Dropped Sardar Azmoun asserts his love for Iran, backs World Cup squad

Lead

Iran's all-time second-leading scorer, Sardar Azmoun, has broken his silence after being left out of the national team's preliminary World Cup squad, posting a heartfelt message on social media in which he proclaims his love for his country and wishes the squad well at the tournament without him.

"I want to speak from the bottom of my heart about some things that many people may not know, or about certain misunderstandings that may have led some to judge me too quickly," the 31-year-old wrote on Wednesday, according to Al Jazeera's report.

Coverage Comparison

Coverage of Azmoun's omission and subsequent response has been led by Al Jazeera, which published two separate reports. The first, published on Saturday, focused on the squad announcement and described Azmoun's absence as "a glaring omission." The second, published after Azmoun's social media post, took a more supportive tone, calling his message "heartfelt" and leading with his declaration of love for Iran.

Both reports agree on the core facts: Azmoun was not included in the 30-man preliminary squad announced on Saturday, and he has been replaced in the attacking line by Mehdi Taremi, who currently plays for Olympiacos in Greece. The squad will be trimmed to 26 players by June 1, per World Cup regulations.

Key Claims

The central question surrounding Azmoun's omission is the reported reason. State news agency IRNA said Azmoun was injured, according to Al Jazeera's second report. However, media reports from March, carried by the Fars News Agency, claimed Azmoun had been expelled from the national team after posting a picture on his Instagram feed of a meeting with Dubai's ruler, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The first Al Jazeera report said the player later removed the picture but was "still lambasted on state TV."

The expulsion claim has not been officially confirmed by the Iranian football federation or by Azmoun himself. Coach Amir Ghalenoei told the Iranian football federation website that selecting the 30 players was "the most difficult technical decision of my coaching career," and that he had chosen players solely on "technical criteria."

Azmoun, who has scored 57 goals in 91 appearances for his country and was part of Iran's squad at the last two World Cups, addressed the accusations of disloyalty in his post without directly confirming or denying the expulsion.

"I have always played for my national team with pride. When we won, I was proud of myself and my teammates. When we didn't, I was more upset than anyone else in the world, just like them," he wrote, per Al Jazeera. "I love football, and I love the good and deserving people of my country, Iran. People whose kindness and unwavering support have always given me energy."

Perspectives

Azmoun's camp, through his social media post, emphasizes his long-standing commitment to the national team and his disappointment at being judged too quickly. The Iranian media reporting, as relayed by Al Jazeera, frames the incident as a disciplinary matter related to his meeting with Dubai's ruler, which was seen as disloyal amid heightened tensions between Iran and the UAE.

The national team's coaching staff, as quoted by the federation website, maintain that selection was based on technical considerations, though they did not address Azmoun's case directly.

Additional Context

The 30-member squad is set to travel to Turkiye on Monday for a training camp in Antalya, where they will play friendlies and complete visa applications before heading to the United States, according to Ghalenoei as quoted by Al Jazeera. Iran's forward line at the World Cup will be led by Taremi, who has played in major European leagues.

Azmoun, who plays club football for Shabab Al-Ahli in Dubai, is part of Iran's Turkmen ethnic minority and has said he received a large financial offer as a teenager to represent another country, as noted in the Al Jazeera report.

As of this writing, Azmoun's message has not been officially commented on by the Iranian football federation, and the injury claim from IRNA remains unverified alongside the expulsion reports. The player's post, however, appears to be an attempt to clarify his position and express his continued affection for the national team and its supporters.