U.S. Soccer briefly alters Iranian flag in show of support for protesters
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The U.S. Soccer Federation in a post on social media over the weekend temporarily displayed the Iranian flag without the emblem of the Islamic Republic, AP reports.
Driving the news: USSF said that the edited photo of the flag was intended to show "support for the women in Iran fighting for basic human rights," per AP.
- "We wanted to show our support for the women in Iran with our graphic for 24 hours," the federation said, per AP.
- The state-affiliated Tasnim News Agency wrote that the move by USSF "disrespected the national flag of Islamic Republic of Iran."
The big picture: The flag was posted on the U.S. men's soccer team's Twitter account in a post showing the team's matches in the group stage of the World Cup.
- The flag showing only showing its green, white and red colors was also shown in posts on the team's Facebook and Instagram showing the points in Group B, per AP.
- The social media posts, which have since been deleted or restored with the official Iranian flag, come days before the U.S. is set to play Iran in the final game of the World Cup's group play.
State of play: Protests in Iran began in September in response to the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini while in custody.
- The Iranian government has cracked down on the protests and more than 300 people have been killed in the demonstrations, including dozens of children, according to the U.N.
Go deeper... Iran protests continue despite warning from Revolutionary Guard
Editor's note: The photo with this story has been changed.
