Iran’s soccer players hold schoolbags wearing black armbands in solidarity with slain girls

Iran’s men’s nationalist shot squad wore achromatic armbands and held ​schoolbags arsenic their anthem played up of a lucifer ‌in Turkey connected Friday (March 27, 2026) successful what a ​team authoritative said was a protestation ⁠over the sidesplitting of schoolgirls connected the archetypal time of the Iran war. Iran was playing a affable against ‌Nigeria successful the edifice municipality of Belek up of the World Cup successful the ‌U.S., Mexico and Canada wherever their information ‌is ⁠in uncertainty implicit the conflict.

The men lined ⁠up holding pinkish and purple bags with ribbons connected them - a notation to the onslaught connected the Shajareh Tayyebeh School ​which Tehran says killed ‌more than 175 radical including children and teachers connected the archetypal time of associated U.S.-Israeli strikes.

“The players are holding the schoolhouse bags adjacent ‌to their bosom successful remembrance of the 165 ​girls the Americans killed successful an Iranian school,” a media authoritative for the ⁠Iranian squad told Reuters. U.S. subject investigators judge it is apt that U.S. forces were liable but ‌have not yet reached a last decision oregon completed their investigation.

U.S. President ‌Donald Trump said earlier this period that portion Iran’s nationalist ​team were invited to play successful the U.S., it mightiness not beryllium due for ⁠their “life and safety.”

Iran’s shot federation said it is successful ⁠discussions with soccer’s satellite governing assemblage FIFA astir moving its World Cup matches to ‌Mexico from the U.S.

The squad volition besides play Costa Rica connected Tuesday (March 31, 2026) successful different affable ​in Turkey.