The Lion and Sun flag has already been seen in Los Angeles this year, and protesters say they will be displaying it again at Iran's World Cup opener against New Zealand Credit: Jonathan Alcorn / AFP

When Iran takes to the field on Monday for the first game of its World Cup, Sara Barahman will be among the thousands of protesters outside the stadium waving a very specific flag: the one used by the country before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. 

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