Report: Iran threatened families of national team players with 'imprisonment & torture'

The side had refused to sing the national anthem in protest against the regime before their match against England at FIFA World Cup 2022.

According to a report, the Iranian government has threatened the players in the Iran national football team, who are currently competing in the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The Iranian government has allegedly threatened the players on its national football team who are now competing in the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup. According to a report from CNN, "the authorities of their own country threatened to torture and imprison the families of the football players at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar ahead of their match against the United States.

”The government will reportedly take action if the players fail to adhere to pre-match rules. Iranian security officers are monitoring the players in Qatar," said the report.

Iran players had refused to sing the country's national anthem before the start of their match against England on November 21, prompting the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRCG) to call a meeting with all 26 players.

The report adds that players were told that their families would face "violence and torture" if they remained silent during pre-match rituals and if they joined any political protests against the Islamic Republic's regime. Iran also allegedly has a "large number" of security personnel watching the players while they are in Qatar.

Carlos Queiroz, Iran's head coach, met with members of the IRGC despite the dangers. However, it is not clear precisely what the meeting was about.

After the reported murder of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman, on September 16, 2022, by The Guidance Patrol, the Iranian government's religious morality police, for not donning the headscarf in conformity with government norms, Iran was under shock by ferocious riots. Numerous protests are going on nationwide in response to Amini's passing.