RTE has changed the abbreviation for the Iranian football team in their coverage of the 2022 World Cup after it was previously spelt ‘IRA.’
The team will now be labelled ‘IRN’ during their matches, after it was pointed out by viewers any opposing team was displayed as ‘vs IRA.’
The issue was previously raised when the video game FIFA 23 carried the abbreviation with screenshots of cutaways featuring the logo filling the screen were widely shared on social media.
Later, former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams spotted another blunder from RTÉ. He poked fun at RTÉ’s match fixture list as it made the same mistake by abbreviating the game between England and Iran to ”ENG v IRA.”
The new abbreviation ‘IRN’ will now be used in future games featuring the team, who beat Wales 0-2 on Friday meaning Gareth Bale’s team is all but out of the Qatari-held tournament.
The Iranian team previously made headlines when the team refused to sing their national anthem, ‘Sorude Melliye Jomhuriye Eslâmiye Irân’ during their first game against England.
Some Iranian fans were heard booing the song, in response to the ongoing protests in Iran that began after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody in September.
The fan reaction continued during their match against Wales, however some players were seen partially singing the anthem.
