The start of a basketball game between Syria and Kazakhstan has sparked controversy after the Iranian national anthem was played while introducing the Syrian national team.
The game which is one of many held for the Basketball World Cup qualifiers was held in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan's capital.
So, the Syrian ?? basketball team in Kazakhstan was expecting Syrian national anthem to play! Instead it was the Iranian ?? national anthem??
— Aimen Dean (@AimenDean) November 28, 2021
Syrians, get used to it, you’re an Iranian colony now, just like Lebanon next door ??! The look on team’s faces was priceless?#Syria pic.twitter.com/65hflhyZWt
As soon as the Iranian anthem was played, Syrian players who were preparing to sing theirs looked confused but continued to sing the Syrian national anthem on top of the music featuring the Iranian one.
As soon as people watching the game noticed this incident, they took to social media expressing shock and anger and questioning whether it was an honest mistake by the organizers or if it is more of a political statement.
At the beginning of a basketball game between Syria and Kazakhstan, the Iranian national anthem was played instead of the Syrian, i guess the organizers didn't see any difference between the two countries!!! pic.twitter.com/QOH66bIhOG
— shadi martini (@shadimart) November 27, 2021
Iran occupies the country but Asad maintains a fiction of sovereignty, so it's a bit on the nose
— Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) November 28, 2021
Online commentators referred to the growing Iranian role in Syria, especially in the years that followed the Syrian war since 2011. During the war, Iranian militias have been reportedly fighting alongside the Syrian government's forces, which has been perceived by anti-government commentators as the "Iranian occupation of Syria".
Written by Riham Darwish
