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Iran arrests outspoken player amid World Cup scrutiny

FILE — Voria Ghafouri, right, then an Iranian national team soccer player, challenges for a ball with Chile's Alexis Alejandro Sanchez during a friendly soccer match in St. Poelten, Austria, March 26, 2015. The semiofficial Fars and Tasnim news agencies reported on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022, that Iran arrested Ghafouri, a prominent former member of its national soccer team for insulting the national soccer team, which is currently playing in the World Cup, and criticizing the government as authorities grapple with nationwide protests. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak, File)

FILE— Voria Ghafouri, then an Iranian national soccer team player, right, fights for the ball with Iraqi midfielder Hussein Ali, during the AFC Asian Cup soccer match at the Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 16, 2019. The semiofficial Fars and Tasnim news agencies reported on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022, that Iran arrested Ghafouri, a prominent former member of its national soccer team for insulting the national soccer team, which is currently playing in the World Cup, and criticizing the government as authorities grapple with nationwide protests. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)

Iran arrests outspoken player amid World Cup scrutiny