Iran’s Fans Shine in Belo Horizonte

On Saturday, the streets of Belo Horizonte were blue and white, packed with Argentina supporters. Despite the huge display of support, and the incredible skill, talent and experience of the Argentinian team, Iran gave an outstanding performance that night, showing it can compete with some of the world’s most accomplished and celebrated teams. Messi’s goal in the 90th minute was a blow, yet commentators and fans around the world applauded Iran’s performance, looking forward to the Iran-Bosnia game on Wednesday.

Iranian supporters made themselves heard in Belo Horizonte too, shouting and cheering as they made their way to the stadium. The atmosphere was friendly, and fans supporting both teams posed for photographs together.

Fans of Belo Horizonte’s local teams Cruzeiro and Atlético Mineiro were also out in force, hoping for an Iranian victory (not least because of the legendary rivalry between Argentina and Brazil), cheering loudly for the visiting team and wishing fans good luck— Atlético Mineiro fans asked Iranian tourists Sara Rezapour and Ahmad Motahari if they could have their photo taken with them.

Shahrokh Madam led one group of Iranian fans towards the stadium. A 45-years-old shopkeeper living in Brazil, Shahrokh invited all his Iranian friends to stay at his house during the World Cup. As they made their way to the stadium, they spoke about their huge excitement and hope for the match, adding that the World Cup was an amazing opportunity to show the world that Iran’s team had talent, flair and commitment.

Another Iranian fan, 32-year-old Nasim Mohammadi, painted her face green, white and red to show her support for Reza Ghoochannejhad, Alireza Haghighi and the team. A dedicated follower of the Iran team, Nassim has been a prolific tweeter throughout the World Cup, and broadcasts news about matches, the team and the coaches to her Instaradio account, Nassim. Like many fans, she hoped for a draw with Argentina.

Another fan, Shawn Ansari, talked of the importance of the Bosnia-Nigeria game, as well as his belief that Iran could beat Bosnia on June 25.

For some, the idea of hoping for just a draw was not enough. Iranian fan Vahidreza Akbari said a victory over Argentina was possible, as long as Iran kept its cool. “We have to play a good game, reaching for victory at all costs.” He said if defense stayed solid and Iranian attackers were aggressive, exploiting all openings, “ we can win this match”.

It was not to be. Brazilians who turned out in their numbers to support Iran seemed genuinely disappointed after the match. Iran simply didn’t deserve that last-minute goal by Messi, they said. Though Iran’s fans appeared desolate and sad, they held their heads high. After all, the team had done well, Iran had not made it easy for Argentina and its goalkeeper Sergio Romero had been busy defending Iran’s attack throughout the match. Argentinian fans congratulated Iran’s supporters on the team’s performance, commenting that Iran had undoubtedly created good chances throughout the match. Though they were ecstatic with the result, many admitted they were relieved more than anything else.

And now for Iran’s next challenge: Bosnia-Herzegovina. Though they lost to Argentina, the team and its fans know they did well. But now they need a victory — and a good one— to go forward.