FIFA is set to ban the waving of the pre-Islamic Revolution flag of Iran at World Cup games, sparking outrage among the Iranian opposition and diaspora.
The old flag, featuring the lion and sun emblem, has long served as the symbol of Iran’s deposed monarchy and, since 1979, has served as the symbol of Iranians opposed to the current government. Eager to avoid political clashes, the Athletic reported that FIFA was going to ban the flag from World Cup games, a charge the organization did little to refute.
The blanket ban on the flag is new. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, some fans holding the flag or bearing anti-government slogans complained of being barred from some stadiums, but the policy wasn’t universal.
Iranians in the diaspora and opposition were quickly up in arms, accusing FIFA of covering for the Islamic government.
Darya Safai, an Iranian-born Belgian minister of parliament, denounced the move in a post on X, saying she’d been waving the flag at soccer games since 2014.
“The true national flag of Iran is the Lion and Sun — a historic symbol with centuries of heritage and identity behind it — not the ideological flag of the Islamic Republic with the name of Allah in its center,” she said, arguing that the current official flag should be understood as an ideological symbol used as a symbol of occupation.
“Ideological regimes often replace the historical identity of a people with symbols of their ruling doctrine,” Safai said. “FIFA has no right to erase the real national symbol of the Iranian people from stadiums and international competitions.”
Cameron Khansarinia, exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi’s chief of staff, called on Iranians to protest outside the games in Los Angeles.
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“Nearly one million Iranians live in the Los Angeles area,” he said in a post on X. “It is the national duty of these Iranians to make a striking presence at the two matches of the Islamic Republic’s team in Los Angeles, despite FIFA’s restrictions, with the Iranian flag along with chants and the national anthem.”
There was some dispute over whether the Islamic Republic of Iran’s team would be allowed to participate in the World Cup this year, following the government’s reported killing of protesters and then the beginning of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Ultimately, FIFA said the team would be allowed to participate.
