Iran’s elections stand-off spilled over on to the football field on Wednesday as several players in the Iran team wore green wristbands – the symbol of the opposition campaign – during a crucial World Cup qualifier against South Korea.

The green wrist band was adopted by supporters of opposition candidate Mir-Hossein Moussavi in the run-up to last Friday’s presidential poll. He disputes Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad’s victory and has called for a re-run.

The match in Seoul was broadcast live on Iranian state television, which has in recent days avoided broadcasting images from Moussavi protests.

Mehdi Mahdavikia, Iran’s captain, could be seen with a green band around his arm thicker than the wristbands being worn by other players. When the players emerged for the second half, however, only Mahdavikia was still wearing a green band.

The players’ move will anger the government, which has sought to contain the protests, but it will win the approval of opposition supporters.

“Whether we lose the World Cup today or win it, a lot of people will be exhilarated by what the players have done,” said one football fan watching the game in Tehran.

Football is especially popular among young Iranians, and 60 per cent of the population is under 30.

Mansour Pour-Heidari, the manager of the national team, sought to play down the players’ decision to wear wristbands.

He told the Mehr news agency that they were an expression of religious belief and had been worn to bring luck during the game. Nevertheless, the players were asked to remove them after the first half to avoid any perception of a political statement.

The 1-1 draw was not enough to guarantee Iran automatic qualification for next year’s finals in South Africa but it did mean that North Korea, the other remaining member of George W Bush’s infamous axis of evil, did qualify.