Authorities have closed a restaurant in uptown Tehran for Instagram posts supporting England against Iran at the World Cup.
The Mizan News Agency reported that the unnamed restaurant had posted “unpatriotic content in support of England and wished for the defeat of our national team”.
England beat Iran 6-2 in its opening game at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, handing Team Melli its biggest ever defeat in the competition.
The team has been under scrutiny for weeks for not publicly supporting anti-government protests in Iran. Before the game, many users on social media had denounced the team, with some saying they would not even watch the games, and others saying they hoped Iran’s opponents would win.
The team notably chose not to sing the national anthem in what was seen as a show of defiance. However, anyone watching on Iranian state TV will not have noticed, as the channel cut to a wide shot at that moment – a common move for Iranian broadcasters.
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