Iran's World Cup soccer team refused to sing the national anthem before their game to show solidarity with protesters fighting the regime back home

• Iran's World Cup team refused to sing their country's national anthem on Monday.
• Players could be seen in videos not singing as the song played before their game against England.

Iran's World Cup soccer team opted not to sing the country's national anthem ahead of their opening game against England on Monday, in what appeared to be an act of solidarity with anti-government demonstrators back home.

Violence and chaos marred life in Iran since a 22-year-old woman Mahsa Amini died after falling into a coma while in the custody of the country's morality police, as CNN reported in September.

Amini was stopped in Tehran by a patrol unit that enforces strict dress codes for women. She was reportedly taken to a police station for "re-education," as per CNN. She died days later.

There has been civil unrest throughout Iran in the weeks and months since and, according to The Guardian, it "spread across social classes, universities, the streets [and] schools."

As of November 19, there have been 378 killings — including 47 children and 27 women — as the government's security forces crack down on the protests, the non-profit Iran Human Rights reported.

The country's national men's soccer team, which is competing in the ongoing FIFA tournament in Qatar, seemingly used its opening game against England to support the demonstrations with a silent protest.

Video shows Iran's players in silence during the national anthems

Videos published to social media show the Iranian players standing stoically as the national anthem rings throughout the stadium in the background.

Iran's captain, 32-year-old Ehsan Hajsafi, told reporters ahead of Monday's contest that the team supports the protesters and expressed sympathy for the families of individuals who have been killed by police, the BBC reported.

"We have to accept that the conditions in our country are not right and our people are not happy," he said, according to the BBC.

"Before anything else, I would like to express my condolences to all of the bereaved families in Iran," he said, according to the outlet. "They should know that we are with them. We support them, and we sympathize with them."

According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, the team previously faced criticism for not speaking out ahead of their arrival in Qatar and also for meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

England beat Iran 6-2 in its match Monday.

Iran returns to the World Cup field Friday for its second group game, against Wales, before a match against the USA on November 29.