The former Roma striker, third best scorer in the history of the Iranian national team, will not take part in the expedition. He is considered a “traitor” for having published a photo in the company of the prime minister and president of the United Arab Emirates, a country considered an enemy by Tehran
The news was in the air but now the confirmation is official: Iran will participate in the 2026 World Cup in America but without its star Sardar Azmoun accused of being a “traitor”. In fact, the former Roma player had already been expelled from the national team after posting a photo online with the governor of Dubai Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum during the height of the conflict that broke out in recent months. The fans’ push to change the Federation’s mind was not enough. Iran will be without its iconic player for reasons that go far beyond football.
the courage of azmoun
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The photo published by Azmoun was considered a real betrayal and was also the straw that broke the camel’s back given that already in 2022 the footballer had ended up in the regime’s sights after having expressed himself in favor of the protests that broke out after the death of Mahsa Amini: “In the worst case scenario I will be sent away from the national team” he had written. “No problem. I would sacrifice it for the good of Iranian women. This story will not be erased,” she added courageously. Officially, the failure to summon coach Amir Ghalenoei does not explicitly speak to the facts described above. In fact, he doesn’t mention Azmoun at all. But the clues do not seem to leave room for other interpretations considering that the former Roma and Zenit player is the national team’s top scorer (57 goals in 91 appearances, only the legend Ali Daei has scored more in history) and certainly the most representative player.
the reasons
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The basis is precisely the photos published (and then deleted) in mid-March on Instagram by Azmoun himself (who now resides in Dubai) in the company of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, respectively prime minister and president of the United Arab Emirates, a country considered an enemy by Tehran (which after the outbreak of the war also directly attacked Dubai) and an ally of the United States. In recent weeks, Iranian sports commentator Mohammad Misaghi had defined the publication of the photos as an act of disloyalty. “It’s a shame that you don’t have enough common sense to understand what type of behavior is appropriate at a given moment. These are childish attitudes”, said the well-known face of Iranian TV, addressing the player who now plays for Shabab Al-Ahli, the Emirati team from Dubai.
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