A black parka, without a flag or distinctive signs. If the players of the national football team of Iran chose to remain covered, Tuesday September 27, during the anthems preceding the meeting between their country and Senegal, organized in the suburbs of Vienna, the Austrian autumn weather was not not to incriminate.
The teammates of Iranian football star Sardar Azmoun masked their national jerseys, in protest against the regime of their country, during the demonstrations following the death of Mahsa Amini, arrested by the morality police for not having ” properly “ worn the veil, continue despite the repression. At least 76 people were killed in ten days, according to the NGO Iran Human Rights.
Less than two months before the World Cup in Qatar (November 20-December 18), where Team Melli (the national team) is to face England, the United States and Wales, Iranian players have decided to challenge the theocratic regime.
On Instagram, the team’s star striker assumed its support for the protest movement, which is spreading in the country. ” The [punition] ultimate goal is to be expelled from the national team, which is a small price to pay for even a single lock of hair from an Iranian woman. It will never be erased from our consciousness, wrote Sardar Azmoun on Monday. I’m not afraid of being ousted. Shame on you for killing the people so easily and long live the women of Iran. » His account was deactivated before reappearing a few hours later. Like him, several other Iranian internationals have shown their support for the protesters by putting a black background on their profile picture.
“I will always be your support, I want to be the first to be”
On Wednesday, the Iranian player, striker of the German club Bayer Leverkusen again published a story, also apologizing to the other players if his positions disturbed the team. But Sardar Azmoun reiterated his support for the women of his country. And he does not mince his words against the regime. “My heart really broke for Mahsa Amini and innocent people. They left the world behind and left a pain in people’s hearts that history will never forget, writes the 27-year-old player on Instagram. I will always be your support when something bad happens to you, I want to be the first one. »
This protest comes at a time when in Iran, women are still officially banned from the stadium and must dress up as men to be able to attend matches. In 2019, a young woman set herself on fire outside the entrance to a court in Tehran, for fear of being imprisoned. This affair had prompted the International Football Federation (FIFA) to issue a directive for Iran to open the doors of its stadiums to the female public. The regime allowed it in a few cases, but in March 2,000 women with tickets to a match against Lebanon were barred from attending the game.
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