Iran’s national anthem was met by half-hearted singing or mouthing of the words by players and the jeering whistles of thousands of fans at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium before the team played Wales on Friday in its second game at the World Cup.

The scene, and the sounds, were different from Iran’s opener against England on Monday, when players gave the anthem the stoic silent treatment, a form of protest that got global attention.

Iran’s team, a regular at the tournament and long a unifying force in a divided country, has for months been trying to navigate the delicate internal politics of Iran, caught between government expectations and an ongoing national uprising.

Before Friday’s match against Wales, the stadium camera feeds showed a man sobbing as Iran’s anthem was played.

When an emotional woman was shown, fans erupted in cheers.

Elsewhere, others booed. In the seats, a woman unveiled a No. 22 jersey with the name Mahsa Amini on it.

She was the 22-year-old who died while in police custody in September It was the actions of Iran’s players, though, that attracted the most attention.

After standing silently during the anthem before their first game, they appeared to sing with varying degrees of commitment amid a mix of boos and cheers. Iran’s fan base may be as incessantly noisy as any here at the World Cup.