After soccer World Cup game: Iranians celebrate defeat against USA

Iran is out of the World Cup in Qatar. But the defeat against the official archenemy USA was not mourned in the country – the Iranians celebrated on the streets that night. It’s a message to the regime.

In Iran it is already after midnight when the final whistle is played in Qatar. The USA won the mother of all games – as some call the game. In a voice message from Iran, a man says in a good mood:

And those aren’t the only slogans that could be heard on the streets last night. Accompanied by honking, people shout “Down with the dictator!” That applies to the supreme religious leader Ali Khamenei. A man is in the middle of it with his car. He can’t believe it. It was 12:47 a.m. and people were happy about the loss to the United States, he says. “Long live America!” he adds.

Congratulations to the US team

In Tehran, but especially in the Kurdish areas in the northwest, women without headscarves and men dance together in the streets. The contrast program takes place in a Tehran football stadium. There, fans follow the game against the USA on large screens. In contrast to live games, women are also allowed to enter the stadium and even sit together with men. A football fan explains after the defeat:

Such conciliatory tones are seldom heard in Iran these days. There are now reports that emergency services shot at demonstrators that night as well. In the coastal town of Bandar Anzali in the north of the country, a 27-year-old is said to have been shot in the head. There is no official confirmation.

Will the players be punished by the regime?

Today the national team is supposed to come back to Iran. A Tehran fan said after the defeat: “It’s true that we wanted to go home happy tonight. But when the team arrives in Iran, we’ll certainly give them a warm welcome.”

Others fear the players will be punished – for their silence at the national anthem ahead of the opening game against England and for losing to nemesis USA. Oppositionists attach great importance to the latter also politically. For them, another pillar of the Islamic Republic is now shaking after the headscarf requirement.

The people had made it clear that they no longer wanted the deep hostility towards the USA. According to observers, the demonstrators are sending the signal to the regime: your enemies are not our enemies.