Speak out, left out -- Sardar Azmoun is a glaring omission from Iran squad

Is the former Roma and Bayer Leverkusen striker paying the price for upsetting the regime with his social media activity?

Sardar Azmoun probably does not get the respect he deserves but he has been one of Asia’s top strikers since bursting onto the scene and making his debut for Iran in 2014.

In the decade or so since, the 31-year-old has played 91 games for Team Melli and scored 57 goals. Now, though, he has been left out of the World Cup squad and there are questions as to whether it is a political decision or not.

The smart money is that, yes, it certainly is. Azmoun has not had the best of seasons for Shabab Al-Ahli in the United Arab Emirates (it was said that the reason the horse-loving forward relocated to Dubai in 2024 was because the city is an equestrian hub and he can indulge in his favourite pastime more easily). Injuries for the first half of the season played a part and he has struggled to recapture his sharpness since.

That gives authorities an excuse to keep him out.

His actions and words in the past had upset many in the regime. In 2022, as the death of Mahsa Amini sparked protests around the country, he said. “At worst I’ll be dismissed from the national team,” he wrote on Instagram. “No problem. I’d sacrifice that for one hair on the heads of Iranian women. This story will not be deleted. They can do whatever they want. Shame on you for killing so easily; long live Iranian women.” There were reports that there was pressure put on Carlos Queiroz to leave out the striker from the Qatar World Cup, though Azmoun went.

Then, in January, as protests took place around the country once more, he expressed his support. “As an athlete, I always stand by the people of the country. I wish my people well.”

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It is possible of course, as head coach Amir Ghalenoei says, it was all done for technical, football reasons. It is hard, however, to imagine Azmoun being left out just for that. He has shown goalscoring capabilities that rank along the best in Asia in recent years. Indeed, at his peak, it is hard to think of a better striker on the continent. Had he never signed up for Instagram then, surely, he would be getting ready to go to the United States.

Yet there are others who have made the squad, including Mehdi Taremi the team’s biggest star, who made comments about the regime in the past. Azmoun, however, has posted online since the war with the United States and Israel started on the last day of February, a conflict that has been an existential threat to the regime.

In March, the striker posted a photo of himself with Dubai’s ruler and the Prime Minister of the UAE Mohammed bin Rashid Maktoum with the caption that “I had the pleasure and honour of meeting one of the most successful minds in the world.”

On Telegram, the Iran Revolutionary Guards described it as “cooperation with Iran’s enemies” and noted that the player had remained silent in the face of attacks from the “Americans and the Zionist regime.”

TV pundit Mohammed Misaghi tore into the player.

“It’s unfortunate that you don’t have enough sense to understand what kind of behaviour is appropriate ⁠at a given time,” Misaghi said.

“We should not mince words with such people. They should be ⁠told that they are not worthy of wearing the national team jersey.

“We have no patience for this sulking and childish behaviour. National team players should be people who proudly belt out the national anthem and deserve to wear the Iran jersey.”

A cruel summer

Now Azmoun has time in the coming weeks to reflect on his career. There was some disappointment that after his spells with Bayer Leverkusen and then Roma that he decided to go and sign for Shabab Al-Ahli, a strong team in the region but not exactly a powerhouse. Questions were asked whether he still had the same hunger and whether his love for horses had surpassed his love for football. Only he knows that but he has surely paid the price for his comments.

And this is the fate of the Iranian players over the next few weeks. Iran at the World Cup is going to be a big story and will attract those who care little about the football. Everywhere the squad go, there are going to be questions asked about protests, anthems, the war, the regime —everything.

This annoyed the team and staff back at the 2022 World Cup but this is obviously going to be a whole different ballgame.

Iran have never made it out of the group in six previous appearances but this time, there really seems to be a chance. In normal circumstances, getting through when faced with New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt should be well within Team Melli’s capabilities. But if any team has off-pitch distractions, it is Iran.

Azmoun may find that he is better off out of it all.