The manager of the Iranian men’s soccer team said his players are allowed to protest while they participate at the World Cup in Qatar, as long as those protests do not break FIFA rules.
Carlos Queiroz made the comments at a press conference in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday.
According to Reuters, Queiroz said: “The players are free to protest as they would if they were from any other country as long as it conforms with the World Cup regulations and is in the spirit of the game.
"Everybody has the right to express themselves,” Queiroz continued. "You guys are used to bending your knees in the games and some people agree, some people don’t agree with that, and in Iran it’s exactly the same."
According to Reuters, Queiroz was involved in a testy exchange with a reporter from British outlet Sky during the press conference who asked: “Are you OK representing a country like Iran at this World Cup that represses the rights of women?”
The Portuguese manager responded, “How much you pay me to answer that question?… Don’t put in my mouth words that I did not say.
“I think you should start to think about what happened with the immigrants in England also. Go think about that.”
Iran is scheduled to play its first match of the tournament on Monday against England.
To read more on the Iranian team, click here.