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The original was posted on /r/soccer by /u/Sparky-moon on 2026-01-23 13:48:43+00:00.
The bloody crackdown on protests in Iran has also affected the world of football. According to several reports, including the Persian Soccer account, which follows local soccer, a professional player was killed by the authorities during the waves of protests against the ruling regime. The young goalkeeper Salar Behdari (20), who played for Aluminium Arak FC, was shot dead.
A bullet to the heart and neck
“We are saddened to report the first confirmed death of a Persian Gulf Pro League player,” said the Persian Soccer account. “Salar Behdari was only 20 years old and played as a goalkeeper for Aluminium Arak FC. He was shot in the heart and neck by the Islamic Republic’s death squads for protesting. A promising young Iranian footballer with his whole life ahead of him—another young life cut short by the massacre in Iran.”
According to initial figures released by the regime, 3,117 people were killed during the deadly crackdown on anti-government protests in Iran between December 28 and mid-January. Many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) believe this figure to be greatly underestimated. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency has recorded at least 4,560 deaths. But the total could be much higher. A journalist in Tehran reported on January 9 that the death toll had “reached 5,000, at the very least.” The final toll could even exceed 20,000.
A wave of protests, unprecedented since 1979, has been rocking the Islamic Republic for several weeks.