The defender Armin Sohrabianowner of one of the most prestigious clubs in Iran was suspended after a video was published in which he is seen with a glass of alcohol, violating that country’s regulations against the consumption of alcoholic beverages, according to a local media report this Sunday.
«Armin Sohrabian has been temporarily removed from the Esteghlal squad after the dissemination of a controversial video,» he reported to the Fars press agency.
In the video, which went viral on social networks, the footballer appears with a drink in his hand in a room with a table on which there are several bottles, apparently alcoholic.
The 30-year-old defender He debuted professionally in 2014 and he came to play for his national team. He has been playing at Esteghlal, the club that has just removed him from the professional squad since this season.
After the controversy unleashed by the images released, Sohrabian apologized this Saturday at night through a message on Instagram, arguing that the video was «from several years ago.» Alcohol consumption has been prohibited in Iran since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, a measure that also applies to foreigners.
In recent weeks, Iranian authorities have closed several cafes and restaurants for selling alcohol to their customers.
Armin Sohrabian, the Iranian who was suspended by Esteghlal.
Less than two weeks ago, another footballer suspended for a video
On Tuesday the 11th, Iranian Justice opened a court case against footballer Saeid Karimi and his wife for a wedding video published on social networks where the woman can be seen without the Islamic veil. «Indecorous conduct,» says the court ruling for the video in which she is seen in shorts. The uploaded image is of the couple kissing.
After the publication of the video where the Malaván club player can be seen, an official investigation was opened in the Anzali Prosecutor’s Office, as announced by the attorney general of the province of Guilán, Kamaleddin Musavi, reported the IRNA agency.
The prosecutor denounced that the video in which Karimi appears with his wife is «contrary to public morality.»
The video edited on the occasion of Karimi’s wedding shows his now wife without the Islamic veil and dressed in the kit of the club that the player represents, Malaván. He’s on the stand.
Last Monday, a presenter on Iranian state television criticized the publication of the video and the use of the Malaván uniform and a football field to record a wedding video clip, and demanded «firm action» by the competent authorities and the Ethics Committee of the Iranian Football Federation.
The judicial authority indicated that the images were released by one of the members of the filming team «without the couple’s authorization,» so the player in turn denounced the production company for publishing the video.
With information from EFE
