A message of solidarity
Upon scoring a goal for Chennaiyin against East Bengal, Iranian centre-back Vafa Hakhamaneshi unveiled a message to India and the rest of the world to show his support for the Iranian people in their clash against their government.
Women. Life. Freedom.
The three words Iran’s Vafa Hakhamaneshi has been thinking about day and night for the last two weeks. He has been desperate to get on the scoresheet to unveil this message to India and the world. One can understand the desperation of the centre-back, whose last goal was in 2019 and whose primary job is to help keep clean sheets.
On Friday, Chennaiyin FC was goalless against East Bengal at the Salt Lake Stadium. Vafa, who was on a booking, took up his place for a Chennaiyin corner kick in the 69th minute and rose high to head in his first goal for the club. When the ball went in, he “forgot everything” that happened before. He pulled up his jersey over his head to reveal the message: “Women. Life. Freedom.”
Vafa received a second yellow and was sent off for his gesture. FIFA rules state that a player can be cautioned for taking off his shirt or covering the head with a shirt during a goal celebration. Fortunately for Vafa, his goal turned out to be the match-clincher as his team-mates saw out the win.
For Vafa, the goal and the celebration meant more than just a win. He wanted to use this moment and the platform to highlight what was happening back in his home. “This celebration is about the situation in Iran,” he says. Iran is in turmoil with statesponsored violence and discrimination against its citizens, especially women.
Women are not allowed to enter stadiums by the government, a rule which contravenes FIFA’S criteria. There have been widespread calls from Iranian footballers and sports personalities to FIFA to suspend the national football federation and even ban Iran from this month’s World Cup in Qatar.
“I was only thinking about the celebration. For two weeks, I was waiting day and night for the moment: to score and get this message out. After I scored the goal, I forgot everything and only wanted to show the message,” says the 31-year-old.
“It [celebration] was a voice for my people from the outside. Everything in Iran is now blocked. The internet and social media are blocked. The TV channels, I think, are not true now. They only speak about the government; the TV channels are controlled by the government. This was needed – for people who live or work outside Iran to show a little bit about how the situation is in Iran and about this liberation,” says Vafa.
And his message has travelled far and wide over the last 24 hours. “I have received so many messages on Instagram, Whatsapp and Telegram. So many messages,” says Vafa. “I have gotten messages not only from Iran, but from Germany, Brazil, America, and India.
They messaged me saying they protect me, that they are with me, and everybody now knows about the situation in Iran. So, many famous people on social media in both Iran and other countries have received my message and they have put my message as their story on Instagram. This is a good way to show the situation in Iran.”
People in Iran are divided over whether Iran should play the World Cup. Vafa, however, wants to see their countrymen take up the issue on the biggest stage of them all. “This a good way to show everybody. The
football World Cup is very famous, and everybody is looking at this stage. Last week, Esteghlal won the Iran Super Cup and decided not to celebrate in protest. I want the Iranian players to play the World Cup and show everybody about the situation (sic),” he says.
His manager Thomas Brdaric rallied behind his player after the match. “The red card is a pity. These are rules but you can’t close your eyes to these situations. It was a clear message for the whole world and what he did was for the people in his own country. It’s disappointing what is happening there and I hope maybe that ISL and the federation [AIFF] don’t close their eyes and switch on their heads and tolerate these situations,” Brdaric says.
On Saturday, the club posted a tweet – ‘Together. Always.” – with a picture of Brdaric and Vafa embracing each other as a sign of solidarity within the camp for the Iranian’s cause.
Dream come true
Football fandom gripped the city of Nizams as Hyderabad FC pulled in fans young and old to throng the stadium. Although the G. M. C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium wasn’t chock-a-block, boys and girls felt the buzz of live football while the youth soaked in the atmosphere. Watching a live game in a big group, for many, was a dream come true.
Hyderabad FC’S home game against FC Goa witnessed scores of supporters donning yellow jerseys, suspending banners, and waving yellow flags.
More than 9,000 enthusiastic fans cheered the home side by playing drums and cymbals, all the while chanting, ‘Let’s Go Hyderabad, Let’s Go!’
In a thriller, Hyderabad FC goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani added the cherry on the cake with a last-minute save and ensured the home crowd witnessed a super Saturday. Young fans left the stadium exchanging high-fives, displaying promising signs of love and long-time commitment for the beautiful game.
It was another week of exciting football across Europe’s top five leagues.
Premier League goal of the fortnight
The Premier League saw some good goals but the one from Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans stood out in quality. His screamer against Everton in the 45th minute helped Leicester bag a 2-0 win at Goodison Park.
Everton failed to clear the ball from a Leicester attack and the ball fell to Tielemans on the right edge of the box. He controlled the ball by cushioning it with his chest and then dispatched a venomous shot that rattled the net after hitting the underside of the crossbar. Everton keeper Jordan Pickford had no chance of saving that.
Premier League save of the fortnight
Alisson’s save for Liverpool against Tottenham Hotspur wasn’t extraordinary but important.
By the 48th minute of the contest, Liverpool had taken a 2-0 lead courtesy of a Mohamed Salah brace. Spurs had a big chance to score its first from a corner and Eric Dier, whose first-half error led to Salah’s second, had a chance to redeem himself. Alisson not only blocked a close-range header but also held on to the ball to ensure the scoreline remained 2-0. Harry Kane later did pull one back from Tottenham, but Liverpool held on to bag the three points – it was Liverpool’s first win in three games.
The Arteta way
Arsenal showed yet again why it is a serious title contender this season. Gabriel Magalhaes’ goal against Chelsea gifted all three points to the Gunners and sent them back to the top of the table with 34 points.
Newcastle United, under Eddie Howe, is steadily making progress. With a 4-1 win against Southampton, the Magpies climbed to third in the table.
La Liga goal of the fortnight
Ousmane Dembele’s brilliant solo effort in the 48th minute got Barcelona the first of its two goals in a 2-0 win against Almeria. Using a perfect balance of pace and close control, Dembele made his way into the Almeria box, beat a couple of defenders, and slotted the ball in the bottom-left corner.
La Liga save of the fortnight
The best save also comes from Barcelona’s win over Almeria. In the 29th minute, with the scoreline 0-0, De Jong lost the ball with a loose pass on the halfway line. Largie Ramazani cut it out and burst towards the Barca goal. One-on-one with Ter Stegen, Ramazani tried to fire it around the goalkeeper, but the Barca keeper made a save with his trailing leg to prevent Almeria from scoring the opening goal.
Pique’s farewell
Barcelona’s match against Almeria at Camp Nou was the farewell match of long-time servant of the club, Gerard Pique. He was making his 616th appearance for the club. He bid a tearful goodbye to the Camp Nou crowd, promising to return in another capacity. It was a good farewell as Barcelona won and climbed to the top of the points table.
Bundesliga goal of the fortnight
Youssoufa Moukoko’s opening goal for Borussia Dortmund in the eighth minute against VFM Bochum was a sight to behold. Showing great determination to hold the ball despite pressure, he used his strength to escape his marker. He then ran at the Bochum defence and lashed a shot from outside the box. The ball flew into the top corner, leaving the keeper with no chance. Moukoko scored a brace in a 3-0 win for Dortmund.
Bundesliga save of the fortnight
Bayern Munich clinched a 3-2 win against Hertha Berlin, and it had keeper Manuel Neuer to thank for that win. Neuer made
some crucial saves in the game, the best one coming in the 27th minute.
The ball was snatched from Davie Selke of Hertha with a good challenge from Dayot Upamecano, but the danger hadn’t been averted. It fell to Marco Richter at the edge of the box and he went for the lob in an attempt to beat Neuer, who was off his line. However, the veteran keeper went back and tipped the ball out of play – it was an excellent fingertip save. With the win,
Bayern kept the top spot.
Serie A goal of the fortnight
Olivier Giroud scored an 89th-minute winner to give Milan a 2-1 win against Spezia. He did so stylishly. Sandro Tonali, who himself had a stunning goal cancelled out, found Giroud with a pinpoint, chipped delivery at the far post from the edge of the box. Giroud, seeing that he was under pressure, improvised and went for an acrobatic leftfooted volley, and the ball ended up at the back of the net. Such was the occasion that Giroud forgot that he was on a yellow card. He took his shirt off to celebrate for which he saw a second yellow and was sent off.
Serie A save of the fortnight
Napoli keeper Alex Meret made a crucial save in his team’s 2-1 win against Atalanta. It was just the third minute in the match when Ademola Lookman squared the ball to Rasmus Hojlund, who had done well to keep himself onside. One-on-one with Meret, Hojlund tried to beat the keeper at his near-post with a powerful, grounded shot, but Meret showed his excellent reflexes to get down in time and make the save from a close distance. With the win, Napoli kept the top spot in the table.
Lazio has the last laugh
The Lazio vs AS Roma match – known as the Rome Derby – is one of the fiercest derbies in the world. In a battle of wits between managers Maurizio Sarri and Jose Mourinho, Sarri had the last laugh. Felipe Anderson’s 29th-minute goal clinched a 1-0 win for Lazio.
Ligue 1 goal of the fortnight
Danilo Pereira’s headed goal for Paris Saint-germain against Lorient wasn’t out of the ordinary but a crucial one. With the score locked at 1-1, PSG had a corner in the 81st minute, and Danilo towered over everyone else to head the ball into the net to make it 2-1 for PSG.
PSG, which was without the services of Lionel Messi due to injury, bagged the win and maintained top spot in the table.
Ligue 1 save of the fortnight
Nice defeated Brest 1-0 but it was Brest’s keeper Marco Bizot who pulled off arguably the best save of the Ligue 1 match week. Mario Lemina of Nice caught his shot wonderfully. The ball was flying into the top-left corner. It would have been a goal-of-themonth contender had it gone in; instead, Bizot flung himself to make an acrobatic save and tip the ball over the bar.