A symbolic tribute. Luciano Spalletti, the coach of Napoli in Serie A, appeared at a pre-match press conference on Friday (Napoli-Torino, Saturday 3 p.m.) with two roses in his hand. The Italian technician wanted to honor the memory of Mahsa Amini and Hadis Najafi, young women victims of repression in Iran.
“They must remember Mahsa Amini and Hadith Najafi, I won’t say more,”
Said Luciano Spalletti to explain the presence of these roses.
Dozens of protesters killed
Iran has been rocked by a harshly suppressed protest movement since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini , three days after her arrest by morality police. This young Kurdish woman had been arrested for breaking Iran’s strict dress code, which notably requires women to wear the Islamic veil. The power, which denies any involvement of the police in this death, castigates the demonstrators treated as “rioters”.
In these demonstrations, several dozen people were killed, including Hadis Najafi. If confusion has arisen over the highly symbolic images of a young woman tying her hair , Hadis Najafi, 20, lost his life after having, according to local media, been hit by several bullets fired by the police.
This repression, condemned by the Western international community, was also denounced by the national men’s football team . During the selection gathering, the players of “Team Melli” wore a black parka devoid of any crest, then hid their jerseys when the teams were presented before a friendly match against Senegal in Germany.
On Friday evening, still in Germany, Bayern Munich supporters unfurled two banners in support of Iranian center forward Sardar Azmoun , playing for Bayer Leverkusen. “Life, Woman, Freedom!”, They notably displayed in Farsi, to use the slogan of the demonstrators. Earlier this week, the player had posted messages in support of the protest movement.
Source: Julien Absalon
