Professional footballer as a war eyewitness
Goalkeeper reports military “huge blow”
03/03/2026 – 1:01 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
A former Eintracht Braunschweig professional experienced the attacks on Iran on site. He reports loud impacts – and flees towards Türkiye.
Johansson explained that the team was preparing for the round of 16 in the Asian Champions League when news of the beginning of the war reached them. “It quickly became clear to us that it was best to leave the country,” Johansson told Bild.
On Saturday morning, Israel and the USA launched coordinated rocket attacks against targets in the country. In response, Tehran attacked several US military bases in the Gulf region. In Iran, at least 787 people have died since the Israeli-American attacks began, according to the local Red Crescent.
Johansson experienced firsthand that the situation in Iran was escalating. “We were sitting in the hotel on the training ground when suddenly there was a huge blow. The whole building shook,” the goalkeeper told “Bild”.
Just a few minutes later, a car was ready and he was driven to the Turkish border. He went via Istanbul to Gothenburg in his home country of Sweden, where he is now with his family, he told “Bild”. There he is now keeping himself fit individually while he follows the news in Iran.
The goalkeeper was under contract with Eintracht Braunschweig from summer 2024 to summer 2025. He played in eleven competitive games in the Lion City, but was unable to establish himself as the starting goalkeeper. After he turned his back on BTSV, he was without a club for around two months before he signed on in Iran. He has only played one game there so far.
