Iranian police have arrested former international footballer Voria Ghafouri, who has supported ongoing protests against the Iranian regime, state media reported on Thursday.
Ghafouri, a player of Kurdish origin, is one of Iran’s most prominent footballers. However, he wasn’t chosen to go to the World Cup in Qatar this year.
His arrest comes amid scrutiny of the conduct of Iran’s national team in Qatar, where they refused to sing the national anthem in solidarity with anti-government protests.
The government has launched a violent crackdown on protests that have rocked Iran for two months.
Why was Voria Ghafouri arrested?
According to Iranian state news agencies, Ghafouri was arrested for “tarnishing the reputation of the national team and spreading propaganda against the state”.
He was arrested after a training session with his club Foolad Khuzestan.
Ghafouri has been a vocal critic of Iranian authorities throughout his career.
Notably, the athlete has long opposed the banning of female spectators at men’s soccer matches, in addition to criticizing Tehran’s foreign policy.
He recently called for an end to the crackdown on protests in Iran’s western Kurdistan region.
Ghafouri also expressed sympathy for the family of Jina Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old whose death in the custody of Iran’s notorious morality police sparked the latest wave of protests.
fb/dj (AFP, AP)