Several players from the Iran national football team have expressed their solidarity with the ongoing protests in the country.
“We are always on the side of the people, who are demanding nothing more than their basic rights these days,” wrote team captain Ali-Resa Dchahanbachsch on his Instagram page.
Dchahanbachsch, who plays for Feyenoord Rotterdam in the Netherlands, has so far not been able to comment on the protests because he was not allowed to access the internet during the national team’s training camp in Austria.
Striker Mehdi Taremi also spoke on Instagram. “I feel ashamed (as an Iranian) when I see the pictures of the last few days,” wrote the 30-year-old. Violence is unacceptable and will definitely not solve the country’s problems, said the FC Porto forward.
The protests were triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. The moral police in Iran had arrested her because of her alleged “un-Islamic outfit”. What exactly happened to Amini after her arrest is unclear. The young woman fell into a coma and died in a hospital on September 16.
Since then, people across the country have been demonstrating against the government’s repressive course. Sardar Azmoon, who plays for Bundesliga club Bayern Leverkusen, had already supported the protests during the training camp and before the friendlies against Uruguay (1-0) and Senegal (1-1). “I just hope that one day women in Iran will have the status they deserve,” said the 27-year-old centre-forward.