Former Iran footballer Voria Ghafouri has been arrested for allegedly spreading “propaganda” against the Islamic republic, according to reports.
The 35-year-old right back, who was part of Team Melli's preliminary squad for the World Cup in 2018 and earned 28 caps, was detained after a training session with his club Foolad Khuzestan on charges of having “tarnished the reputation of the national team and spread propaganda against the state,” the FARS news agency said.
His arrest comes amid fears for the safety of current Iran players who protested against the regime by refusing to sing the national anthem before Monday’s 6-2 defeat to England in Qatar.
Downing Street has refused to rule out granting players asylum should their security be in question after the tournament, with a No10 spokesman saying it would be “hypothetical” to discuss assistance at this stage.
Demonstrations continue across Iran as a significant amount of the population demand freedoms for women following the death in custody of 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa Amini after she was arrested for not wearing her hijab correctly.
Hundreds of protestors have died and the government has voted in favour of using the death penalty to punish those who have taken to the streets.
Ghafouri is from the Kurdish-populated city of Sanandaj in western Iran and recently posted a photo of himself on Instagram dressed in traditional Kurdish dress, the FARS agency added.
He left Esteghlal, the country’s biggest club, earlier this year in a surprise decision before joining Foolad Khuzestan. Supporters believe that he was let go because he had professed support for a previous wave of anti-regime protests in the summer.
Several members of the current Iran side have spoken out in support of the protestors, including Brentford’s Saman Ghoddos.
In an interview with Mirror Football before the tournament , Ghoddos said: “I don't want to mix politics with football but football is coming to the side right now, because people are losing their lives fighting for freedom.
“Clearly a change needs to come and it's already been going on for so long. We all want to change.
“If you think it’s the right thing to do, I think you should [speak out] because you’re a famous athlete. If you can put a light on what’s going on you should do it – with pressure or without pressure because it’s the right thing to do.
“It’s a change that is very easy. What the people want is nothing special, it’s just freedom. I don’t want to say ‘Yeah, go fight for it’ because I don’t think violence is the right way. But something has to change and this has been going on for too long."
