In Iran, there have been violent protests against the regime there for about three weeks. People take to the streets to stand up for equality and women’s rights. The trigger for the current situation was the death of Iranian Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody.
Iranian athletes are fighting the regime at scale
Prominent athletes are also opposing the government in Iran these days. For example, Sardar Azmoun from Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen, who wrote in a tweet: “Long live Iranian women.” The tweet was written during his time at the training camp with the Iran national team.
The post was deleted shortly after publication. “There are apparently two camps in the Iranian national team. Sardar Azmoun has clearly placed himself behind the women in Iran. The footballers are under pressure from both sides,” explains former wrestler Shoan Vaisi in the sports talk.
But football in particular has enormous potential in supporting the protests, Vaisi explains: “The regime knows how many followers the footballers have on social networks. Some footballers are seen as role models and are supported by millions of people.”
Shoan Vaisi has seen first-hand how pressure from the Iranian government is used in the sports system. “In the training camp, the imams come and show the athletes how to behave. There is a morality committee that is always there and checks the athletes. The regime’s supporters prevent athletes from fleeing to other countries at world championships and take them away Passes,” says Vaisi, who was active in the Iranian national youth wrestling team. You have no sporting perspective if you oppose the Iranian government.
FAZ author Christoph Becker adds: “That’s why we have to emphasize once again how much courage it takes to take a stand against the regime right now. The journalist also explains: “You shouldn’t believe that people in Iran would live a life far removed from reality. On the contrary, they’re taking to the streets because they know exactly what it’s like elsewhere in the world.”
Large sports associations are silent on protests
The Iranian government is trying to prevent the athletes from protesting. So far it is unclear how the sports associations position themselves on the situation in Iran. So far, there has been no statement from FIFA or the IOC.
But the silence also conveys a clear message, criticizes Christoph Becker: “There is no tone from FIFA on the fact that Ali Daei, who was present at FIFA’s World Cup draw for this World Cup, had his passport withdrawn in Tehran. A The figurehead of FIFA would not be able to travel to the World Cup at all. What signal is FIFA sending with this? What position is it supporting? With every hour that passes, it becomes more and more clear and this organization makes itself more and more implausible.”
However, Becker believes that Iran’s exclusion from major sporting events such as the World Cup in Qatar or the Olympic Games is wrong: “That would only help the regime’s propaganda to take refuge in the role of victim. Then they would blame the protests on the West and the population declare that the world does not want Iran’s launch.”
For Shoan Vaisi and Christoph Becker it is clear that sport can play a major role in the protest movement in Iran. The support of well-known athletes can generate even more attention and publicity. But that takes a lot of courage because there is a lot at stake for the people of Iran and there is a lot of pressure.