Iranian authorities on Thursday arrested famous footballer Voria Ghafouri, accused of having "insulted and smeared the reputation of the national team (Team Melli) and of having engaged in propaganda" against the state, the Iranian authorities said. Iranian news agency Fars.
He was arrested after a training session of his team "Foolad" (steel, in Persian) from Khuzestan on the decision of the Judicial Authority, according to the same source.
The 35-year-old footballer from Sanandaj, the capital of the province of Iranian Kurdistan, posted a photo on his Instagram account wearing traditional Kurdish clothing.
A former captain of Esteghlal, the country's most celebrated team, he was forced to leave in July due to his repeated criticism of the authorities.
A protest movement has rocked Iran since the death on September 16 of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, who died three days after her arrest by vice police in Tehran for allegedly breaking the dress code. strict for women in the Islamic Republic of Iran.