The U.S. and Iran met at the 1998 World Cup in France in a hyped-up match brimming with political and competitive importance. The nations back then derisively referred to each other as “The Great Satan” and an “outlaw state.”
for flags or shirts seen as protests of Iran’s government. There also has been tension in the stands between Iranian government supporters and opponents, with some opponents waving the pre-revolutionary flag.On the field, Iran came into the 1998 match playing with house money. The Iranians were the last of the 32 teams to qualify and were competing in their first World Cup since 1978.
“Young women were seen brazenly pulling off their black scarves, dancing with men and in some cases drinking alcohol in defiance of Islamic law,”. “This street party went on for hours — and the authorities did not try to stop any of it. To do so would have been unpatriotic.” As the World Cup approached, Iran might have inadvertently lowered tensions by naming a California resident, Jalal Talebi, its coach just before the tournament. Talebi, who got the job May 21, had been born in Tehran but left his native country in 1980 following the Islamic revolution, in search of opportunities to coach soccer when the sport was abandoned in Iran. By the time of the World Cup matchup with the United States, he had been living in the Bay Area for 17 years.
Some of his players expressed a similar sentiment. But others said they were motivated by the political rivalry between the nations. “We will not lose the game,” vowed Iranian forward Khodadad Azizi, according to the Times. Blaming the United States for the Iran-Iraq war, he said: “Many families of martyrs are expecting us to win. We will win for their sake.”“I hope they’re playing for the history and all that sort of stuff because that just adds to the pressure on them,” Alexi Lalas, a defender on that U.S. team, said before the match.
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