The Iranian sports legend says that his loved ones were not allowed to leave the country.
Ali Daei has publicly criticized the Iranian regime and supported the headscarf protest that escalated in the fall. PDO
Iran’s great soccer star Ali Daei had to spend his holiday away from his wife and daughter. According to the BBC, Daei’s loved ones were on a return flight to Dubai, but the flight turned back to Iran and landed on Chisinau.
There, the player legend’s wife and 13-year-old daughter were removed from the plane. Daei has not received an explanation why his family was told to return to the capital, Tehran. The removal from the plane is likely due to the family’s involvement in the country’s widespread protests.
The past autumn has been restless in Iran. Several protests against the country’s administration and laws restricting women’s clothing have been organized in the country, in which Daei has also been involved. More than 500 protesters have died in Iran in the last few months. The demonstrations burst into flames in September, when the 22-year-old Masha Amini died after being arrested by the chastity police under unclear circumstances.
In its news, the BBC quotes the state-owned news channel Irna, according to which Daei’s wife had promised to tell the authorities about her trips abroad in advance, but had not done so this time. Daei and his family were supposed to spend a few days in Dubai and then return to Iran. The Iranian authorities have also banned other Iranians who were part of the protests from leaving the country.
Earlier in December, the authorities closed Dae’s jewelry store and restaurant in Tehran.
Ali Daei is one of his country’s sports heroes. The former captain of the national team scored 109 goals in his career in the shirt of Iran in the 90s and the beginning of the millennium. At the club level, he represented, among others, Bayern Munich.