FIFA is banning the Lion and Sun flag of Iran from World Cup stadiums during the 2026 tournament, according to reports from the New York Post, Iran International, and other media outlets. This is an outrage that should outrage every single person who believes in freedom, cultural identity, and basic human dignity.
00:00:00.000I want to talk about something that should outrage every single person who believes in freedom of speech, cultural identity, and basic human dignity.
00:00:11.020Because according to multiple reports, including the New York Post and coverage from Iran International,
00:00:18.300FIFA is banning the historic Lion and Son flag of Iran from stadiums during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
00:00:28.040Think about how insane that is for a second.
00:00:32.200The lion and sun flag is not some extremist symbol.
00:00:53.000It's a flag that existed long before the Islamic regime invaded Iran. And it's a flag that will
00:01:00.120exist long after the Islamic regime occupying Iran is eradicated and sent to the ash heap of history.
00:01:08.760The Lion and Sun flag is a flag that's connected to thousands of years of Iranian civilization and
00:01:15.400identity and fifa an organization that constantly lectures the world about diversity and inclusion
00:01:22.920and representation while fifa is apparently prepared to tell millions of iranians in the
00:01:29.000diaspora that our identity is not welcome inside world cup stadiums meanwhile the flag of the
00:01:37.960islamic regime occupying iran a regime that's responsible for terrorism for executions for0.73
00:01:44.440the oppression of women, the suppression of minorities, hostage taking, and the killing0.97
00:01:50.120of innocent unarmed Iranian protesters is apparently acceptable. Shame on FIFA.
00:01:58.280And this is the contradiction that I want to discuss today. Because this is bigger than just
00:02:04.120soccer. This is bigger than sports. This is about who gets to define the Iranian identity
00:02:12.120on the world stage. And honestly, this decision perfectly exposes the hypocrisy1.00
00:02:19.400of modern international institutions. I'm Goldie Gamari and you're watching The Goldie Show.
00:02:26.440Let's start with the basics. For people who are not Iranian or who are unfamiliar with Iranian
00:02:42.540history, the lion and sun symbol is one of the oldest and most recognized symbols associated
00:02:49.720with Iran. The Lion and Sun emblem has existed for centuries. The Lion and Sun symbol has existed
00:02:58.800long before the Islamic regime occupied Iran in 1979. It has existed long before the Ayatollahs,
00:03:08.560long before the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and in fact, long before the invention of Islam.
00:03:15.180For millions of Iranians around the world, the lion and sun flag represents Iranian civilization and identity, historical continuity, secular nationalism, and opposition to the Islamic regime that's occupying Iran.
00:03:32.720And that matters, especially after all of the movements that we have had over the years, and especially after the massacre of over 40,000 innocent unarmed Iranians on January 8 and 9, when during the Lion and Son Revolution, Iranians went out into the streets, waving this flag and chanting, Javid Shah.
00:04:00.500Over the last several years, the Lion and Sun flag has increasingly become a symbol used by anti-regime and pro-freedom Iranians around the world, including in occupied Iran.
00:04:16.120And you've seen it in protests in Toronto, in Los Angeles, London, Berlin, Paris, even in protests in occupied Iran.
00:04:27.680Millions of Iranians who fled the Islamic regime carry this flag because we do not recognize the regime as representing Iran.
00:04:37.040In fact, the Islamic regime is anti-Iranian.0.68
00:04:41.600And that distinction is critical because the Islamic Republic is not Iran.0.71
00:04:52.420The government is not the civilization.
00:04:55.080But FIFA seems incapable of understanding that distinction.
00:04:59.800Or worse, maybe they understand it perfectly and simply don't care.
00:05:05.040Now let's talk about what reportedly happened.
00:05:09.100According to reporting from the New York Post and other outlets, FIFA is expected to prohibit fans from bringing the Lion and Son flag or related apparel into World Cup stadiums.
00:05:21.080And according to reports from Iran International, officials connected to the Islamic Republic of Iran's football federation have demanded that only the terrorist flag of the Islamic regime be permitted at matches involving Iran.
00:05:38.080Iran. Think about the implications of that. A regime that brutally crushed protesters in 2022.
00:05:47.440A regime that slaughtered over 40,000 innocent unarmed Iranians in January 2026. A regime
00:05:55.840accused of executing dissidents. A regime that has jailed journalists, tortured activists,
00:06:02.560and killed women for refusing mandatory hijab laws that regime that same terrorist islamic regime0.88
00:06:12.240is now apparently influencing what iranian fans are allowed to display at the world cup which by
00:06:20.240the way is being held in the united states and that should terrify everyone because what this0.82
00:06:28.800means in practice is simple the islamic regime occupying iran is attempting to erase iranian0.84
00:06:37.440dissidents from the global stage and fifa appears willing to help them do it this is where the0.76
00:06:44.720hypocrisy becomes impossible to ignore because fifa constantly claims that football is for everyone
00:06:52.800they talk endlessly about inclusion and representation and human rights and diversity
00:06:58.800Really? Because I remember FIFA allowing all kinds of political symbolism in recent years.
00:07:07.380I remember entire campaigns around social causes. I remember symbolic gestures,
00:07:14.040armbands, statements, kneeling, political messaging. But suddenly, when Iranian dissidents0.98
00:07:21.600want to wave our historic national flag, FIFA all of a sudden discovers the importance of neutrality?
00:07:28.800Are you kidding me? Give me a break. This is selective neutrality. And selective neutrality
00:07:37.520is not neutrality at all. It is political bias disguised as policy. And let's also remember
00:07:45.400something else. FIFA already faced massive backlash during the 2022 FIFA World Cup over
00:07:53.020issues involving freedom of expression. We remember the controversy surrounding the
00:07:59.700One Love armbands and FIFA threatening sanctions against players. At the time, FIFA claimed it
00:08:07.180wanted to avoid political controversy. But now we're seeing the same pattern again. Only this
00:08:14.640time, the victims are the Iranian people fighting for freedom and democracy against a brutal and0.88
00:08:22.320terrorist Islamic dictatorship. And here's what makes this especially outrageous. The lion and
00:08:29.580sun flag is not a fringe symbol among the Iranian people. It is mainstream. You see it at rallies,
00:08:38.260at concerts, at political events, at community gatherings. You see it at human rights protests.
00:08:44.300you see it at sports events you also see it inside of occupied iran the lion and sun flag is carried
00:08:54.220by all iranians regardless of political affiliation it's carried by monarchists by republicans by
00:09:01.340secular democrats liberals conservatives leftists centrists all kinds of anti-regime iranians why
00:09:09.660Because for many Iranians, it represents Iran before the Islamic regime hijacked our country in 1979.
00:09:19.980And I want people to really think about the symbolism here.
00:09:24.380Imagine telling Cubans they cannot wave the Cuban flag used before Castro.
00:09:29.660Imagine telling Russians opposed to Putin they cannot display anti-Soviet Russian symbols.
00:09:36.000Imagine telling Venezuelan dissidents they cannot display opposition imagery.
00:09:41.920That would be immediately recognized as political suppression.0.99
00:09:46.800So why is it acceptable when it happens to Iranians? Why are the Iranian people always1.00
00:09:53.600expected to silence ourselves for the comfort of authoritarian regimes? And let's be honest0.99
00:09:59.600about something else this is not really about fan safety it's not about avoiding conflict and it's
00:10:06.560not about neutrality this is about pressure political pressure because the islamic republic
00:10:16.080understands something very important the lion and sun flag is powerful it represents a competing
00:10:25.280vision of Iran, a secular Iran, a historical Iran, a non-Islamist Iran, a free Iran. And that
00:10:36.940scares the Islamic regime. Why do you think the terrorist Islamic regime occupying Iran0.93
00:10:44.640hates the lion and sun flag so much? It's because symbols matter. Flags matter. Identity
00:10:52.300matters. And the regime knows that when millions of people around the world see Iranian fans waving0.91
00:10:59.360the lion and sun flag, it weakens the Islamic regime's monopoly over representing Iran
00:11:06.160internationally. That is why they obsess over it. And by the way, this controversy is happening0.99
00:11:13.620during an already explosive geopolitical moment. Iran's participation in the 2026 World Cup has
00:11:22.140already become controversial because of tensions involving the United States, Israel, and the
00:11:28.160Islamic Republic occupying Iran. There have already been protests calling on FIFA to ban the Islamic
00:11:35.300regime entirely from the tournament because critics argue, and I agree with them by the way,0.97
00:11:40.920that the national soccer team of Iran represents the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It does not
00:11:48.440represent the Iranian people. Islamic regime officials reportedly demanded restrictions
00:11:55.020on opposition symbols and even pride flags during matches. So this is not happening in isolation.
00:12:03.000This is part of a larger effort by the Islamic regime occupying Iran to control the narrative0.62
00:12:09.980surrounding Iran at the World Cup. Now I want to address another important issue because some
00:12:16.960people will say, well, FIFA bans political symbols. Okay, then explain this. How is the lion and sun
00:12:26.140flag political, but the flag of the terrorist Islamic Republic occupying Iran is not political?
00:12:34.260Seriously, the Islamic Republic flag itself is ideological. It literally emerged from the 1979
00:12:42.280Islamic coup d'etat of Iran. The current emblem on the Islamic regime garbage terrorist flag0.99
00:12:50.000was created specifically to symbolize the Islamic Republic. The wording and the lettering is all in0.79
00:12:58.140Arabic. It says Allah Akbar, which is Arabic, and the emblem in the middle says Allah, which is again
00:13:04.660Arabic. By the way, we Iranians, we don't speak Arabic. We speak Persian. So the Islamic Republic
00:13:12.980flag is not actually the flag of Iran. It's the flag of the foreign occupying invaders, similar
00:13:19.560to how the flag of Nazi Germany is not the flag of Germany. The flag of Nazi Germany was the flag0.65
00:13:27.800of the occupiers. So if FIFA was truly neutral, you could argue both flags are political. But
00:13:36.280instead, FIFA is effectively choosing one side. The side of the ruling Islamic regime. The side0.74
00:13:45.220of the totalitarian dictatorship. The side of the terrorists. That's the side that FIFA is choosing
00:13:51.940and that is not neutrality. That is endorsement of a totalitarian Islamic dictatorship through0.99
00:13:59.780selective enforcement. And one of the things that frustrates us Iranians the most is the complete0.78
00:14:06.940erasure of our history and the attempt by the Islamic regime occupying Iran to erase and
00:14:14.360eradicate our Iranian identity, culture, and heritage. Because Iran did not begin in 1979.
00:14:24.120The Iranian civilization is thousands of years old. We existed for thousands of years before
00:14:31.880Islam was invented, and the lion and sun symbol predates the Islamic Republic occupying Iran
00:14:38.920by thousands of years. It is tied to Iranian history, Iranian monarchy, Iranian art,
00:14:46.720Iranian culture, and most importantly, the Iranian identity. Yet somehow, FIFA wants the world to
00:14:54.380pretend that the only legitimate symbol of occupied Iran is a symbol created by a revolutionary
00:15:01.360Islamist dictatorship less than 50 years ago. That is historical erasure. And there's another0.60
00:15:10.980layer here people should pay attention to. This World Cup is taking place in North America.
00:15:19.320The United States and Canada both have enormous Iranian diaspora populations, especially in
00:15:26.660cities like Los Angeles, Vancouver, and Toronto. Many of these people fled persecution. Many of
00:15:35.360us have lost family members. Many of us have escaped political repression. And now FIFA has
00:15:42.180the audacity to tell us that the symbol representing the country of Iran that we love so much is not
00:15:50.680allowed inside their stadiums that is deeply insulting and here's what i think fifa fundamentally
00:15:59.240misunderstands the lion and sun flag is not merely nostalgia for many of us in fact for the vast
00:16:07.960majority of us the lion and sun flag represents hope hope for a future iran that is secular
00:16:15.800democratic and free from authoritarian islamic rule that is why younger generations of iranians
00:16:24.680have increasingly embraced it during protests both inside and outside of occupied iran it has0.68
00:16:31.640become a symbol of resistance against the islamic regime and maybe that is exactly why the regime
00:16:38.360wants it banned because authoritarian systems fear alternative symbols of legitimacy i also
00:16:46.280think fifa is underestimating the backlash that this decision will create because once people
00:16:53.160begin asking questions the optics become terrible imagine the headlines historic iranian flag banned
00:17:01.960while Islamic regime flag allowed. That sounds awful because it is awful. And it creates a0.50
00:17:09.280perception, whether FIFA likes it or not, that international institutions are bending to
00:17:14.900authoritarian Islamic dictatorships. There's also a larger issue here about the role of sports
00:17:21.520organizations in global politics. FIFA always claims it is apolitical. But FIFA is actually
00:17:29.300one of the most political organizations in the world. Every hosting decision is political.
00:17:36.840Every sponsorship decision is political. Every enforcement decision is political. And when FIFA
00:17:43.900selectively bans symbols associated with dissidents while accommodating authoritarian
00:17:49.360dictatorships, we notice. What's especially interesting is that even some legal and sports
00:17:56.880commentators have questioned whether FIFA even has the authority to enforce this kind of ban
00:18:02.460on fans in the way reports suggest. That debate itself tells you how controversial this situation
00:18:10.220is because many observers recognize that the Lion and Sun flag does not fall into categories
00:18:16.840typically associated with hate symbols or extremist propaganda. The Lion and Sun flag is a historic
00:18:24.040national symbol. I think this controversial decision by FIFA will probably backfire
00:18:30.600because the more FIFA tries to suppress the lion and sun flag, the more FIFA tries to suppress the
00:18:37.740Iranian people, the more attention we will receive. And that's already happening online
00:18:44.020because people across X, Instagram, Reddit, YouTube, and diaspora communities are talking
00:18:51.100about this non-stop. And when institutions attempt to suppress identity symbols, those symbols
00:18:58.240often become even more powerful. And at the end of the day, this controversy raises one fundamental
00:19:06.080question. Who represents Iran? Is Iran represented exclusively by the Islamic regime that's occupying
00:19:15.100Iran? Or do millions of Iranians in occupied Iran and around the world also have a right to express
00:19:23.560our identity, history, and vision for our country? Because if FIFA says only the Islamic regime's
00:19:31.320symbols are acceptable, then FIFA is taking a side. And FIFA is taking the wrong side,
00:19:39.080whether they admit it or not. And this is why so many of us Iranians feel abandoned by
00:19:45.640international institutions in general. We watch the world celebrate freedom and diversity while
00:19:52.360our own voices are silenced whenever it becomes politically inconvenient. We're told our history
00:19:59.400is too controversial, our flag is too political, our fight against the Islamic regime is Islamophobic,