Iranian footballer arrested over ‘spreading propaganda’ against Islamic republic

Voria Ghafouri has been arrested it has been claimed (Image: AP)

Iranian worldwide footballer Voria Ghafouri has been arrested over accusations he ‘unfold propaganda’ towards the Islamic republic.

The best-back was arrested by Iranian safety forces after a coaching session together with his membership immediately.

He was arrested on costs of getting ‘tarnished the status of the nationwide workforce and unfold propaganda towards the state,’ an company stated.

Ghafouri, 35, who performs for Foolad Khuzestan in Iran, has been a vocal critic of the regime and its violent crackdown on protests.

He was listed as a member of Iran’s 2018 World Cup squad however was not named within the ultimate lineup taking part in at this yr’s World Cup in Qatar.

Initially from the Kurdish-populated metropolis of Sanandaj in western Iran, Ghafouri had posted a photograph of himself on Instagram wearing conventional Kurdish gown.

It comes after hundreds of individuals protested after 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish lady Mahsa Amini died three days after collapsing in police custody.

England v IR Iran: Group B - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 — Iranian gamers refused to sing the nationwide anthem towards England (Image: Getty)

Iranian fan weeps as the Iran Football team refuse to sing the national anthem before the match England v Iran - Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar - November 21, 2022 — Iranian followers wept because the workforce refused to sing the nationwide anthem (Image: BBC)

Iran has arrested a number of footballing figures for voicing criticism because the protests started, together with Parviz Boroumand, Hossein Mahini, Hamidreza Aliasgari, and Yahya Golmohammadi.

Outstanding former Iranian footballers Ali Karimi and Ali Daei have additionally come underneath hearth from authorities for expressing help for protesters.

Many Iranians have turned towards their nationwide soccer workforce amid the continued unrest within the nation.

They see the workforce as representing the regime fairly than the folks of Iran.

Ghafouri was previously the captain of Iran’s main membership Esteghlal earlier than his contract was terminated and he moved to Foolad Khuzestan.

Many followers instructed the ending of his profession with Esteghlal was revenge for talking out in help of earlier protests that erupted this summer time.

Others argued that in his mid-30s Ghafouri was already too previous for the Iranian high flight.

Some in Iran went so far as celebrating Iran’s 6-2 defeat in its opening World Cup match towards England in Qatar on Monday, posts on social media confirmed.

Protesters gather in Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, on Sept. 28, 2022, to protest the killing of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurdish woman, after she was arrested in Tehran by morality police for wearing her headscarf improperly. Iran has accused Kurdish opposition groups in exile of orchestrating the wave of protests across the country over the past two weeks. But Kurdish activists say the government is just trying to scapegoat them to distract from the domestic anger fueling the unrest. (AP Photo/Hawre Khalid, Metrography) — Protesters in Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, arise towards the killing of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurdish lady, after she was arrested in Tehran by morality police for sporting her headband improperly (Image: AP)

The Iranian gamers selected to not sing their nation’s nationwide anthem on the match towards England, in an obvious present of help for the protests.

However the gesture was largely dismissed as too little, too late by many Iranians on social media and did not win again their help.

The protests sparked by Amini’s dying have develop into one of many boldest challenges to the Islamic Republic since its institution in 1979, with demonstrators calling for regime change.

A minimum of 416 folks, together with 51 kids and 27 girls, have been killed by safety forces within the protests, Oslo-based rights group Iran Human Rights (IHR) stated on Tuesday.