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Iran Soccer Star Voria Ghafouri Detained After Criticizing Regime

Reports of the arrest come after the nation’s players refused to sing Iran’s national anthem at the Qatar World Cup.

A former member of Iran’s national soccer team has been arrested over his criticism of the Iranian government, according to state media reports. Voria Ghafouri, who has been outspoken about the regime, was detained for “insulting the national soccer team and propagandizing against the government,” the Fars and Tasnim news agencies said Thursday. Ghafouri has not played for the national squad since 2019 and has made several high-profile comments about Iranian authorities, including voicing opposition to his country’s ban on female fans at men’s soccer games. He also recently expressed sympathy for the family of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old who died in the custody of Iran’s “morality police” after being detained for not wearing her hijab correctly. News of Ghafouri’s arrest comes after the Iranian soccer team on Monday refused to sing their national anthem before their first game of the Qatar World Cup in an apparent show of solidarity with thousands of protesters who have been arrested for demonstrating in the wake of Amini’s death.