Iran’s Revolutionary Guard calls for arrest of ‘Asian Maradona’ footballer Ali Karimi for supporting protesters who took to the streets after a woman, 22, was beaten to death for not wearing her hijab properly
Mouthpiece of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards calls on authorities to ‘deal with’ star
Legend called ‘Asian Maradona’ and ‘The Magician’ played for Bayern Munich
He has shared links to VPN services Iranians can use to get around censorship
Karimi has over 11 million Instagram followers and played for Iran 127 times
Nation is in chaos after custody death of Mahsa Amini, 22, seizes country
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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) army has called for the arrest of Ali Karimi, the football legend dubbed the ‘Asian Maradona’.
Karimi has posted a series of anti-government slogans and advice for those trying to circumvent government web censorship for his 11 million+ Instagram followers.
IRGC spokesman Fars News Agency urged police in Tehran to crack down on the so-called ‘rioter’.
The former Iranian team captain and Bayern Munich star has become an unlikely protest leader
Iran’s capital Tehran has been in turmoil since the detention of an ‘inappropriately veiled’ woman
A passionate protester cuts his hair outside the Iranian embassy in Nicosia, Cyprus today
Protesters pour fake blood on themselves outside a UN outpost in Iran’s Erbil yesterday
Former national team captain Karimi, 43, made 127 caps in a stellar 18-year career that saw ‘The Magician’ also win the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich.
In 2004, he was named Asian Footballer of the Year.
Karimi tweeted warning to Iranian military not to spill ‘innocent blood’
Karimi has since become an unlikely influential voice amid nationwide outcry following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini last Friday in police custody.
She is said to have been detained by the police and severely beaten for ‘not wearing the veil correctly’.
In 2020, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said “women wearing an inappropriate veil should feel unsafe,” in comments widely echoed by fellow leaders.
Karimi addressed his country’s military on Thursday in a tweet to more than 400,000 followers: ‘A homeland is waiting for you. Let no innocent blood be shed.’
He also wrote about high-ranking officials on Instagram last week: ‘Their children are leaving’ [the country]; our children die.’
Karimi (pictured training for the 2007 Asian Football Cup) has long been a state critic
Karimi (left) celebrates a 10-year-old goal against Al Shabab Al Arabi in Tehran
Karimi (pictured left, with other award winners) won 2004 Asian Footballer of the Year
The London-based founder of Iranian football club Ben Charedi said: The Telegraph: ‘Karimi’s enormous popularity among the Iranian youth has more to do with his political views than with his exceptional sportsmanship.
“He never bowed to the regime.”
President Ebrahim Raisi said yesterday that Iran “must act decisively against those who oppose the security and tranquility of the country”.
Residents in Tehran have likened protest scenes to “a war zone,” while celebrities such as Games of Thrones actress Sophie Turner, Sharon Stone and Hailey Bieber have joined the outcry.
Thousands marched through Iran’s capital during a pro-hijab demonstration on Friday to pay tribute to security forces that have crushed a week of protests by alleged “conspirators.”
Police say Mahsa suffered a heart attack, but an eyewitness claims she was beaten in a custody van before slipping into a coma.
Her distraught family is fighting for the truth as they say she had no underlying health issues and saw bruises on her body.
Women in the country have seen them burn their hijabs and headscarves in the street, and film themselves cutting their hair.
People around the world are also expressing support for women’s rights, with the radical feminist activist group Femen holding a half-naked protest outside the Iranian embassy in Madrid, Spain.
Femen activists stage a half-naked protest in front of the Iranian embassy in Madrid, Spain