Iran, Ali Daei arrested: criticism of the regime

The former footballer and coach had already been deprived of his passport.

Iran, former Iranian footballer and coach Ali Daei arrested. As reported by the Times, the man was deprived of his liberty and his passport for having openly expressed his consent to the protests related to the death of Masha Amini, an event that has shaken world public opinion and has become a symbol of the fight against violence against women.

ARRESTED

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Ali Dalei was the all-time top scorer of all national teams for a long time before Ronaldo overtook him: with the shirt of Iran the footballer scored 109 goals in 149 appearances between 1993 and 2006 and after his retirement as a footballer he coached the Iranian national team between 2008 and 2009 and was the country’s representative in the world draw that matched the national team with England, USA and Wales. A popular national idol arrested in Saqqez, a city of 131,000 inhabitants which is also the place where the story linked to Masha took place, beaten and killed after being arrested in Tehran for wearing the hijab in a manner deemed “inappropriate” by the police . On the occasion of the 40th day of the girl’s death, according to reports across the Channel, Daei was in a hotel in the city and from there led away under arrest. In recent weeks, the attacker’s passport had also been withdrawn after talking about violence and repression by the government.

LEIPZIG, GERMANY – JUNE 21: Ali Daei of Iran skips past Mateus of Angola during the FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 Group D match between Iran and Angola played at the Zentralstadion on June 21, 2006 in Leipzig, Germany. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

SOCCER

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Ali Daei is not the only Iranian footballer or former footballer who has sided more or less openly in support of Iranian women. Hossein Mahini, a player still in business, was arrested in early October for showing his sympathy with the rebels. Former Bayern Munich player Ali Karimi has been joined by an arrest warrant in Dubai and is reportedly afraid of being kidnapped by the regime and taken back to Iran. Even the current Bayer Leverkusen forward Sardar Azmoun has publicly supported the claims of Iranian women on social networks only to delete the post.