TEHRAN: Iran has confiscated the passport of former star footballer Ali Daei, local media reported Monday, after he criticized the “repression” of protests over Mahsa Amini’s death.
Iran has been gripped by nationwide demonstrations since the 22-year-old Kurdish woman’s death was announced on September 16, three days after she was arrested in Tehran for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code.
Daei on September 27 called on Iran’s government to “solve the problems of the Iranian people rather than using repression, violence and arrests.”
“The confiscation of Ali Daei’s passport is due to what he has written on Instagram in response to the death of Mahsa Amini,” reformist paper Hammihan reported.
Nicknamed “Shahriar” (king in Farsi), the former forward held the record for most international goals scored, at 109, until September 2021, when Cristiano Ronaldo overtook him.
Daei, 52, was one of Iran’s first players to compete in a European league, having played in the Bundesliga, first with Arminia Bielefeld before joining Bayern Munich then Hertha Berlin.
Hertha on Sunday tweeted that it was “dismayed looking at the current situation in Iran. Our former player Ali Daei is no longer permitted to leave the country because he has come out in favor of women’s rights.”
In remarks to the sports website Varzesh3 on Sunday, Daei’s brother Mohammad said: “Ali has given his whole life to raise the flag of Iran, he loves the country and its people and always speaks the truth.
“What happened to Ali is regrettable.”
A number of Iranian sportsmen as well as actors and filmmakers have thrown their weight behind the demonstrations, asking authorities to listen to the people’s demands.
On Thursday, local media reported that former Bayern Munich midfielder Ali Karimi was facing prosecution over his support for the protests.
The authorities have also seized the passports of singer Homayoun SHajjarian and his wife, actress Sahar Dolatshahi, as well as that of filmmaker Mehran Modiri, the ILNA news agency reported Sunday.
On September 30, Iranian authorities arrested former football player Hossein Mahini over his support for the protests, accusing him of “encouraging riots.” He was reportedly released on bail early last week.
Iran seizes passport of star footballer Ali Daei for backing protests
https://arab.news/gpecy
Iran seizes passport of star footballer Ali Daei for backing protests
- Daei, 52, was one of Iran’s first players to compete in a European league
Amman ranks among world’s top cities after first Quality of Life Index
- Jordanian capital second Arab city to be ranked in UN-backed index after Saudi Arabia’s Madinah
AMMAN: Jordan’s capital Amman has completed its first Quality of Life Index, ranking among the world’s leading cities to be assessed under the globally recognized framework, it was reported on Monday.
As a result, the city has become only the second in the Arab world — after Saudi Arabia’s Madinah — to be ranked in the program.
The Greater Amman Municipality said the city placed 10th globally out of 100 participating cities, with its index set to be officially listed on the international Quality of Life platform, the Jordan News Agency reported.
The assessment was developed in collaboration with the Quality of Life Initiative of the UN Human Settlements Programme — known as UN-Habitat — to advance urban well-being and human-centered development.
The Quality of Life Index combines objective data with residents’ perceptions, using global well-being indicators alongside local measures, offering a comprehensive picture of daily life.
The index measures performance across nine key areas: basic services, mobility, culture and recreation, education, environment, economy, governance, health and well-being, and housing and social cohesion.
Yousef Shawarbeh, the mayor of Amman, said the initiative aimed to support the city’s long-term vision of becoming a prosperous, inclusive and sustainable urban center, Petra reported.
He added that the index provided deeper insight into residents’ lived experiences and would help guide policymaking to improve quality of life.
Akram Khraisat, director of the Amman Urban Observatory, said the city’s participation marked a major step toward data-driven urban planning.
He added that the index would enable the municipality to better prioritize services, promote inclusive development, and assess the impact of policies on residents’ well-being, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Officials said the initiative complemented a range of ongoing development projects in the capital, including public transport improvements, participatory greening and urban agriculture schemes, climate action planning, digital transformation initiatives and the Greater Amman Municipality Strategic Plan 2022–2026.
