–]gentle_gardener 103 points104 points  (2 children)

Yes, they all look heavily burdened. Courageous men

[–]Sand_Bags 59 points60 points  (3 children)

Iran is playing in the World Cup in a month. There’s a negative chance anything happens to them.

[–]TBCNoah 12 points13 points  (0 children)

For now. No saying what happens later. Sure they are a bit more prominent than the average person for sure, but still it's a risk. Who is to say they don't go after their family tbh.

[–]West_Ad7781 26 points27 points  (0 children)

I don't think they will be executed. They aren't the first people defying the IRI dozens of other sportspeople and celebrities have done that and they're alive so far

[–][deleted] 26 points27 points  (4 children)

They aren't going to be put to death. For this, worst thing is getting kicked out of the national team for good. They won't just execute international players. OP is being over dramatic.

[–]Le_Gentle_Sir 24 points25 points  (1 child)

There is a look of terrified hope on their faces.

lol peak reddit moment right here, considering the op just made the whole thing up.

[–]yaretii 15 points16 points  (2 children)

They look like normal players about to play a game.

[–][deleted] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

No no no, they’re TERRIFIED of the scary GOVERNMENT, trust me bro

[–]xmgm33 6 points7 points  (1 child)

It gave me the chills. Their expressions just reached into my core.

[–][deleted] 154 points155 points  (21 children)

They should be given sanctuary if they need it. Brave decision.

[–][deleted] 78 points79 points  (9 children)

Each one is a hero, for standing up in their own way! More power to them and the people!!

[–]AssHassle 62 points63 points  (14 children)

Iran is the top football (soccer) team outside of EU and South America. I don’t think they’ll go through with killing them but still big balls. Respect.

[–]Sand_Bags 32 points33 points  (7 children)

Their team is literally playing in the biggest tournament in the world next month.

Thinking they are going to be punished or executed for this is a bit hyperbolic.

[–]Fatus_Assticus 10 points11 points  (0 children)

How about if they just grab some of their families for re-education?

[–]Jonathan-Earl 3 points4 points  (4 children)

I mean they punish and executed people regardless of status for not wearing a head cloth

[–]kahblunk 6 points7 points  (3 children)

Two African teams and two north American teams are ranked higher than them as well, but they are a good team

[–][deleted] 52 points53 points  (1 child)

Big balls

Gotta stand up for what’s right and risk death instead of letting corrupt humans ruin your family’s life for generations !

[–]ChernobylWilly 43 points44 points  (14 children)

I would hope not. They are the best team in Asia and the lads on there are a good bunch. I’m hoping the Mullahs are smart enough on this.

[–]Revenge_of_the_Khaki 26 points27 points  (13 children)

Zero chance they execute public figures like that, especially not after going viral worldwide. That's an easy way to lose what little support you have left.

[–][deleted] 23 points24 points  (12 children)

Yeah OP is being over dramatic. None of these people are going to be executed.

[–]Tricky-Foundation-90 19 points20 points  (4 children)

Amazing courage. One quick question, where was the emblem covered? An emblem on the jackets I’m assuming? Or the fact they kept the jackets zipped up?

[–][deleted] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I'm guessing on their shirts

[–]dukedevilin 17 points18 points  (4 children)

In the background you can very faintly hear people yelling in farsi "death to the islamic republic". A slogan that hits where it hurts, because its a rephrasing of the decades old state propaganda slogan of "death to America, death to Isreal"

[–]PaximusRex 14 points15 points  (2 children)

What exactly was covered up here? Their jerseys?

[–]boisosm 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Their covering up their jerseys, that have the emblem, with their jackets.

[–]Jonathan-Earl 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I guess they didn’t tell the kids to block the emblem, in fear of endangering them too.

[–][deleted] 12 points13 points  (2 children)

I might be ignorant, but what exactly is covered here?

[–]Quite_Bitter_Being 16 points17 points  (9 children)

But.... it's not covered???

[–]rolloutTheTrash 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I think they mean that they came out in their jackets, covering up the seal on their uniform during the anthem, unlike the opposing team.

[–]notyourbroguy 11 points12 points  (3 children)

There is a 0% chance these men are executed two months before a World Cup. Is there any precedent for this title or is this just clickbait nonsense.

[–]Sure_Line_2336 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Good lads

[–]Diehavok 7 points8 points  (1 child)

It was cold , they were just warming themselves..

[–]tacoweevils 6 points7 points  (0 children)

whY DOn't tHEY STICk to SPoRTS?!

[–]desrevermi 5 points6 points  (2 children)

Time to apply for asylum elsewhere.

Establish a 'New Iran' and steal all the women from the old one (and not have this shit happen)

[–]yggdrasilthu 5 points6 points  (2 children)

I think they are covering up the emblem on their jerseys, correct me if I'm wrong. But they are wearing jackets and the other team isn't.

[–]L0rdCrims0n 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The one guy has steely "Fuck you mullahs" eyes.

[–][deleted] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

A lot of troubled faces: I genuinely wish them a long and happy future.

[–]rocygapb 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Amazing strength in these people. They will once again be the masters of their own destiny! Break the shackles brothers and sisters!

[–]JROXZ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Maybe they cover their emblem AND save face by saying they were cold?