Repression in Iran: suspension and fine for goalkeeper who defended a fan who had her veil fallen

Hossein Hosseini the Iranian soccer goalkeeper of Esteghlal, a team that is currently of first place in the first division of Iranian football, was sanctioned and penalized impressively for having defended from the police a fan who jumped onto the playing field and was not wearing the mandatory veil imposed by the Tehran regime against women .

The Iranian Football Federation did not support the player at allbut imposed a fine on him, as well as a heavy financial penalty for having defended her.

What happened?

In the middle of a league match between Esteghlal and Aluminum de Arak on April 12Surprisingly, a fan jumped onto the playing field to reach her idol and in the process she lost her veil and without realizing it, she reached the goalkeeper with her hair uncovered. When the regime forces noticed that the young woman did not comply with the strict Islamic dress code, they continued to pursue her with the intention of placing her under arrest.

Hosseini who was present in this entire situation, and, while warning As the situation was becoming increasingly tense and violent, he interceded so that the woman was not hit.

The fans from the stands joined the claim of the woman and the goalkeeper and began to shout “what a shame,” in total repudiation of the actions that the police forces were carrying out. In addition, the officers were hit with objects thrown from the stands to defend the young woman. After the whole episode, Hosseini was expelled from the game, which caused a protest from his teammates.

Penalty for the goalkeeper

After a few days of the embarrassing episode, on April 17, the disciplinary committee of the Iranian Football Federation, announced the unusual and impressive decision that included a fine of 3,000 million rials, the equivalent of $4,300 dollars for the goalkeeper just for having touched the woman in question to defend her.

The player spoke out against his fine and sanction

“”I will pay these 300 million without problem for that fan,” Hosseini expressed vindicating his actions.

The Iranian Football Federation adheres to what they consider that the player violated article 71 of its disciplinary code. This article establishes a match sanction for players who, in interviews, articles or other media, “insult the competition officials.” The decision has caused an uproar among human rights activists, Hosseini’s own colleagues inside and outside Iran, as well as fans.

How do you appreciate the relationship between the Iranian Football Federation and women?

It should be noted that the attendance of women at football stadiums remained strictly prohibited. by the Islamic Republic of Iran for 40 years since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, putting an end to this recently in 2019 in the middle of a match between Iran and Cambodia attended by approximately 3,500 women, in the face of constant pressure from FIFA.

Keep reading:

Xabi Alonso and his nod to Club Atlas
André Jardine responded to Gerardo Martino for his criticism of Club América
‘La Brujita’ Verón revealed unpublished story of Lionel Messi at the 2010 South Africa World Cup