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Carlos Queiroz with Iran's Mehdi Taremi
Photo:
JOSE SENA GOULAO v EPA
Iran's national coach Carlos Queiroz vehemently rejected reports of alleged government threats against his team after the World Cup.
"If someone takes information from an anonymous source, that's not professional," said Queiroz.
'That's sad.
Within two hours, what was silly turned into an alleged truth.
But that's the world we live in."
The US news channel CNN had previously reported that the Iranian players and their families had been threatened with imprisonment and torture if they failed to sing the national anthem again in the second World Cup group game against Wales.
As a source, CNN named a person responsible for the security of the World Cup.
Accordingly, after refusing to sing the anthem against England, the players were called to a meeting with members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
There they were told that their families could face "violence and torture" if they did not sing the national anthem or take part in political protests against the regime.
The players sang the anthem before the second game against Wales.
“We've heard a lot of stories about threats players claim to have received.
That's a shame," said Queiroz: "What I can say is: thanks to teamwork, we have players who smiled again.
They understood who they play for, understood their mission to play for Iran."
From the outset, Iran's appearances at the World Cup were marked by the protests at home that have shaken the country since the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini after her arrest by the vice squad in mid-September.
The players had been heavily criticized by many fans at home because they didn't distance themselves, or at least didn't distance themselves clearly enough from the regime's violence against the protesters.
The silence at the national anthem against England was then perceived as too late and too little as an expression of sympathy with the protests.
Iran was eliminated from the competition on Tuesday after a 1-0 defeat by the USA.
The country has never reached the round of 16 in its World Cup history.
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