The players of the Iranian national football team arrived at the base camp for the World Cup with a brooch that pays tribute to the victims of a bombing carried out by the United States against a school in southern Iran, during the clashes in the Middle East.
The accessory appeared attached to the jackets of the athletes and other members of the Iranian delegation when they disembarked at the airport in Tijuana, Mexico, the city that will serve as the team’s gathering place during the tournament.
The number “#168” stamped on the brooch refers to the number of people killed in the attack on the school in Minab. Most of the victims were children, according to reports about the incident.
The Iranian team will compete in the three group stage matches on North American soil, with dates between June 15th and 26th. Two matches are scheduled for Los Angeles and one for Seattle. According to the Trump administration, members of the Iranian delegation are allowed to enter the United States up to 36 hours before each game.
Surveys by the American press indicated that the US Army took responsibility for the bombing of the school. The error would have occurred because of mistaken intelligence information, which pointed to a military base at the location. The case increased pressure on President Trump and led the Iranian government to file genocide charges with the UN.
The war between the United States and Iran in the Middle East is still ongoing, but there has been a ceasefire since the beginning of April. Even with delicate diplomatic relations, new frictions arose on the eve of the World Cup. Iran’s football federation accused the US of canceling, at the last minute, tickets intended for Iranian fans for the tournament. The White House chose not to comment on the complaint.