After the protests in Iran, athletes were among those killed. Prominent footballers are now calling for the Iranian national team to be excluded from the World Cup.
Salar Behdari was only twenty years old. He was considered a talented goalkeeper for the first division soccer team in Arak, an industrial city in western Iran. But Behdari will no longer be able to develop his talent. He was apparently shot by Iranian security forces during the mass protests. This is reported by several Iranian exile media, including Social media account “Persian Soccer”.
At least 25 athletes killed
Because of the internet blockage in Iran, hardly any information has been made public for the past three weeks. But there are increasing signs that among the thousands of dead there are at least 25 athletes, including several footballers. They apparently include former first division player Mojtaba Tarshiz, assistant referee Saba Rashtian and youth coach Mehdi Lavasani. The information on this comes, among others, from the human rights organization Hengaw, which is based on sources in Iran.
In an open letter, twenty football personalities with connections to Iran are now calling for FIFA to take a clear position. It says: “Football, as the most influential social phenomenon in the world, cannot and must not remain silent in the face of executions, murders, arbitrary arrests and threats against athletes.” The signees include four former Iranian internationals, including Ali Karimi, who played for FC Bayern between 2005 and 2007.
Critics could lose their fortune
The group states in its letter that several football representatives were arrested upon entering Iran. In addition, their passports are said to have been confiscated. The signatories called on FIFA and the national associations to use their influence to achieve a “peaceful protest” to enable. But the world association and the Asian football association AFC have so far held back.
At the moment it appears as if the protests have been suppressed. The regime of the Islamic Republic now apparently wants to demonstrate strength – including in football. According to Iranian exile media, authorities are said to have targeted the assets of former and current international players who have shown solidarity with the demonstrators. This apparently also includes Sardar Azmoun, who was active for Bayer Leverkusen from 2022 to 2024, and Ali Daei, who also once played for FC Bayern and Hertha BSC.
The temporary arrest of Omid Ravankhah at Tehran airport was particularly discussed. The coach recently coached the Iranian U-23 national team at the Asian Championships in Saudi Arabia. At least before their first game against South Korea, the Iranian players refrained from singing the national anthem, a sign of protest. After their last game against Lebanon, Ravankhah went a step further and said: “Under these circumstances, it is my social duty to stand with my people.”
“Team Melli” or “Team Mullah”
Several other players, coaches and officials also expressed solidarity with the protests, but they mostly avoided direct criticism of the regime. Iranian football has sparked a political debate for years. Especially experts in the critical exile broadcaster “Iran International”which is based in London, are calling on prominent Iranians to extend their criticism beyond moderate expressions of solidarity.
However, the central institutions of Iranian football are positioning themselves politically in favor of the regime, as the national football association and many large clubs are closely linked to the Revolutionary Guard. And so in parts of the diaspora a different name has become established for the Iranian national team, the so-called “Team Melli”: “Team Mullah”.
Joy at your own defeat
The year 2022 is considered to be a defining year for this perception. After the violent death of the 22-year-old Kurdish woman Jina Mahsa Amini, protests broke out across the country in September and several hundred people were killed. Two months after the protests broke out, the World Cup took place in Qatar. The Iranian players refused to sing the national anthem before their first game against England, but that wasn’t enough for many fans. They were angry that the team had met then-president Ebrahim Raisi before the tournament.
In the Qatari stadiums, exiled Iranians held placards with the protest slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom.” But fans also reported that security forces confiscated their critical banners, T-shirts and flags. There were several scuffles between spectators loyal to the regime and those critical of the regime during the games. The latter even celebrated the 0-1 defeat in the third game against the USA.
Arrest during the 2022 World Cup
One of the few prominent footballers who spoke out clearly against police violence in 2022 was the defender Vouria Ghafouri, who played for the Iranian national team until 2019. Ghafouri was arrested in Iran during the World Cup in Qatar in November 2022. He was released after six days on bail.
Vouria Ghafouri, who has since ended his career, also raised his voice during the current protests. In January, he closed the two cafes he runs in Tehran in solidarity with the demonstrators. The public prosecutor then closed his cafes for two months. In addition, most games in Iran are currently taking place without an audience. A number of games were even canceled.
Protests at the World Cup in the USA?
2026 was actually supposed to be an important year for Iranian football. Because of international sanctions against the Islamic Republic, the football association and its clubs are having problems finding international players and sponsors. The World Cup was therefore considered a lucrative stage this year, but the tournament is taking place in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
It is uncertain whether Iran will take part. During Donald Trump’s first term in office, the US government classified the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization in 2019. Iranians who are close to the Revolutionary Guard are not allowed to enter the USA. This should also apply to football officials and possibly to national players like captain Mehdi Taremi, who completed their military service with the Revolutionary Guards.
In addition, skepticism is also growing in the Iranian association. Two of the Iranian team’s three preliminary round games are scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, home to the world’s largest diaspora community of Iranians. Protests against the regime would be likely. Against this background, some Iranian sports officials would now welcome it if the Iranian team were excluded from the World Cup, reports “Iran-Wire“, a media portal in exile.
The Iranian football representatives, who have sent an open letter to FIFA, are calling for the Iranian team to be excluded from the World Cup. And they want to draw attention to Amirhossein Ghaderzadeh. The 19-year-old footballer was arrested during protests in the northern Iranian city of Rasht. He now faces the death penalty, like so many other people in Iran.
