“Long Live Iranian Women”

Bayer Leverkusen’s Iran international Sardar Azmoun, regardless of the impact on his international career, has taken issue with rulers in his home country over the Gulf state’s disregard for women’s rights.

Through an Instagram post from last Sunday that became known at the beginning of the week, the striker expressed his solidarity with the protests of several thousand people against the Islamic system of rule and the systematic discrimination against women after the death of Mahsa Amini in Iranian police custody, which caused a sensation around the world.

“You’re all ashamed of how carelessly people are murdered. Iranian women live long,” Azmoun wrote in his now-deleted post two days after Iran’s 1-0 international win in Austria against Uruguay: “Because of the rules of the national team, we weren’t allowed to say anything , but I can’t stand the silence anymore. The ultimate punishment would be for them to kick me off the team, which would be a small sacrifice compared to every single strand of hair on an Iranian woman.”

The consequences of his support for the many demonstrators in the Iranian metropolis of Tehran and numerous other cities in the country are actually still unclear. It was published on Monday evening questionable. On the other hand, Azmoun, who has been playing for Leverkusen since the end of January, was at least allowed to play against Uruguay three days after he first criticized the mullah regime for Amini’s death (“If they are Muslims, may God make me an unbeliever”).

In Leverkusen, sports director Simon Rolfes supported the 62-time international. “I was in contact with Sardar. Against the background of the current events in his home country, he wanted to support Iranian women and women in general,” the ex-professional told the Rheinische Post on Monday: “He shows a lot of solidarity with the female population of Iran. And of course we support Sardar’s personal commitment because he is committed to the preservation and strengthening of democratically legitimized basic values.”