The wife and daughter of Iranian soccer legend Ali Daei may have been refused entry after public support for anti-government protests.
According to the state news agency “IRNA”, a plane from Tehran to Dubai/United Arab Emirates with both on board was diverted to the Iranian island of Kish, where Daei’s relatives had to disembark the plane.
Citing legal sources, IRNA said Daei’s wife has pledged to inform the relevant authorities of her decision before leaving the country after she “was associated with anti-Islamic revolution and insurgent groups and on strikes had called”.
Former Bundesliga professional Daei (Bayern, Hertha, Bielefeld) said he received threats after supporting protests sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death. “My daughter and my wife were taken off the plane, but they weren’t arrested,” the 53-year-old was quoted as saying by IRNA: “If they had been banned from leaving the country, the passport police system would have had to report this: nobody gave me one Answered to that. I really don’t know what the reason is.”
In early December, Daei’s jewelry store and restaurant in Tehran were sealed. Local media reported that the closure was ordered because of “collaborating with anti-revolutionary groups in cyberspace to disrupt the peace and business in the market”.