Iran wear black armbands and hold schoolbags during national anthem before match

By Andy Hampson, Press Association

Iran’s players wore black armbands and held schoolbags during their national anthem before a friendly against Nigeria on Friday.

The protest gesture followed a strike on an Iranian school that killed at least 168 people, mostly children, at the start of the war in the Middle East.

Reports have suggested United States forces may have been responsible, but there has been no formal acceptance of this and an investigation is ongoing.

Iran have qualified for this summer’s World Cup and are due to play their three group matches in the US, but their participation is uncertain amid the continuing conflict.

The nation were in action on Friday in Antalya, Turkey, where they were beaten 2-1 by Nigeria.