Reza Pahlavi Calls Sports a Platform for Iranians’ Narrative
With the end of Iran’s Islamic Republic team’s participation in World Cup competitions, the debate over sport’s role in reflecting Iran’s political and social developments has once again become the focus of international media attention. In this context, Reza Pahlavi issued a message thanking Iranians who, during the competitions, brought voices of protest, memories of the fallen, and symbols of Iranian national identity to the world stage, describing this event as far more than a sporting competition—a message that continues to reflect his positions on the connection between national identity, freedom-seeking, and people’s diplomacy.
In recent years, international football competitions have not been merely a sporting event for Iran, but have become a venue for reflecting political and social divisions. International media have repeatedly reported that coinciding with Iran’s national team’s participation in global competitions, public attention has also increased to human rights conditions, domestic protests, and reactions from Iranians outside the country.
In such circumstances, Reza Pahlavi issued a message addressing Iranians, thanking those who made efforts in stadiums, streets, media, and cyberspace to bring the voice of the Iranian people to the world. In this message, he wrote:
“With the end of the Islamic Republic team’s participation in the World Cup, what will remain memorable from this event for us Iranians is the presence of fellow countrymen who transformed the World Cup stage into an opportunity to honor the memory of the immortal martyrs of our homeland, to display the national flag of the Lion and Sun of Iran, and to bring the voice of our nation to the world.
I am grateful to all of you who, with unity, dignity, and national pride, both inside and outside stadiums, in streets, media, and cyberspace, kept the name of Iran and the memory of the fallen children of our land alive.
You have once again demonstrated that Iran is not the Islamic Republic; and the real team of Iran is the Iranian people who have stood and sacrificed for the freedom and reclamation of their country.
I believe that in the not-too-distant future, athletes in harmony with and alongside the Iranian people will represent our sports teams in global competitions under the national flag of Iran and will bring honor to our country.
Until then, we remain duty-bound to seize every opportunity, including in the continuation of the World Cup competitions, to bring the voice of the Iranian nation to the world—especially in days when the Islamic Republic prepares itself for falsehoods and propaganda displays regarding the burial of the greatest criminal, Ali Khamenei, and continues to attempt to conceal the truth.”
This position was issued at a time when many Western media outlets have also reported that football competitions have become, for sections of Iranian society and Iranians outside the country, a venue for expressing national identity and political protest. Reports of pre-revolutionary symbols, protest slogans, and extensive activity by Iranian users on social networks show that the World Cup was not only followed on the field of play, but had also become a stage for different narratives about Iran’s future.
In Reza Pahlavi’s message, the main emphasis is on the role of the people in presenting a different image of Iran to global public opinion—an image that, in his view, is distinct from the political structure of the Islamic Republic and is based on historical identity, national solidarity, and the demand for freedom. This perspective also aligns with his previous positions, in which he has repeatedly stressed the separation between the “Iranian nation” and the “Islamic Republic government” and support for a peaceful transition to a government based on the people’s will.
From a media perspective, this message can be seen as an effort to maintain global public attention to developments in Iran following the end of sporting competitions—an emphasis that the end of a tournament does not mean the end of popular demands or a reduction in the importance of Iran’s narrative on the international stage. For this reason, sport remains, alongside digital media and civil activities, one of the venues through which the voice of Iranians can cross borders and engage global audiences with Iran’s issues.
