"Ali Daei" and the unprecedented criticism of politics and people's livelihoods

Ali Daei, former captain of the national team, criticized high prices, foreign policy, inflation, and non-transparent decisions, warning about the difficult living conditions of the people.

Ali Daei, the captain and former head coach of the Iranian national football team, in an interview that is said to have been detailed but only parts of which have been leaked, has painted a candid and bitter picture of the current situation in the country; a picture that, although it does not directly refer to the street protests, is clearly understandable in the context of the recent economic upheaval and widespread dissatisfaction with livelihoods.

The interview took place on Monday, January 5, and was reportedly deleted from Ali Daei's personal platforms just minutes after it was published. However, its content was published by some domestic media outlets and parts of the interview video were widely circulated on social media, indicating that Daei's statements were more sensitive than a simple sports conversation.

In this interview, Daei speaks openly about the living conditions for the first time during the current uprising that began with the jump in the dollar rate and unprecedented economic pressure on the people. Without directly referring to the protests, he sees the roots of many crises in macro-policies and the inattention of officials to the daily lives of the people.

The star of the golden years of Iranian football, emphasizing the need to change conditions for the benefit of the people and to strive to create a "better Iranian," specifically addresses the issue of inflation, including the increase in gasoline prices, and offers explicit criticisms that are rarely heard from well-known sports figures.

He introduces sanctions as one of the factors that exacerbate economic pressure on the people, but at the same time he points to the deep class divide and the exploitation of these conditions by a certain group; a group that Daei refers to as “the Aghazadeh.” In part of the interview, referring to a person whose name he does not reveal, he says: “He who changed his name to Hector, it is clear that sanctions are a blessing for him, and what a blessing.”

Daei continues to consider the country's foreign policy the main cause of the economic crisis and says in a harsh and unprecedented tone: "I think that even if we went to the cave, even if we were the companions of the cave, when we came out, we would not have witnessed such events. Until we fix our foreign policy, we will not be able to improve the country's economic situation. Is it possible that the dollar has doubled in the past year? How can our officials rest their heads and sleep comfortably? Perhaps many of them are not Iranians who do not feel sorry for the Iranian nation."

Referring to the common projections in the face of crises, he describes the living conditions of the people as indefensible and says: "Whatever happens, they blame the people. Is it possible to live on 30-40 million tomans now? I should cry, but I laugh that Afghanistan has appointed someone as the head of its central bank who has neither education nor literacy, but there is no inflation there, but in our country we have inflation of over 80 percent annually."

Another part of Daei's criticism is about Iranian President Masoud Pezzekian, where he considers the increase in gasoline prices not as an honor, but as a sign of distancing himself from the people. Daei said in this regard: "Mr. Pezzekian's honor is that he says that I am the only government that increased gasoline prices. Is this an honor? How can you distance yourself from the people, but be popular in their hearts? Is such a thing possible?"

In part of this interview, Daei also implicitly criticizes non-sporting interference in Iranian football; an issue that has been raised by football people for years but has rarely been expressed with such clarity from a national figure: "Decisions are made that are outside of football."

Ali Daei's statements, especially in a situation where many prominent figures prefer to remain silent, have once again established his position as more than a sports legend; a figure who speaks not from the football field, but from the context of society and the pressures of people's lives. Although the interview was quickly deleted, the reactions to it show that the voice that comes from the hearts of the people is not so easily silenced.