Iran football fans chant in solidarity with victims of Abadan building collapse

Iran football fans chant in solidarity with victims of Abadan building collapse
Football fans at Tehran's Azadi Stadium chanted slogans in support of protesters and victims of a building collapse in Abadan which killed 34 people last week.
2 min read
31 May, 2022
Thousands of football fans in Tehran showed their support for the victims of a building collapse in Abadan [Getty]

Thousands of football fans in the capital Tehran chanted slogans in support of victims of a building collapse and protesters in the southwestern city of , Iran International reported

The fans were gathered at Azadi Stadium for an Iranian Pro League match between Esteghlal FC and Naft Masjed Soleyman FC on Monday. 

A section of the crowd chanted "Abadan" in solidarity with the people of that city, where a building collapsed last Monday killing at least 34 people.

People in the city have been holding daily protests against the government ever since. 

"In the stadium, and in the celebrations after, many Esteghlalis have chanted slogans in support of the people of Abadan who went through a terrible catastrophe and who have come out in street protests since," Arash Azizi, an Iranian historian and Esteghlal fan told .

"Some fans also chanted outright anti-government slogans. [Esteghlal's] captain, Voria Ghafouri, who is well-known as a critic of the regime, said that he couldn't celebrate the win given the catastrophe at Abadan," Azizi added. 

A few days earlier, tens of thousands of Iranians had gathered at the same stadium to sing religious songs and show support for Iran's government and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's supreme leader.

Authorities blame the collapse of the building on individual corruption and lax safety. Iranian protesters, however, have accused the government of negligence and systematic corruption.

Multiple unverified videos have emerged on Twitter of fans chanting "Reza Shah, Bless Your Soul!", a popular anti-government slogan that refers to the Shah of Iran whose dynasty was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. 

Iranians have been protesting against high food prices and economic problems over the past several weeks.

Some people in the videos circulating on social media have chanted  "D" in reference to the supreme leader.