England vs. Iran: Players kneel and refuse to sing the national anthem in protest (VIDEO)

• The English players performed a symbolic act.
• It happened before their match against Iran.
• The English team was victorious, scoring 6 – 1.

England vs. Iran: Players kneel and refuse to sing the national anthem in protest. After the start of the 2022 World Cup, many personalities have joined in raising their voices against the ideologies of the host country. Now the stars themselves are rebelling.

It’s not a secret that for many, Qatar has a questionable record, particularly when it comes to human rights, freedom of expression, among other social issues.

England vs. Iran: Players kneel and refuse to sing the national anthem in protest

Faced with the ideologies and norms of the country, many celebrities declined the invitation to be part of the important football event that unites the whole world, including singers Shakira and Dua Lipa, who canceled their performances because they didn’t agree with Qatar’s government.

However, they were not the only ones who decided to do their bit to raise awareness about the problems in the country. Players from England and Iran held a protest before starting their first game in the World Cup.

The athletes decided to raise their voices

The moment quickly went viral and a video of the protest has been shared widely on social media. The players of the Iranian soccer team started the rebellion when they chose not to sing their country’s National Anthem as a rejection of the repression during the protests in Iran.

For their part, the England players joined in by kneeling on the field just before the start of the football match, in protest of the thousands of people killed while building the stadiums in Qatar.

The England team could be sanctioned

According to Marca, the English team could be sanctioned by FIFA, since the Organizing Committee does not allow this type of action. England captain Harry Kane wore a ‘non-discrimination’ armband and was unable to wear a rainbow colored OneLove armband because FIFA did not allow it.

Twenty Minutos highlights that England’s team has done this since 2020, following the death of George Floyd in the US.

The UK team warned it would carry out the controversial protest

Finally, Mediotiempo stressed that the team from the United Kingdom warned it would carry out the controversial symbolic act to honor all those who died working in deplorable conditions building the stadiums in Qatar.

«We have discussed the issue of kneeling,» manager Gareth Southgate said. “We feel like we have to. It’s what we’ve supported as a team and have done for a long time. Of course, we understand that in the premier league clubs have decided to only do it on certain games, on big occasions, we feel this is the biggest of all.» Click here to see how players kneel and don’t sing the national anthem in protest