"Are you punished for not singing the Iranian national anthem?"

In Netflix's documentary on the World Cup in Qatar, the captain of the Iranian national team was recordedHaysafiSensitive questions received at the press conference.

When the Iranian national team faced England in the group stage, the Iranian players chose to collectively refuse to sing the national anthem before the game in solidarity with the "hijab revolution" that took place in Iran in September of that year. The revolution was sparked by the mysterious death of a Kurdish woman who was arrested for violating the dress code and who died in custody. The incident ignited a wave of protests across the country, with demonstrators demanding the repeal of the mandatory hijab law.

Now that we're here, there's no reason why we shouldn't speak up for our fellow citizens.

—Haji Safi replied

On the football pitch today, we often see players in action in solidarity with social issues.

In the Premier League's first 12 matches after the restart of the 2019/20 season, the anti-racism movement sparked globally by printing "Black Lives Matter" on the back of players' shirts or players kneeling on one knee before the game, in response to the May 2020 anti-racism movement caused by George Floyd, an African American man who was crushed by police in the United States.

At the end of each year, the Premier League also partners with LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall to promote the Rainbow Laces Campaign. During the event, team captains will wear rainbow armbands, players and referees will wear rainbow laces, and the stadium facilities will also incorporate rainbow elements to promote equality and diversity through these concrete symbols.

Recently, La Liga teams can be seen publicly supporting and cheering for the flood of the century that occurred in Valencia, Spain. Many teams in La Liga appeared on the pitch before or after the match wearing or holding up the shirt with the words "Força València" emblazoned, while Real Madrid announced a donation of €1 million to support the Red Cross's relief efforts.

Football is the most popular sport in the world, and the symbolic actions of players can be amplified through social media sharing and discussion. An armband, a kneeling down, a slogan printed on a shirt are not only an expression of a player's, team's or league's position, but also a global focus and discussion on social issues, which can be an important catalyst for social change.

Whose position is being expressed behind these actions? Is it an individual player? Team? Or is it the common voice of the league?

In fact, the positions of players, teams and leagues are not always the same.

During the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, FIFA announced that players were banned from wearing the "One Love" rainbow armband, which conflicts with Qatar's beliefs and cultures, and violators will be shown yellow cards directly. The strict measures have also caused teams that had planned to wear armbands to express their concerns and doubts about Qatar's human rights issues in other ways. Not to be outdone, the German team protested against FIFA's ban with their hands over their mouths before the game, and the stadium officials were not to be outdone, as the Belgian foreign minister was caught talking to FIFA President Gianni Infantino wearing a "One Love" armband.

In addition, in this year's Premier League's "Rainbow Shoelace Campaign", Crystal Palace captain Gay chose to print "I Love Jesus" on the armband, which was considered a violation of the rules for the use of armbands. Despite this, the Premier League has not imposed further penalties on him.

This is understandable, as the football field is a microcosm of society, with members from different cultural backgrounds, values and social perspectives. When a player is "asked" to support an issue but does not genuinely agree with it, it can become a formalistic act that is not sustainable. In addition, there are complex business and political considerations between the governing body, politicians, and businesses, and in this context, the football stadium is more often presented with the interweaving and coexistence of multiple voices.

The core of sports competition lies in the dynamic game with opponents, through the adjustment of tactics and strategies, to strive for and maintain an advantage. This kind of interaction can also be seen in the advancement of social issues, both of which need to be constantly clashed and coordinated to eventually lead to consensus or change.

Because of this, the football stadium is often an outlet for social emotions and an arena for social dialogue. Take Spain's "National Derby" as an example, which is not only a competitive contest between Real Madrid and Barcelona, but also a symbol of the political game between Spanish nationalism and Catalan nationalism.

In Group B of the Qatar World Cup group stage, the United States and Iran met again after 24 years, and this game was also full of gunpowder at the pre-match press conference because of the political relationship between the two countries.

「There are endless incidents of discrimination against blacks in the United States, won't you feel embarrassed to take over the post of captain of the national team?— Iranian reporters not only questioned Adams, the captain of Team USA of African descent, about black discrimination in the United States, but also corrected his pronunciation of "Iran" to his face.

The most important thing is whether there is progress in society.

— Adams replied to an Iranian journalist

Adams, because of his multicultural background, is more receptive to foreign cultures, but at the same time he admits that it is not easy for everyone, and that it takes time, understanding and education, just like an Iranian journalist corrects his own pronunciation of "Iran"; The back-and-forth of different ideas is the way to go, and the focus is on whether each other is in the direction of progress.

Football competition is not only a contest of numbers, but also an open social dialogue. In the cheers and boos one after another, in the confrontation and resonance of different views, the social value of football is highlighted, and infinite possibilities are injected into the wider social progress.