Daily Mirror

MEDIA QUIZ IS ATTEMPT TO STEAL OUR FOCUS

- FROM DAVID McDONNELL in Doha

IRAN captain Alireza Jahanbakhs­h has hinted at a campaign to destabilis­e his side ahead of their World Cup opener against England.

Jahanbakhs­h suggested there were attempts to undermine the Iran squad’s focus after he was asked how the anti-Government protests back home had affected the players in the build-up to Qatar.

The former Brighton striker, now with Feyenoord, refused to give his personal opinion on the current turmoil in his homeland, nor whether he would celebrate if he scored against England on Monday.

Players in the Iranian league have refused to celebrate goals, bringing their hands down when they score, to convey a message of solidarity with the protests, sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman who died after being arrested for refusing to wear a hijab.

Jahanbakhs­h also refused to confirm whether Iran’s players will sing their national anthem prior to the Group B clash with England, after several refused to do so before Wednesday’s friendly against Tunisia.

But the 30-year-old, whose overhead kick against Chelsea on New Year’s Day in 2020 was voted Premier League goal of the month, suggested questions about the protests were designed to unsettle Iran.

“First of all, I’m not surprised you’re asking this question,” Jahanbakhs­h (above) said.

“I think everyone is expecting this sort of question and I assume you’re from the English media? Like everyone, we’re here for our duty and our duty is to play football.

“I’m not sure that, if England wasn’t in our group, you would have come with this question.

“We have been facing this already for a couple of weeks from all the English media.

“We have just four days to go to play one of the biggest games of our lives.

“What I’m trying to say is that we are out here to play football and that is the main thing everybody is focused on.”

Asked whether he would celebrate if he scored against England, Jahanbakhs­h said: “Celebratio­ns are something very personal, every single player has different celebratio­ns.

“You ask about the national anthem? That is also something that has to be decided in the team, but we have never made a big deal out of it, because everybody is only thinking and talking about football.”

‘Everyone expects this sort of question and I assume you’re from English media’

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