- Iran state media has said it wants the US kicked out of the 2022 World Cup.
- The United States Soccer Federation briefly displayed an edited version of the Iranian Flag.
Iran state media called on FIFA to kick the US out of the World Cup following the United States Soccer Federation's social media activity.
In a series of tweets, Tasnim News Agency — backed by the Iranian government — wrote that the US soccer team should no longer be able to participate in the World Cup tournament for posting a "distorted image" of the country's flag.
—Tasnim News Agency (@Tasnimnews_EN) November 27, 2022
On Saturday, the United States Soccer Federation displayed the Iranian flag without the emblem of Iran in the center on its social media platforms, CNN reported. The center emblem is meant to represent Iran's Islamic Republic.
Soccer media officer Michael Kammarman told reporters Sunday the move was to indicate "support for the women in Iran fighting for basic human rights," Reuters reported.
The US State Department told CNN they had nothing to do with the move from the USSF but would continue to "find ways to support the Iranian people in the face of state-sponsored violence against women and a brutal crackdown against peaceful protestors."