Iranian-Americans urge FIFA to ban Iran from World Cup over rights abuses

Many Iranian-Americans feel shame, not pride, regarding the Iranian national soccer team's participation in the World Cup. They are demanding FIFA expel the country from the tournament, arguing its presence is a guise for the government's human rights abuses. Protesters gathered in front of Los Angeles City Hall on Wednesday, highlighting what they describe as the regime's "execution and suffering" of dissidents since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

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Bringing them here and having them play basically presents a calm face to the world, when in fact back home there is no calmness, there's only execution and suffering that the regime has brought.

Demonstrators displayed photographs of dozens of Iranian athletes they claim died in government custody. Speakers, including former national team players, mourned athletes who they say opposed the government and were subsequently detained. Asghar Adibi, a former player, told the crowd that the team is controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an organization he described as responsible for killing and torturing people.

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This is the ayatollahs' team.

Views among protesters varied on whether the current Iranian players should be considered complicit. Some, like 21-year-old Ryan Salami, expressed sympathy for players who may feel compelled to remain silent to avoid the fate of others. However, others asserted that the IRGC would only select loyalists, making the players little better than collaborators. Peymaneh Shafi, who became an opponent of the Iranian government after her teacher was shot, stated, "They are all attached to the regime in some way." She pointed to photos of persecuted athletes, calling them "the real athletes."

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They are all attached to the regime in some way.