In what seemed to be a show of solidarity with those protesting back home, the players stood silent as the Iranian national anthem played out around the Khalifa International Stadium before kickoff on Monday.Protests, chaos and violence have rocked Iran in recent months and threatened the very nature of the country’s regime, which has been in power for more than 40 years.The protests, referred to by experts as the most significant since the establishment of clerical rule following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, were sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died after being detained by Iran’s morality police, allegedly for not abiding by the country’s conservative dress code.“In the right moments, we will express our feelings and our opinions.”England overwhelms Iran on the pitchOn the pitch, Iran could not cope with the quality of England as goals from Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling had England out of sight by the end of the first half.The Ukrainian Football Association also called on FIFA to “consider excluding” Iran’s national team, citing the “systematic human rights violations” there and “the possible involvement of Iran in the military aggression of Russia against Ukraine.”FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended Iran’s participation in the World Cup in his pre-tournament press conference, saying the game against England is “two football teams” going head-to-head in matches rather than “two regimes” or “two ideologies.”England also had a decision to make ahead of its opening match."