National football teams of Iran and Bahrain held a match on Tuesday in the Matchday three of Group C of qualifiers for World Cup 2022 and AFC Asian Cup 2023. The match ended with a 1-0 victory for the host while Iranian players lost many chances and, as coach Marc Wilmot’s described it, were ‘punished’.

However, the match started with a controversial move by Bahraini fans and even a weirder reaction by Bahraini players on the pitch. As soon as Iran’s national anthem was played, fans started booing and making a lot of noise while Bahraini players laughed at the fan's action as a sign of approval.

Iranian football federation spokesman Amir Mahdi Alavi voiced deep regret over the issue, saying “Football Federation’s strong protest over this unmannerly behavior was filed and sent to the match supervisor and to the AFC and FIFA for further investigation.”

Also, Iran's Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs, Masoud Soltanifar said that “Bahraini fans and players’ insult to our national anthem is a gross violation of the FIFA and International Olympic Committee regulations and will follow up the case in international bodies.”