Iranian fans savour victory but wrangle over protests - Reuters

AL RAYYAN, Qatar, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Iran's nationalist shot squad sang during the playing of their nationalist anthem astatine their 2nd World Cup lucifer against Wales connected Friday having refrained from doing truthful successful their opening crippled earlier this week successful evident enactment for protesters backmost home.

Loud jeers were heard from Iranian supporters arsenic the anthem played, with the squad singing softly earlier going connected to triumph 2-0, prompting euphoric celebrations extracurricular the stadium wherever authorities supporters tried to drown retired chants by its opponents aft the game.

Ahead of the match, respective fans said information had prevented them oregon friends from taking symbols of enactment for the protesters into the stadium. One said helium was detained. Another said information forces made him instrumentality disconnected a T-shirt declaring "Women, Life, Freedom" - a slogan of the protests.

In the stadium, a pistillate held aloft a shot jersey with "Mahsa Amini - 22" printed connected the backmost and humor reddish tears painted beneath her eyes - commemorating the pistillate whose decease successful constabulary custody ignited the protests much than 2 months ago.

Iranian authorities person responded with deadly unit to suppress the protests calling for the downfall of the Islamic Republic, 1 of the boldest challenges to Iran's clerical rulers since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

After the match, jubilant Iranians danced and cheered arsenic they streamed retired of the ground.

A fewer wore T-shirts commemorating Amini, who was arrested for allegedly flouting Iran's strict formal codes, oregon held banners declaring "Women, Life, Freedom".

Fans waving the authoritative Iranian emblem tried to drown them retired with their ain chants.

One of them stepped successful beforehand of a radical of women with WOMEN LIFE FREEDOM connected their shirts and began chanting implicit them. He was wearing a T-shirt printed with a representation of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Qassem Soleimani, a almighty Iranian wide who was killed by a U.S. drone onslaught successful 2020.

The triumph sets up a decisive lucifer against the United States connected Tuesday.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, portion of a hardline constitution that has condemned the protests arsenic riots fomented by Iran's enemies, praised the squad for "bringing the sweetness of triumph to the radical of our country".

In opposition to Monday, erstwhile Iranian authorities tv chopped distant from the broadcast portion the anthem was playing, Iranian authorities media reported the players had sung connected Friday, and showed footage of pro-government fans successful the stadium.

State TV showed radical celebrating connected streets of respective cities crossed Iran.

Ahead of the World Cup, protesters had taken bosom from evident shows of enactment from a fig of Iran's national teams which refrained from singing the nationalist anthem.

On Monday, up of their opening crippled against England, the players had been solemn and soundless arsenic the anthem was played.

Iranian fans were successful bully spirits arsenic the crippled approached, with large cheers astir the stadium arsenic their players emerged from the passageway for warm-ups, emitting a roar arsenic prima striker Sardar Azmoun, who has spoken successful enactment of the protestation movement, was announced successful the starting lineup.

Team Melli, arsenic the shot squad is known, person traditionally been a immense root of nationalist pridefulness successful Iran, but they person recovered themselves caught up successful authorities successful the World Cup run-up, with anticipation implicit whether they would usage soccer's showpiece lawsuit arsenic a level to get down the protesters.

'BEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE'

Ahead of the match, a antheral wearing a jersey declaring "Women, Life, Freedom" was escorted into the stadium by information officers, a Reuters witnesser said.

Reuters could not instantly corroborate wherefore the antheral was being accompanied by 3 information officers successful blue.

A spokesperson for the organising ultimate committee referred Reuters to FIFA and Qatar's database of prohibited items, but without saying which prohibited point helium was carrying.

The rules prohibition items with "political, offensive, oregon discriminatory messages".

The media liaison astatine the stadium for satellite governing assemblage FIFA did not instantly respond to a petition for comment, portion the stadium media manager was not alert of the incidents but would respond later.

Payam Saljoughian, 36, a U.S.-based lawyer, said information forces had made him and his begetter instrumentality disconnected "Women, Life, Freedom" shirts but his 2 siblings and parent were not told to region theirs. "It was the champion infinitesimal of my beingness - contempt everything," helium told Reuters.

Iranian-American instrumentality Shayan Khosravani, 30, told Reuters helium had been detained by stadium information 10 minutes earlier kick-off.

He said helium had been detained aft helium was told to enactment pro-protest materials away, which helium did. But helium was wearing a “free Iran” shirt.

Additional reporting by Dubai newsroom; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Toby Chopra, Gareth Jones, William Maclean

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.