Who is Amir Nasr-Azadani, the Iranian footballer sentenced to death for protesting for women’s rights?

The fate of Amir Nasr-Azadani holds the world in suspense. Especially soccer. The 26-year-old, who plays for the full right wing, has been sentenced to death by the local regime, who are pointing fingers at him for “treason “, having participated in the protests generated in the country by the death of the activist Mahsa Amini. The convulsed environment has already cost the life of another athlete in the same circumstances that threaten that of Nasr-Azadani: this Monday wrestler Majidreza Rahnavard was hanged in public less than a month after he allegedly stabbed two Basij militiamen and injured four others . The situation occurred on November 17.

FIFPro, an entity that brings together footballers around the world, is on alert over the situation facing Nasr-Azadani, a low-level player who had ended his contractual relationship with Iranjavan FC . His resume isn’t too flashy. His career began in the lower divisions of Sepahan FC. In 2015 he moved to Rah Ahan and a year later to Tractor Sazi. In 2019, he was received by Oxin Alborz. The last three seasons had been full of irregularities. He went through Golreyhan and Sepahan Novin before joining his last team. Nasr-Azadani’s career has not been easy. Twice, in fact, he suffered serious injuries. In 2018, a torn cruciate ligament in one knee took him out of competition for a year and left him without a team for missing Tractor Sazi training. Two years later, while a member of Golreyhan, he gets injured again and once again has to start all over again. .

However, the trajectory matters little to the union entity. Today, one of them is in danger. This is the same attitude that the Iranian team adopted, for example, during the World Cup . During the match against England, the female footballers refused to sing the anthem, while gaffes rang out from the stands and posters alluding to women’s freedom appeared. This, yes, none of the members of the delegation demonstrated through their profiles on social networks, surely because of the consequences they may have suffered . Only the goalkeeper, Alireza Biranvand, asked via Instagram for the dismissal of the execution. With a caveat: he did not mention Nasr-Azadani or the others who risked the drastic punishment . Yes, there have been mentions of other far lesser-known Iranian players in the global gig. One of them, Mohammad Reza Akhbari, captain and caretaker of Tractor, confirmed his innocence via Instagram. “Those who know Amir closely know how reserved he was.” Moreover, he requested that the footballers help him out of this trance.

In Chile, the position is one of absolute solidarity with Nasr-Azadani. “Soccer, as an organization, must aim to protect the lives of all who participate in the activity. It is an essential right, which cannot be postponed by the regulations of countries with other cultures or laws. We as FIFPro have already called for this to stop, but this is a warning of something bigger. If we lose this fight, we will give in to the global defense of human rights. And that would endanger the industry », declares, energetically, Gamadiel García, president of Sifup, an entity that is part of the world association.

It’s not just Nasr-Azadani who is in danger. His family was also intimidated by Iranian security forces. . They demand silence. The concession, theoretically, can go hand in hand with some advantage for the inmate. Improbable and unverifiable in the light of events. What Nasr-Azadani ultimately experiences is more likely: that when his case is made public, he will face the harshest possible punishment.

The Tasnim news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of the Islamic Republic of Iran, locates the origin of Nasr-Azadani’s nightmare on November 17 . That day, Colonel Esmaeil Cheraghi was assassinated during protests that were taking place across the country. Three days later, state radio station IRIB aired a video of the coerced confessions of three people accused of killing a uniformed soldier. . The IRIB did not name the defendants, but social media did: Amir Nasr-Azadani, Saleh Mirhashmi and Saeed Yaghoubi . The revelation was made by Saeed, former club manager Zob Ahan and Foolad.

There are those who attribute to Nasr-Azadani the absolute innocence of the charge brought against him. IranWire, citing sources, says that although Nasr-Azadani participated in some nationwide protests, he was never in the area where IRGC and Basij forces were killed. . The same source certifies that the footballer’s involvement was referred to as being on the streets for a few hours and shouting slogans .