Last June, Mohsen Forouzan, a goalkeeper formerly with Tehran’s Esteghlal Football Club, posted a photo on Instagram to announce his engagement to Iranian model Nasim Nahali. The photo quickly triggered reactions since Nahali was unveiled and the timing of the post coincided with the holy month of Ramadan. The Young Journalists Club, which is affiliated with Iran’s state broadcaster, immediately described it as “a matter far [removed] from Sharia and ethics.”
Almost one year later, on May 23, the Iranian Football Federation’s Ethics Committee issued a ruling to suspend Forouzan from all official soccer activities for three months. The reason for the move was described as due to “materialistic measures adopted by his wife” that “had circulated in social media networks and later in public opinion, without observing Islamic principles and ethics and thus harming the credibility of football and the good reputation of the Football Federation among the public.”
