Iran Media Outlet Demands USMNT Be Expelled From World Cup

The call for expulsion comes after the U.S. showed support for Iranian protestors on official social media accounts.

An Iranian media outlet has called for the United States to be expelled from the World Cup after the U.S. men’s national team posted an image on its official social media accounts of Iran’s national flag without the emblem of the Islamic Republic.

The United States Soccer Federation said that it made the decision to edit the official flag’s appearance to show “support for the women in Iran fighting for basic human rights.”

The Iranian government accused the U.S. of “removing the name of God” from its national flag.

“By posting a distorted image of the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran on its official account, the U.S. football team breached the FIFA charter, for which a 10-game suspension is the appropriate penalty,” the state-affiliated Tasnim News Agency in Iran tweeted on Sunday. “Team USA should be kicked out of World Cup 2022.”

Demonstrations in Iran began in mid-September following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by Iran’s morality police. Since the protests began, at least 450 people have been killed and over 18,000 have been arrested, according to Human Rights Activists in Iran, an organization that has been tracking the demonstrations.

The United States faces Iran in their final match of group play in the World Cup on Tuesday.