Iranian soccer legend says family was removed from flight

Iranian soccer legend Ali Daei said that authorities removed his family from an international flight amid his support of the anti-government demonstrations in his native country. 

An Iranian state-run news agency reported on Monday that Daei’s wife, Mona Farokhazari, and their daughter were removed from their flight after their plane rerouted to land at Iran’s Kish Island, where Farokhazari and her daughter got off the plane. 

Daei said that his wife and daughter were traveling from the Iranian capital of Tehran to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, to join him for a vacation, according to BBC News. 

Daei, who spent five seasons competing in Germany’s top soccer league Bundesliga, also said that he did not know that his family was barred from leaving the country. 

“Had they been banned (from leaving), the passport police system should have shown it,” the 53-year-old soccer legend said. “No-one has given me an answer about this.”

The surprise removal comes after Daei has expressed support of the ongoing anti-government protests in the country, urging the government through an Instagram post in September to solve the problems Iranian people are facing rather than using repressive measures, violence and arrests against them. 

“Those who talk about revolution and the dreams of martyrs, do they know that these dreams are poverty, corruption, prostitution, embezzlement and…. It has not been and we cannot correct ourselves,” Daei, a former captain of the Iranian national soccer team, wrote in his post. 

Iran’s government has cracked down on waves of protests in recent months sparked by the death of 22-year-old Iranian national Mahsa Amini. Protesters are calling for an end to violence and discrimination toward women in the country, and in some cases the overthrow of the ruling regime.

Amini died in police custody in September after being arrested by authorities for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly, which violated Iran’s strict rules on female dress codes.

Amini’s death has also garnered international attention, with countries including the U.S. condemning Iran for its treatment of women and the deadly tactics it has used to disperse demonstrators.

Along with Daei, Iranian authorities have also barred several celebrities from leaving the country for their support of the protests, BBC News reported. Human rights activists said that more than 500 individuals have been killed and thousands of others have been arrested during the duration of the protests.