This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/soccer by /u/Sparky-moon on 2026-01-28 12:50:19+00:00.
Original Title: Football player murdered in Iran; authorities demand claim it was an accident in exchange for returning body. Mohammad Hajipour’s body was returned to his family on condition that they declare the football player had died in a traffic accident.
Mohammad Hajipour, a 23-year-old soccer player who played internationally for Iran in beach soccer, was allegedly shot dead by Iranian regime forces during a public demonstration in the city of Rasht.
Iran International reports that the authorities handed Mohammad Hajipour’s body over to his family on condition that they publicly declare that the former footballer had died in a traffic accident.
Mohammad Hajipour, who was studying industrial engineering at Shahrood University of Technology, was currently playing for Shahin Khakbajar.
Iranian soccer players accuse Iranian authorities of mass killings
A group of prominent Iranian soccer players, coaches, referees, and journalists have written an open letter to FIFA accusing the Iranian authorities of mass killings, arrests, and intimidation of civilians and athletes during the national protests earlier this month.
Among the signatories are Ali Karimi, who played 127 games for Iran, Bakhtiar Rahmani, another former World Cup player, along with a coach, a referee, and several journalists.
The letter states that its claims are based on reports from international news organizations such as CBS News and the BBC, documentation from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and UN special rapporteurs, verified reports from Iranian and international journalists, and eyewitness accounts collected by civil society networks and relatives of victims.