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He is expected to look outside the Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles, where Iran will open the World Cup against New Zealand in less than an hour.
Soccer fans file into the fan zone in Inglewood, Calif., ahead of what is expected to be an exciting and exciting game.
But first, they have to make their way through a large crowd of protesters chanting “down with the terrorists of the Islamic Republic” as they are surrounded by tight security and a police presence.
Down the street, police closed the road to a designated protest area, where hundreds gathered before and during the game.
This is no ordinary game. It is the first time that the Iranian team has played on US soil against the backdrop of an ongoing war. In fact, this is first of all in the history of the World Cup that the host country has been fighting against the qualifying nation.
It also happened in a city of over 230,000 Iranians, according to the Pew Research Center – is considered to be the highest in the world outside of Iran.
He is wearing a t-shirt with a lion and the sun – a symbol depicted on the pre-revolutionary Iranian flag that now represents resistance to Islamic rule – Fattaneh Hakim he helps organize the protest.
For Hakimi and other protesters, it is difficult to separate the Iranian national team from the country. He said their message is simple.
“We want to show the world what we want: we want freedom for Iran. We don’t want the Islamic Republic of Iran to live in Iran again,” said Hakimi, who came to the US with her son as Iranian refugees in 2001.
He bought last-minute tickets for tonight’s game in the hope he could wear his T-shirt inside, despite FIFA’s plans to continue banning the flag and its associated clothing from World Cup stadiums, saying the symbol violates its code of conduct.
“This is what we want to show the world. This is the Iranian Persian flag.”
Conflicting emotions during the war
Ali Razian flew in from Toronto last night to watch the game with his sister and nephew, who flew in from San Diego. He’s lived in Canada for 25 years, and couldn’t resist a trip to Los Angeles to attend a game.
He’s here cheering on Team Melli – “national team” in Farsi – but there’s no sign of that. He is not wearing a jersey, not even the team colors.
“I didn’t bring anything because I’m afraid I won’t be able to put it inside,” he said.
Despite answering more questions than expected, Razian said he had no problem crossing the border into the US. But that was not the case for everyone. Some of his military friends were turned away at the border and could not enter the game, he said.
It’s part of why he has mixed feelings about watching his country enter the world stage tonight. His parents, brothers and sisters also still live in Iran, he said, and the cost of living there has increased.
“We hope Iran will win the game, but we are worried about the Iranian people.”
As he entered the arena today, Razian said he would be thinking of his family, and that he hoped the US and Iran would sign their agreement to end the war.
A forum for speaking
Before entering the fan zone, Aaron Macedo, 32, watched the protests with a group of friends.
He is an aspiring player living in Los Angeles who won tickets in the FIFA World Cup ticket lottery. He calls himself “neutral” – he’s not Iranian, and he’s not rooting for any team playing tonight, and instead he’s here for the game and the energy.
But since he wants to focus on sports, Macedo said he cannot ignore politics in this game.
“What about force now, right?”
Macedo said that he sees the World Cup as a platform for people from all countries who have qualified to prove themselves.
“Everyone has the right to their opinion, and this is a place for them to be able to share and give their opinions, whether it’s one side or the other.”
The match will start at 6 pm local time.
