Soccer (illustration)
Soccer (illustration)iStock

Soccer fans at Tehran's Azadi Stadium on Friday chanted "death to the dictator" during the match.

The match was between Esteghlal Khuzestan and Tractor Sazi of Tabriz.

The "dictator," Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is blamed by many Iranians for the country's economic deterioration.

Local police beat the fans chanting "death to the dictator."

Iran's state broadcaster showing Friday night's match live muted the stadium noise, but did not state why.