Santiago Sanchez has not been heard from since October 2
(Picture: REUTERS)A Spanish football fan has been detained in Iran while hiking more than 7,000km from Madrid to Doha for the World Cup.
Santiago Sánchez, 41, had been mapping his progress on Instagram but has not been heard from since October 2 and is now, according to friend Francho Salamanca, in a Tehran prison.
Spain's foreign ministry has told media that it is in contact with Iranian officals. The incidents that led to Mr Sánchez’s detainment remain unclear.
His last post on October 1 read (in translation): “Last village in northern Iraq, a mountain separates me from reaching Iran, the next country before reaching Qatar.”
In a series of pictures, he posed with locals while wearing the kit of his favourite club team Real Madrid. The World Cup begins on November 20 with Spain kicking off their first match with Costa Rica three days later.
He started his trek in January, travelling through Europe into Middle Eastern nations.
The Kurdish-Iraqi based Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights said Mr Sánchez had been "kidnapped by Iranian security forces" after visiting the grave of Masha Amini - whose death has sparked mass riots across the Islamic nation.
Twenty-two-year-old Ms Amini died on September 16 while in police custody after reportedly wearing a hijab incorrectly. Hundreds have now died in subsequent demonstrations that have seen women burning their headscarves and cutting their hair, against the state’s laws, amid brutal police retaliation.
Mr Salamanca told media "The people in Iran treated him very well, they're great and they helped him a lot,” adding that Mr Sánchez had made friends on a visit in 2019.
Mr Sánchez’s detention has meant he was unable to give a planned interview on Iranian television before sailing to Qatar.
