The Iran manager, Carlos Queiroz, confronted a journalist at the end of a media conference after taking umbrage at politics again dominating the discourse in the build-up to Friday’s match with Wales. In an animated exchange, Queiroz suggested his peers should face similar questions, taking the extraordinary step of asking BBC journalist Shaimaa Khalil why England manager Gareth Southgate is spared questions about the war in Afghanistan.
During the press conference, Queiroz reiterated the importance of press freedom but made it clear that he felt it was time for other managers to be asked about wider issues in the world, saying it was “strange” his rivals avoided such questions. Afterwards, he took the BBC journalist to task before being shepherded out of the room. “Why don’t you ask the other coaches?” Queiroz said. “Why don’t you ask Southgate: ‘what do you think about England and the United States that left Afghanistan and all the women alone’?”
Queiroz was unhappy that Khalil asked Iran striker Mehdi Taremi whether he had a message for those who are protesting against their government after the death of the 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody in September. Iran’s players did not sing their national anthem before their 6-2 defeat to England on Monday in apparent support for protesters. Khalil asked Taremi: “Your fans have been here cheering for you, your fans are back home cheering for you, there are also people on the street, what is your message for protesters back on the street in Iran?”
Taremi said the Iran squad were under no pressure to sing the anthem after suggestions they could face reprisals if they stay silent before kick-off against Wales on Friday and the USA on Tuesday. Taremi later added: “I cannot change anything, thousands of other people like me cannot change anything.”
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Queiroz was earlier asked whether it was “fair for the western media and their journalists to keep asking Iranian footballers political questions?” The 69-year-old replied: “They have the right, the press have the right to make the questions that they understand are the right questions. We have the right to give the right answers. It is just a matter that we respect each other. There is for us not any problem with your question, whatever it is. It is important that if we answer whatever we want, you also need to respect that … There is nothing wrong that the international press make the questions that they want. It is the freedom of the press and we have the freedom to answer.”
Queiroz, who confirmed the goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand would not feature owing to concussion protocols, said his players are desperate to focus on football. “Let them play the game,” he said. “This is what they want to do. Play for the people of Iran. Players are not the enemies of the supporters. To make them the only people that need to give you answers about human being problems all over the world, you can judge that. I don’t think it’s fair. I think it is time to ask other coaches and players about other issues in the world, and I think there are other issues in the world.”
