Thursday, October 6, 2022 at 15:15• Wessel Antes

The Champions League match between FC Porto and Bayer Leverkusen (2-0) was not shown on Iranian television on Tuesday evening, the Portuguese reported. A Bola. Normally the matches of Porto striker and folk hero Mehdi Taremi are fully broadcast on the Iranian state channels, but this time there was censorship. Taremi openly took it up on social media for the people in Iran a week ago.

In the homeland of the 30-year-old Porto striker, it has been unsettled for months because of the persecution of women who do not cover their heads properly. Recently, a young woman had to pay for this with death, as a result of the conservative and religious policy in the strict Islamic country. Taremi blacked out his Instagram page as a symbol against violence and censorship in Iran. Feyenoord player Alireza Jahanbakhsh also took part in this action against the Iranian regime.

The statements of support for the Iranian people are not appreciated by everyone. In response to Taremi’s reports, the regime has now decided not to broadcast striker matches in Iran. Whether the regime will boycott the entire World Cup on television is now open to question. The Iranian selection stands behind the people and has openly spoken out against the authoritarian government. Iran is this winter for the third time in a row at the World Cup.

There were also expressions of support for the Iranian people in the stadium of Porto on Tuesday. A cheerleader from the Portuguese top club kept the Iranian flag in the air in the ninth minute (Taremi’s number). Taremi’s fans in Iran also had to miss a good game from their hero: the right leg was involved in both goals with an assist. Taremi is currently the most popular football player in Iran and has a whopping 4.6 million followers on Instagram.