Iran’s national football team made a powerful political statement ahead of their World Cup warm-up match against Costa Rica on Tuesday, posing with photographs of children reportedly killed in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes.
The gesture took place at a closed-door stadium in Antalya, with no spectators in attendance. However, Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, was present at the venue.
Players were joined by head coach Amir Ghalenoei, Iran Football Federation vice president Mehdi Mohammad Nabi, and team staff as they held the images during the national anthem in a show of solidarity.
On the pitch, Iran delivered a dominant performance, securing a 5-0 victory over Costa Rica.
This follows their tribute to the school girls killed in Minab during the war earlier. In their game against Nigeria, Iran stars held pink and purple bags tied with ribbons, as a symbolic tribute to the victims of the attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh school.
According to Tehran, the strike killed more than 175 people, including many children and teachers, on the first day of the joint US-Israeli offensive. The colours and presentation of the bags were meant to reflect the innocence of the young lives lost and to highlight the human cost of the conflict.
