The Footballer Who's Family Was Taken 

thank you so much Zealand for being our voice and covering this story

As an Iranian and long-time subscriber for your channel, I truly thank you for covering all these matters which are happening in Iran.

thanks for covering this, its insane whats happening in iran and people are barely hearing about it

Its so wonderful seeing you talk so openly about it, as an Iranian, it makes me so proud. Not enough media are picking up on stories from the country.

thank you zealand for being our voice, Ali Daei is not only the king of Iran's football but he is one of the best sports and human beings and it's just mind blowing how the government is treating this legend. with so much love, from Iran

This reminds me of Matthias Sindelar - an exceptional footballer who uses his standing to fight for what's good. Someone who could have that cushy life of being a puppet but chooses to put his safety on the line for a more important cause. I truly wish Daei a better ending than Sindelar - let's hope that people are loud and vigilant enough to prevent that particular fate.

Hi Zealand. I’ve been following you since fm20, and I remember you talking once about how you studied history in college. I’m currently in college studying history and like you love relating football to other more important things. You’re really an inspiration for me and I think you produce great, informative videos that give voice to people. Doubt you will see this but I’m the off chance you do, thank you and keep up the great work!

It is easy for me to post my views as a 'nobody', but it means a lot when someone like Daei to speak out. Respect.

I'm an atheist, but can we just talk about the whole "ISLAM IS VIOLENT!" argument? Watching the Iranian people fight its government for its human rights violations is proof that Islam is not an inherently violent religion. We should all rally behind Iran. I know people still have a lot of disdain for the Muslim world due to its majority-held views on homosexuality and gender identity, among other things, but Rome wasn't built in a day. Let us support the Iranian people, show them Western kindness, and perhaps we can have a discussion about their views on more "controversial" topics some ways down the line. Also thank you Zealand, for opening up this dialogue.

Thanks ever so much Zealand for being our voice

These bigger than football vids are not only needed but are fantastic to watch. Keep up the good work

This is heartbreaking to hear but it's great that someone like Ali diez isn't afraid to use is voice to speak out

As an Iranian, I thank you for this video. Ali Daei is a hero not just for his heroics inside the football field but also for his humanitarian stance in the recent weeks.

As an longtime Arminia Bielefeld fan, I remember him as a fantastic legend. Sad what's happened to him, and to the hole of Iran

I started watching Z for the FM content but honestly have been more impressed with his knowledge of geography and world history. I really respect how thoughtful you can explain these things and show interest towards many parts of the world.

Thank you for being our voice and shining a light on Ali Daei and also Ali Karimi and all those heroes who are standing with the people these days against this tyranny. Best wishes from Iran. #WomanLifeFreedom #IranProtests

Thank you so much for your coverage we really appreciate it ❤

Can you do another video on Hao Haidong, China’s top scorer. Now completely erased from history and branded a “traitor to the motherland”. Eerie similarities with Ali Daei.

Great video Z, it's important the world knows as much as possible what is happening in Iran atm. Shared on FB and the 🐦 app

Ali Daei is the man who played for Bayern. That's huge.

Great Video Z.

He was amazing at Arminia Bielefeld, this is just disgraceful. Read about it first when the club posted on the matter..

The problem is that I am not surprised 😥

Nice video Zealand. Love the FM content but I also really like these journalistic videos and would be happy to see more of them. Well constructed and very eloquent. I appreciate your hard work to entertain and educate me. Thanks.

Good on you Zealand for doing a video like this. Fair play pal

Great job! Fights against any regime require an external support. I'm from a country that also have been in similar situation a few decades ago. Speaking loud about what is happing in Iran is, I think, the best form of support you could choose right now. Some censors will have more work now. I wish a lot of strength to the Iranian people in their fight for their rights!

Thank you for telling us about this issue.

Hopefully the horrible situation in this country will stop soon and no nore casualties will come from it.

Thanks for being a voice, Z.

Great video Z. Nice to see you tackling social injustice. Hopefully the Iranian people win this struggle and Ali's family is returned safely

Great video Z, thank you.

Thank you Zealand, thank you for bringing attention to the ongoing tragedy, your voice means a lot

loving that you're covering this story this isn't the first time and won't be the last time that stories like this get covered up by iranian government. I was already a fan of you zealand after your initial coverage of the qatar world cup but this just made me a much more loyal fan, I love that you do all your videos without being biased toward any particular team.

Hi to all. As usual, a (very) long post here (because covering a few topics in one sitting ... mainly, the link between sports and politics, and the fact that playing with star ratings in FM is more realistic, ha). Sorry, but trying to bring a bit of light-heartedness into serious topics is the very reason why humans needed humo(u)r to cope with life. Anyway, kindly bear with me ... Have read through all of the ... currently 121 comments. Sad to see the current state of affairs in ... let us just say, the middle-eastern regions. The guy talking about the US assassination of Iran's leader in the 1950s isnt wrong. So is the guy talking about China's suppression of their ... well, also anyone who doesnt toe their official lines, so to speak. And others ... but I like to point this out - no country is perfect. Iran has their problems, the current big Two (US/China) theirs ... Generally, the social context is very different, and we need to keep this in mind. There is no truly right or wrong answer(s) ... And, my side used to have social science professors giving talks in seminars on sports and politics. Very specifically, football or soccer. Arab Spring is a direct result of the spectators in stadiums spilling over into the streets, hoping to force reforms. 1. Governments tend to understand this, and hence always using sports-folks to manipulate public sentiments. But, the sports-folks like Ali Daei knew the same over time, and tried to use their fame for good. He is literally battle-hardened, and ... really hope he can survive through it. Assassination is always the easiest way out, sigh. Ultimately, it is ... 2. human nature. The top to suppress and control, the bottom to rebel over unfairness, perceived rightly or wrongly (always remember - there are always manipulation). Another comment here wrote too - the common people like us dont want anything to do with all these fighting. We would just like to play FM in peace, and leave our "fights" to the discussions about the game. 3. I would insist that the star ratings are important for me, because I like to pretend that as a legendary manager, still I have to listen to feedback to my wonderful coaches who understand the players and my system, ha. And also because I cannot see the CA/PA numbers in the game without using an editor, ha. 4. Been a good person is hard enough. Let's confine our fights into battling our personal demons, and try to spread love (Metta) to all. 5. It is so sad to see in 2023 that with 3D printing and all, so many parts of the world are still living in non-ideal conditions. Food been thrown away overnight because otherwise the prices would gone down, meaning profits. Bags and jewelry and the iPhones costing more than another human's annual wages. I can go on, but ... yah. 6. The modern world in 2023 is by-and-by the mostl materially comfortable human era actually, but ... nowhere are humans living in bliss, even relatively. 1st or 3rd world or developing world, most, if not all, of us are the same, struggling to live in inner peace. But, glad to see someone like Z doing these videos. Really, do a few on China sports too, just to balance it up, ha. Not from China, by the way, ha. ... Don't know why I typed all these words, to be frank. Have given up on this world years ago, to the point I stopped reading news totally for years. Too much manipulation ... Just trying to live in peace nowadays, practising cultivating virtue and meditation. If FM20 isnt free during covid, my last played version would be FM2006, ha ... Perhaps I am trying to say this - 7. There are both sides of the coin. Most humans fail to understand this. Just keep on doing point 4. May all be well. Metta.

Gonna have to be the guy....after what your gov did to Iran (you did study history right...1953...), maybe you should highlight that also as a direct repurcussion of present state Iran. Maybe the good ole US of A should assinate another Iranian leader perhaps, might have the right outcome this time?

this is heartbreaking and totally disgusting and unacceptable to hear, don't really hear enough people talking about this situation. my thoughts go to all those involved who are standing up for what is right.

I never leave comments on RU-vid videos. this is my first! I have always been a fan of your videos. this video is on another level though! Thank you for using your fan base to be the voice of us, Iranian people. Thank you Zealand

This is so messed up. Thanks, Z, for spreading this news, let the world not be oblivious to the injustice happening in Iran.

im actually disappointed that im seeing a video like this about my country. it pains me to see other people from other countries see my country like this. hopefully some day these scumbags just vanish from my country and we have a peaceful and flourishing country

Please Zealand make a video on the Serie a Juventus process farce. that would be entertaining.

You're such a great youtuber. The stories you cover and the way you cover them are really interesting.

Great content

Thank you sooo much for talking about this Zea We Love You ❤️

My God What a Video! You keep raising the standards. Excellent work!!! Loving this content

It is in times like this people really show what they stand for and where their priorities lie. And I can say with nothing but respect,Ali Daei will be on the right side of history. Hope not only he but all yhe protestors are safe and may their revolution win one day or the other ❤

The fact that no one is talking about the plane grounding is insane to me. Remember when Belarus stopped a plane and forced a landing to arrest dissenters? It was a big fucking deal.

My dude, huge freaking respect for this amazing video and the passion you spoke with. Cheers!

Great video, Zealand. Brilliant use of your platform the spread awareness of this issue.

Everybody pretending to be a hero until this dude shows up

I greatly appreciate your support and for being the voice of millions of Iranians, as an Iranian myself. This is huge, not only because it tells a story of what Iranians are going through at the moment, but also because everyday we wake up uncertain about us being able to connect to the free world wide internet, as nearly all the VPNs are being blocked by the regime in Iran. Nearly all social platforms (namely Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, RU-vid, etc) are blocked and censored by the government, and everyday due to censorship there will be less and less Iranians who can share these stories with the world on these platforms and mediums. I hope that content creators like you can continue to support Iranian people, and I wish for my country to be freed and liberated at last. As opposed to what many people from outside of Iran might think of us, the vast majority of Iranians have nothing against any other nation or ethnic groups. It is the regime that wishes to isolate us from the world. There are millions of young people like me who have been devoting and sacrificing their youth only to be able to immigrate and start a new life elsewhere. If we had anything against the world, we would never waste the best years of our lives on an “escape” plan.

Such an incredible and important video to make. Thank you Z

Thank you sooo much for talking about these things and being our voice❤️🫂 #Mahsa_Amini

Thanks for covering this for our Iranian brothers and sisters Z. Also love these type of videos lately.

holy hell...

This story is the definition of f*ck around and find out.

Damn, I like your storytelling skills a lot but don't give a fuck about Football Manager. Hardest "subscribe or not" moment.

as an iranian, i want to write that im an iranian cause now days every iranian does that lol

props to you zealand for covering this

Thank you so much for covering❤️

Thanks so much for this Z!

Sad to see.

Zealand just wondering if you’re going away from FM videos in the future? Or is the new balance of FM/IRL football permanent? Or more FM to come in the future? Either way Cheers mate

There's only one cure for that sort of government

No words. Great vid

Love these types of videos. Keep it up Z

this makes me cry 🥲 im Iranian

Whose**

🙏🏼

Is more than 500 bro.

Nice

Brave man. Hopefully he got his girls out first

Guy used to terrorise us (australia) every time he played us. Such a shame.

FIFA should expel Iran from membership until this situation is rectified.

thank you for this video, Z. this work is so important

New Zealand

Thanks for this story. Its surreal

In case y'all missed it, late last year israel mvrdered Ahmed Daraghmeh, the top scorer for Thaqafi Tulkarem - a team in Palestine's West Bank Premier League

Is anyone surprised...?

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It is not a surprise. When you allow politics into sports, this happened. I have previously told Iran would fail in Qatar with this, and it did.

My hero is Qasem soleimani the man who destroy US proxy isis not a traitor who works for benefit of US regime and collective,we won't let you export democracy to Iran like you did to iraq and Afghanistan.

I love your content dude, was a lurker before finally subscribing. I have no issues with you finally transitioning YT channel into general football stuff. You are great. What's up with clickbait titles though? Feels like quality content is being ruined on purpose.

It blows my mind that, in 2023, forcing women to wear a head scarf, and other such limits to people's basic freedoms, is still a thing. For all our technological and humanitarian advancements, we are culturally still in the dark ages. Not just in Iran, but all over. Our insistence in clinging to rituals of the past for comfort has the unfortunate side effect of allowing the unsavory parts of our history to maintain its grip on us. Here in the US we deal with this conundrum a lot, in the form of the 2nd Amendment. We decide over and over and over that allowing everyone here to have a gun is worth daily mass shootings. That having a gun is more important than the health, and lives of our children. As we look around the world -- in places like Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan; and in places like Somalia, South Africa and Sudan; and in Korea, and China; Venezuela and Paraguay; and Bosnia and Herzegovina and Russia; and of course here in the US -- we repeatedly see acceptance of cultural norms as more important that basic human rights. Global history is littered with this theme, but always we are shocked and saddened by it. More-so than green technology, demilitarization, or economic equality, this is the issue with the most potential to shape the world. To find a way for someone to be proud of where they come from, without allowing near genocidal human rights violations, is the path forward for our species. If we fail in that, we will go extinct.

Let people live there life and gid will judge rhe according, Thats what christians believe/, should believe, i get it the country is not christian but its a religion thats to inspiration from Christianity The government is not god, wearing/ not wearing a hijab doesn't impacted your country in a way that is dangerous to others.l Let people live there lives how they want, when it doesn't harm their fellow citizens

I'm iraqi and I don't really like Iran but damn

Oh hey Z poste- Oh...

Did anyone like Rooney? No-one I know did, like Lingaard and others.. I think most football fans have morals and don't like the players who are clearly *******

Politica video? Really? How many weddings kill hundreds of people by an American missile? Came on.

I don't think we like Wayne Rooney. Probably a better example would be Bobby Moore or George Best? Regardless, I understand the comparrison