Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz has prickly response to questions about why he is leading Iran into World Cup | World News
Leading Iran for the third time at the World Cup, Carlos Queiroz was not surprised when faced with political questions.
Especially when the Portuguese coach only returned to work in September and protests broke out across Iran before he even managed a match again.
Warm-up matches for the World Cup in September saw players cover up their national team badges and some spoke in support of the protest movement due to the death of a detainee. Mahsa Amini.
The 22-year-old woman died after being detained by the ethics police for apparently failing to comply with the country’s strict Muslim dress code.
The anti-regime protests are being billed as the biggest challenge since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
So the Iranian team made a short trip to Qatar for the first World Cup in the Middle East, followed by questions about whether the platform was used to express dissent. with mode or not.
Ahead of Iran’s opening match against England on Monday, Queiroz said “everyone has the right to express themselves” if they comply with FIFA’s regulations.
“You guys are on your knees during games,” he added, referring to players who are campaigning against racial injustice in the UK. “Some people agree, some people disagree with it, and Iran is exactly the same.”
Former Iranian soccer stars Ali Daei and Javad Nekounam have both turned down FIFA’s invitation to the World Cup to show solidarity with the protesters.
Read more:
UK punishes Iran’s ethics police after Mahsa Amini’s death
First high-ranking Iranian official to publicly criticize regime’s hijab crackdown
Growing fear of Iranian athletes competing without headscarves at international events
A violent crackdown has left more than 300 people dead and 14,825 others arrested, according to a monitoring group.
The oppression of women directly affects football, with only limited access to stadiums – an issue that has been raised by FIFA in recent years.
A press officer for the group tried to cut the press conference short when Sky News asked Queiroz if he would feel comfortable representing a country that suppresses women’s rights.
Queiroz replied: “How much would you pay me to answer that question? How much would you pay me?
“Talk to your boss and when the World Cup is over I can give you an answer if you make a good offer for me.”
Queiroz sought to turn attention to problems in England.
“Think about what happened in your country with immigration,” he said, leaving the room to head into the training ground.
After playing England to open the World Cup group stage, Iran faced Wales and the United States – countries with which the regime has no diplomatic relations for more than four decades.
Iran is competing at the tournament after FIFA resisted calls to ban the national team from supplying weapons to Russia amid the war in Ukraine.
Russia, the 2018 World Cup host country, was banned from the Qatar event for launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February.
