Iranian soccer legend Ali Daei, who backed protests after the death of Mahsa Amini, accused Tehran on Monday of diverting a flight carrying his wife and daughter to Dubai.
The Iranian justice had sealed in early December the jewelry store and the restaurant of Ali Daei for having joined the calls for a strike launched by the demonstrators after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman of Kurdish origin who died while in custody. on sight on September 16, three days after he was arrested by the morality police who accused him of violating the strict dress code for women.
State media confirmed that Mr. Daei’s family had been banned from leaving the country due to his “associationto anti-government groups.
Mr Daei’s wife and daughter boarded a Mahan Air flight to Tehran but were forced off the plane after landing on Iran’s Gulf island of Kish, the sportsman said 53 years old quoted by the ISNA agency. “They weren’t arrested“, he added. “No one has given me an answer about this incident. I really don’t know what the reason for this decision is. My wife and daughter were going to Dubai for a few days“.
Mr. Daei’s wife had undertaken to inform the authorities if she wished to leave the country”due to its relationship with groups hostile to the Islamic Revolution and rioters“, says the IRNA agency citing justice.
The former striker told AFP in October that his passport was confiscated by police when he returned from abroad, before being returned to him a few days later. He also says he is the target of threats since he supported the protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini.
On September 27, Daei called on social media for the government to “solving the problems of the Iranian people rather than resorting to repression“.
Ali Daei played in the Bundesliga, notably at Bayern Munich, and his 109 goals at international level was a record for a long time, before being surpassed by Cristiano Ronaldo. He did not attend the World Cup in Qatar due to the crackdown on protests.
