Sources at Sepahan FC have told IranWire that the club’s CEO, Mohammad Reza Saket, has warned all male and female players not to comment on the ongoing protests in Iran on pain of losing their job.
The missive came after one of the Pro League club’s defenders, Mohammad Nejad Mehdi, posted a picture on his Instagram page seemingly in support of the nationwide demonstrations sparked by the killing in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
The photo showed a wall covered with graffiti asking a question first popularized in the 2019 Hong Kong protests: “Who Do You Call When the Police Murders?”
Saket has reportedly told Sepahan players that from this moment on, any comment posted online or interview that touches on the protests will result in their immediate termination and being reported to the IRGC.
Last month, Saket was also elected as a member of the Iranian Football Federation's Board of Directors. He was recently named in connection with a massive corruption case involving Iran’s biggest steel company.
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