He campaigns for women's rights, condemns violence and arrests by the regime in Iran. That's why the former footballer Ali Daei is now also being harassed. His passport is confiscated and he is not allowed to leave the country. There is a lot of solidarity in the Bundesliga.
Iranian authorities have confiscated the passport of former soccer international Ali Daei with immediate effect. The now 53-year-old, who is a professional player in the Bundesliga with Arminia Bielefeld, Bayern Munich and Hertha BSC, can no longer leave his home country. Daei had already been banned from leaving the country the week before.
The measure is seen as a reaction by those in power to support for Iran's record international (149 appearances, 109 goals) for women's rights. Daei had called on social networks to "solve the problems of the Iranian people instead of resorting to repression, violence and arrests".
Hertha BSC had already shown solidarity with their former player on Sunday. During the game against SC Freiburg (2:2), the east curve showed a banner with the demand "Freedom for Ali Daei and all protesters in Iran". The club used the Olympic Stadium scoreboards for a graphic featuring photos of Daei in the Hertha shirt with the Iranian flag in the background. Hertha also wrote on Twitter: "We are also looking at Iran with dismay these days. Our former player Ali Daei is no longer allowed to leave the country because he campaigned for women's rights. We show solidarity with the Herthaner and all women in Iran who brave enough to fight for their rights."
Iran has been the scene of protests since 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini died on September 16. The woman had been arrested by the so-called vice squad for allegedly violating the country's dress code. She is said to have not worn the prescribed hijab, the head veil, according to the regulations. The protesters accuse the authority of being responsible for her death, but the forensic medicine has now announced that Amini died from organ care due to a previous illness. Amini's family denied this.
Ten days ago, Hossein Maahini, another ex-national player, was arrested for similar criticism of the country's authorities. Bundesliga professional Sardar Azmoun from Bayer Leverkusen also joined the protests in his home country. "Ashamed of you all, how carelessly people are murdered. Iranian women live long," Azmoun wrote in a post that has since been deleted. Leverkusen then announced that the 27-year-old had "full support".
Hertha was not the only club to show solidarity with the Iranian people on this ninth matchday. At Borussia Dortmund, fans drew attention to the death of another young woman with a banner before the top game against FC Bayern (2: 2). "Hey BVB, last week you lost a fan. Sarina Esmailzadeh (16) was killed by the Islamic regime in Iran. Be the voice of Sarina," it read next to a photo of the youngsters in the yellow BVB jersey. Striker Anthony Modeste also tweeted a picture of the action in front of the stadium. The banner hung in the stadium during the game.
There are now demands from the Iranian women's rights organization "Open Stadiums" and from the sports world to exclude the Iranian national team from the World Cup finals in Qatar in November and December. So far, the world governing body FIFA has not reacted to this initiative. Iran were drawn into Preliminary Group B along with USA, England and Wales.
