Iran Fans Defy FIFA Ban With Pre-Revolution Flags and Boos at Anthem in Los Angeles

The political controversy around Iran’s national team spilled into the stands late Monday into Tuesday at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles during Iran’s World Cup opener against New Zealand. Dozens of fans displayed Shah-era flags, the pre-revolution banner with the lion and sun, despite a FIFA ban that had been upheld hours earlier in an emergency Los Angeles court hearing. FIFA argued the flags were political symbols that could trigger disorder.

Even after the ruling, several such flags were clearly visible in the crowd, and some supporters waved them while the Islamic Republic’s flag was laid out on the pitch as part of match ceremonies. Before kickoff, Iran’s anthem was met with loud boos from parts of the stadium, alongside cheering from other sections.

Many members of Los Angeles’s large Iranian community attended, including opponents of the Tehran government. Security guards reportedly stopped some fans from entering with shirts bearing the Shah-era flag, though others managed to bring flags into the stadium. One fan said the flag was, for him, “the real flag of the country,” while a teenager with him said it symbolized “freedom.”

There were also confiscations of signs reading “MINAB168,” a reference to 168 children killed at a school in southern Iran at the start of the military confrontation between the United States and Iran. Fans carrying those signs said they were not given an explanation. Despite the political tension, large sections of the Iranian crowd supported the team, and Iran’s equalizer was celebrated loudly by supporters on both sides of the divide. Israeli flags were also seen in the stands, including one combined with Palestinian and Iranian flags, and another special flag combining Israel, Iran and the United States.