Carlos Queiroz, coach of Iran's men's soccer team, says players can protest at the World Cup by complying with FIFA regulations

The gesture of an Iranian soccer player in the face of the protests in his country 0:55

(CNN) --

The coach of Iran's men's soccer team has said his players are allowed to protest during their participation in the World Cup in Qatar, as long as such protests do not violate FIFA rules.

Carlos Queiroz made these comments at a press conference in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday.

"The players are free to protest as they would if they were from any other country, as long as it complies with the World Cup regulations and is within the spirit of the game," Queiroz said, according to Reuters reports.

"Everyone has the right to express themselves," Queiroz continued.

"You are used to kneeling at matches and some agree, others don't, and in Iran it's exactly the same."

• Prominent Iranian actress posts hijab-free photo in support of anti-government protests

According to Reuters, Queiroz was involved in an irritating exchange with a reporter from the British channel Sky during the press conference, who asked him: "Is it okay to represent a country like Iran in this World Cup that represses women's rights? ".

The Portuguese coach replied: "How much do you pay me to answer that question?...Don't put words I haven't said in my mouth."

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"I think you should start thinking about what happened to immigrants in England too. Go think about that."

Iran has been rocked by anti-regime protests since September, in the largest dissent demonstration in recent years, sparked by outrage over the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman who had been detained by police. of morality for supposedly not wearing the hijab correctly.

• Why are there protests in Iran?

  What happened to Mahsa Amini?

Since then, Iranian authorities have unleashed a brutal crackdown on protesters, charging at least 1,000 people in Tehran province for their alleged involvement.

Security forces have killed at least 326 people since the protests began two months ago, according to the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights.

Queiroz called up his star player, Sardar Azmoun, for the next World Cup, despite his public comments in support of the anti-government protests.

Azmoun posted several times on social media in support of the women-led protests.

Iranwire, an opposition media outlet, reported that Queiroz had come under pressure from Iran's sports ministry to leave Azmoun out of the Qatari squad.

Iran begins its participation in the World Cup on Monday against England.

The country is aiming to qualify for the round of 16 of the tournament for the first time in its history.

Iran World Cup Qatar World Cup