Local media reported on Monday that Iran has taken away former professional footballer Ali Daei’s passport after he denounced the “repression” of rallies after Mahsa Amini‘s passing.
Since the 22-year-old Kurdish woman’s death was reported on September 16, three days after she was supposedly detained in Tehran for allegedly breaking the nation’s strict dress code, Iran has been rocked by widespread protests.
Daei on September 27 called on Iran’s government to “solve the problems of the Iranian people rather than using repression, violence and arrests.”
“The confiscation of Ali Daei’s passport is due to what he has written on Instagram in response to the death of Mahsa Amini,” reformist paper Hammihan reported.
In September 2021, Cristiano Ronaldo passed the former forward, known by the nickname “Shahriar,” who had 109 international goals to his credit.
One of the first athletes from Iran to play in a European league was 52-year-old Daei, who began his career with Arminia Bielefeld before moving on to Bayern Munich and then Hertha Berlin.
Hertha on Sunday tweeted that it was “dismayed looking at the current situation in Iran. Our former player Ali Daei is no longer permitted to leave the country because he has come out in favor of women’s rights.”
Mohammad, the brother of Daei, made the following comments to the sports website Varzesh3 on Sunday: “Ali has given his whole life to raise the flag of Iran. He loves the country and its people and always speaks the truth.
“What happened to Ali is regrettable.”
Many Iranian athletes, as well as actresses and filmmakers, have backed the protests and urged the government to pay attention to the concerns of the populace.
Ali Karimi, a former midfielder for Bayern Munich, was reportedly being prosecuted for his support of the protests on Thursday, according to local media.
The ILNA news agency claimed on Sunday that the government had also confiscated the passports of filmmaker Mehran Modiri, musician Homayoun SHajjarian, and his wife, actress Sahar Dolatshahi.
Hossein Mahini, a former football player, was detained by Iranian authorities on September 30 after they accused him of “encouraging riots” due to his support for the demonstrations. According to reports, he was granted bail early last week.
