Iranian team wears #168 pins for airstrike victims

The shuttle of the Iran World Cup team between Mexico and the United States took root Sunday in Tijuana with an accent.

The gamers arrived in Tijuana sporting gold-colored lapel pins on their jackets acknowledging victims of a missile strike on an elementary faculty that happened Feb. 28 at the outset of the conflict in their nation.

The pins merely read “#168” — replicating the hashtag of the quantity of people killed in the daytime strike in Minab in southern Iran. Most of the victims had been women attending Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School.

The Iran delegation flew on a non-public jet from Turkey to Tijuana. Mehdi Taj, president of the Iran Football Federation, said two weeks in the past that the training base can be in Mexico instead of Tucson.

FIFA has not given a motive for the change, although delays have occurred in processing U.S. visas for some Iranian gamers and other members of the delegation that allegedly have ties to the Revolutionary Guard.

Iran is making ready to play its three group-stage video games in the United States, with the first scheduled June 15 against New Zealand at SoFi Stadium (called Los Angeles Stadium during the World Cup). Its second recreation, June 21 against Belgium, is also scheduled in L.A. and the third recreation will happen June 26 in Seattle against Egypt.

It is unclear whether or not FIFA — the governing physique of the World Cup — would permit the pins to be worn by anybody on the sidelines during matches. That would come with coaches and other team personnel in addition to gamers.

FIFA took no motion in response to earlier shows of remembrance by the Iran gamers and has not commented on the legality of sporting the pins. FIFA laws state that “equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images.” The rule applies to gamers, coaches and officers on the sidelines during matches.

The Iran team twice acknowledged victims of the airstrike during the Iran national anthem before warmup matches in March. In the first, gamers held purple faculty backpacks embellished with bows. In the second, gamers held pictures of those who had died.

Before more latest warmup video games, the Iran team stood with their proper palms across their chests during the anthem. And earlier in March, some members of the Iran ladies’s soccer team remained quiet during the national anthem at an Asian Cup match, main Iranian state TV to call them “wartime traitors.”

Video footage analyzed by investigative group Bellingcat seems to show a U.S. Tomahawk missile placing the varsity, which was adjoining to a compound related with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and barracks for its naval brigade. The United States has not accepted duty for the assault, although the army is investigating.

Upon arriving in Tijuana, Iran team captain Ehsan Hajsafi criticized FIFA about the delay in acquiring visas.

“First of all, we’re very happy that the team has finally arrived, and we’re delighted about that,” Hajsafi told reporters. “Thank God, the team’s condition is very good.

“With everything that happened, visas were eventually issued. Personally, however, I do have a complaint about FIFA. Why did it take so long? As far as I understand, visas were issued only to the players and a few members of the coaching staff.”

Ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Hajsafi spoke boldly about the federal government crackdown on mass demonstrations in Iran.

“Before anything else, I would like to express my condolences to all of the bereaved families in Iran,” Hajsafi said. “They should know that we are with them, we support them and we sympathize with them. “We cannot deny the conditions — the conditions in my country are not good and the players know it also.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.