Police and militia use violence against students
Security forces in Tehran are said to have used violence and live ammunition against students. According to the Iranian news portal “Emtedad”, several professors were also beaten. Protests have shaken the country since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
The anti-government protests in Iran are increasingly gaining prominent support. Former HSV player Mehdi Mahdavikia is now also protesting against the authorities’ brutal actions. He quits his job and settles accounts with the regime.
Iran’s football legend Mehdi Mahdavikia has resigned from his coaching job in Iran, according to media reports. “I no longer have any contact with football in Iran,” the former international and Bundesliga professional was quoted as saying by the daily newspaper Hamschahri on Tuesday. Mahdavikia was hired last year to coach the Iran U21 national team and was tasked with preparing the team for qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
According to journalists, the dismissal is related to the ongoing protests in the country against the Islamic system. On his Instagram page, 45-year-old Mahdavikia condemned the actions of Iranian security forces against anti-government demonstrators.
The current protests were triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. She was arrested by the moral police in mid-September because of her “un-Islamic outfit”. What exactly happened to Amini after her arrest is unclear, but she fell into a coma and died in a hospital. Critics accuse the morality police of using violence. The police firmly deny the allegations.
Numerous footballers support protest movements in Iran
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, recently portrayed the unrest in the country as a conspiracy operation by the US, Israel and “Iranian traitors abroad”. The important political posts in the country are held by “illiterate people”, criticized Mahdavikia. The Hamburger by choice also blames them for the protests and emigration of top Iranian executives.
Meanwhile, the US government announced further sanctions against Iran. The Iranian government’s treatment of women and its violent repression of peaceful demonstrations are “exactly the kind of behavior that drives talented young Iranians to leave their country by the thousands in search of dignity and prospects.” said Karin Jean-Pierre, spokeswoman for US President Joe Biden.
In addition to Mahdavikia, numerous other footballers are among the critics, including former Bundesliga pros Ali Karimi and Ali Daei and Bayer Leverkusen striker Sardar Azmoun. In this context, former national soccer player Hossein Mahini was arrested and imprisoned last week. Since then, other players are said to have been arrested.
Mahdavikia in August at the funeral service for HSV legend Uwe Seeler
Quelle: pa/Eibner-Pressefoto/Eibner Pressefoto/Marcel von Fehrn
The protests in Iran, which have been going on for more than two weeks, have now also affected the country’s national football league. The games of the two top teams Persepolis and Esteghlal Tehran took place without spectators at the weekend to avoid further protests in the stadiums. That affected the players too.
“The players simply can no longer concentrate on football because the situation in the country is no longer normal,” said Persepolis coach Jahja Golmohammadi. At the Asadi Stadium in Tehran, nine of his players wore black armbands to show solidarity with the demonstrators. That’s why they were praised by the coach and the fans despite the 1-0 draw against Tabriz.
Worldwide solidarity with protesting women – human chain through Berlin-Kreuzberg
The protests against the political leadership in Iran continue. The demonstrations have long since gone beyond national borders. Whether in Australia, the USA or Berlin: people all over the world are expressing their solidarity – including Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
