U-turn in Iran
Ex-Bundesliga star going to the World Cup after being accused of being a traitor?
May 25, 2026 – 4:15 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Sardar Azmoun was recently defamed as a traitor in Iran. Now he’s suddenly supposed to play for the national team again.
A senior member of the Iranian government has spoken out in favor of Sardar Azmoun’s return to the national football team. The striker was left out of the squad in March. Most recently, he was harshly criticized by Iranian state media and confronted with accusations of treason, among other things.
Abdolkarim Hosseinzadeh, one of the country’s vice presidents, now addressed the public via X. “The homeland must preserve the bond between its children,” he wrote. One should not overlook Azmoun’s “sign of this connection” and bring him back into the national team “if possible.”
Patriotic confession
Azmoun himself recently expressed his loyalty to Iran on Instagram. He sees himself as a “son of Iran”. And further: “No matter where I play football – my identity, my heart and my pride are Iran.”
According to media reports, the trigger for the debate was a photo on Azmoun’s Instagram account that showed him with high-ranking politicians in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This was interpreted as unpatriotic behavior. In the regional power structure, the UAE is considered a close partner of the USA, which is currently at war with Iran.
Azmoun positioned himself politically
The attacker, who has so far scored 57 international goals for Iran and previously played for Bayer Leverkusen and AS Roma, among others, has repeatedly taken a political position in the past, sometimes drawing criticism from state media. According to Iranian sports journalists, Azmoun could still be named in the final World Cup squad. A final decision is still pending.
The Iranian national team will face New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt in the preliminary round of the World Cup (June 11 to July 19). The games will take place in Los Angeles and Seattle. A few days ago, the association also announced that the World Cup headquarters would be moved from the USA to Mexico.
