<p class="content-excerpt">Players stay silent before their first game of the tournament against England</p> <div class="components"> <p>Iran's players stayed silent during the playing of their country's national anthem on Monday before their first game against England for the World Cup in Qatar.</p> <p>The players stood stone-faced as the camera panned on each of their faces ahead of the match against England, which they eventually lost by a final score of 6-2.</p> <div class="taboola-wrapper"> <div class=" trc_related_container trc_spotlight_widget trc_elastic trc_elastic_ab_mid-article-thumbnails_abp-mode "></div> </div> <p>The move was apparently to show solidarity with ongoing protests in Iran against the regime in Tehran.</p> <p>Ahead of the game in Qatar, captain Alireza Jahanbakhsh said the team would decide together whether or not to refuse to sing the anthem in a show of solidarity for demonstrations that have rocked the regime in Iran.</p> <p>The Iranian players stood impassively and grim-faced as their anthem rang out around the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha.</p> </div>