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Brazil distances itself from Iran statement
By Cameron Atfield
Brazil has distanced itself from messaging in support of Iran’s protest movement, which was emblazoned on its charter plane that touched down in Brisbane for the FIFA Women’s World Cup earlier this week.
FIFA has clamped down on on-field player protests, but the Brazilian team earned plaudits for its apparent stance on its arrival for the World Cup.
Emblazoned across the plane’s fuselage were three slogans: “No woman should be forced to cover her head”; “No woman should be killed for not covering her head”; and “No man should be hanged for saying this”.
On one side of the tail was a photo of Mahsa Amini, the woman whose death sparked months of protests across Iran. On the other side was Amir Nasr Azadani, an Iranian footballer jailed for 26 years for taking part in those protests.
But a spokeswoman for the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said the team had nothing to do with the statement.
“CBF chartered the private plane, whose messages are the responsibility of the aircraft owner,” she said.
“It was not an institutional message.”
An image of Mahsa Amini, who was killed last September after she was arrested by Iran’s morality police for not wearing a hijab, on the tail of the jet.
Amini was killed last September after she was arrested by Iran’s morality police for her failure to wear a hijab.
Her death sparked months of protests which, according various human rights groups, have resulted in more than 460 civilian deaths at the hands of security forces.
Many more have been jailed or executed for their part in the protests.
Iran’s crackdown on uncovered women has shown no sign of ending, with cameras recently installed in public places to identify “offenders”.
About 60 players and officials were on the cross-Pacific flight, which departed Brasilia with a brief refuelling stop in Tahiti.
The team will train at the Moreton Bay Central Sports Complex and stay nearby at North Lakes.
Brazil will play at least three matches during the World Cup, against Panama in Adelaide (July 24), France in Brisbane (July 29) and Jamaica in Melbourne (August 2).
The Iranian team did not qualify for this World Cup.