Ali Daei’s passport seized by Iran

Iran has confiscated the passport of former star footballer Ali Daei, local media reported Monday, after he criticised the “repression” of protests over Mahsa Amini’s death.

Iran has been gripped by nationwide demonstrations since the 22-year-old Kurdish woman’s death was announced on September 16, three days after she was arrested in Tehran for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code.

Daei on September 27 called on Iran’s government to “solve the problems of the Iranian people rather than using repression, violence and arrests”. 

“The confiscation of Ali Daei’s passport is due to what he has written on Instagram in response to the death of Mahsa Amini,” reformist paper Hammihan reported.

Daei, 52, was one of Iran’s first players to compete in a European league, having played in the Bundesliga, first with Arminia Bielefeld before joining Bayern Munich then Hertha Berlin. – AFP