The former international striker said his wife and daughter were traveling from Tehran to Dubai when the flight was diverted.
Iranian football legend Ali Daei said a plane traveling from Tehran to Dubai was rerouted and his wife and daughter had to leave, according to Iranian news agencies.
Daei – one of Iran’s most famous footballers and a former German Bundesliga striker, whose 109 goals at international level were long surpassed until Cristiano Ronaldo overtook him – for knew his wife and daughter had flown on a Mahan Air flight, which had taken off from the Iranian capital’s Imam. Khomeini Airport on Monday, bound for Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, Iran’s Student News Agency (ISNA) reported.
But the plane was rerouted and landed on the Iranian island of Kish in the Gulf, where “Ali Daei’s wife and daughter got off the plane”, state news agency IRNA said.
Daei – the one who has expressed support for the protest movement has rocked Iran since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, after she was arrested by the ethics police in Tehran for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code for women – said he was trying to arrange for his family to return to Tehran.
“My daughter and wife were removed from the flight, but they were not arrested,” Daei said, according to an ISNA report.
“If they get banned [from leaving], the passport police system should have shown it: No one gave me an answer for this. I really don’t know what the reason for this is,” he said.
He added: “My wife and daughter are going to Dubai for a few days and back.
Flight tracking website Flightradar24 shows Mahan Air flight W563 being diverted to Kish Island before continuing on to Dubai a few hours later.
Citing the judiciary, IRNA said that “Daei’s wife has committed to informing the relevant organizations of her decision before leaving the country,” after they were “associated with opposing groups.” the Islamic revolution and the rioters and called for a strike”.
There was no comment from the airline or Iranian authorities.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency, believed to be close to the Revolutionary Guards, said a travel ban was imposed on Daei’s wife earlier this month because she support for protests. It says she illegally tried to get around the ban without explaining the details and that her final destination was the United States. The reports do not name his wife or daughter, who are not public figures.
Protests have gripped Iran since the September death of Iranian-Kurdish Amini.
Daei, on September 27, used social media to urge the government to “solve the problems of the Iranian people instead of using repression, violence and arrest”.
In October, Daei told Agence France-Presse news agency that his passport was confiscated by police when he returned from abroad, before being returned to him a few days later.
In early December, his jewelry store and restaurant in Tehran’s fashionable north were sealed off, with local media reporting they had been ordered to close for “collaborating with counter-revolutionary groups”. network in cyberspace to disrupt the peace and business of the market”.
Daei – who had an illustrious career playing in Iran’s 2-1 World Cup win over the United States in 1998 – said he had been targeted by threats after backing the protests over the United States. Amini’s death.
Protests have spread across the country and pose the biggest challenge to Iranian authorities in decades. At least 507 protesters were killedand more than 18,500 people have been arrested, according to Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI), a group that has been closely monitoring the unrest.
Iranian authorities have not released figures on those killed or detained.
Leaderless protesters, rallying under the slogan “women, life, freedom”, say they are fed up after decades of social and political repression by the authorities.
Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign rivals such as the US and Israel.
