Iranian footballers carry schoolbags to show solidarity with the slain girls

Iran’s men’s national football team wore black armbands and held schoolbags during the playing of their anthem before a match in Turkey on Friday, in what a team official described as a protest over the killing of schoolgirls on the first day of the Iran war.

The team was playing a friendly against Nigeria in the resort town of Belek as part of preparations for the upcoming World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada—where their participation remains uncertain بسبب the ongoing conflict.

Players stood in line holding pink and purple schoolbags decorated with ribbons, symbolising the reported attack on Shajareh Tayyebeh School, which Tehran says left more than 175 people dead, including children and teachers, on the first day of joint US-Israeli strikes.

“The players are holding the schoolbags close to their hearts in memory of the 165 girls killed by Americans at an Iranian school,” a team media official told Reuters.

US military investigators have indicated that American forces were likely responsible, though a final conclusion has not yet been reached and the investigation remains ongoing.

Earlier this month, some members of Iran’s women’s football team remained silent during the national anthem at an Asian Cup match, prompting state television in Tehran to label them “traitors.”

US President Donald Trump also said recently that while Iran’s national team would be allowed to play in the United States, concerns over their “life and safety” might make it inappropriate.

Iran’s football federation has since been in talks with FIFA about potentially relocating its World Cup matches from the US to Mexico.

The team is also scheduled to face Costa Rica in another friendly match in Turkey on Tuesday.