Alarms went off at Esteghlal FC when the first attacks in Iran occurred. Up to eight foreign footballers play for the Iranian Real Madrid team, which plays at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran, the country's capital, with a capacity of almost 80,000 spectators. The priority within the club was to evacuate the players and staff as soon as possible. However, with the airspace closed and no available flights, players and a Turkish staff member had to be evacuated by land, as confirmed by club sources to EL MUNDO.
On Saturday, a minivan picked up all the foreign players who tried to leave the country by air due to the conflict between the Asian state and Israel and the United States. In that vehicle were Munir El Haddadi, a player from Barça, Valencia, Alavés, Sevilla, Getafe, Las Palmas, and Leganés, now playing in Iran; and forwards Duckens Nazon and Moussa Djenepo, according to club sources. Nazon is of Franco-Haitian origin and Djenepo is from Mali. Also, a Turkish staff member, Ozcan Bizati.
After over 12 hours of travel, the vehicle managed to cross the Turkish border from the north of Iran, from where the passengers could take flights to their respective destinations. "I want to thank everyone for the messages and concern about my situation in Iran," wrote the La Masia forward on his Instagram. "At this moment, I am safe in Turkey and will be returning to Spain in the next few hours," added El Haddadi in his post from yesterday morning.
Munir shares a team with Antonio Adán, former goalkeeper of Real Madrid and Betis, among others. In fact, he was the one Munir called to find out about his circumstances there, both socially and in terms of sports. Esteghlal is currently in a good moment, leading the Iran Pro League after four wins in the last five matches. Thanks to this streak, the team's coach, Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh, had given the squad two days off, and Adán had taken the opportunity to go to Turkey, so the crisis caught him outside the country, as EL MUNDO has learned. He is now back in Madrid with his family and does not plan to return if the conflict continues.
The escape by road has also been the solution for other foreign footballers playing for Iranian teams. Iván Sánchez, former player of Real Valladolid and now in the Sepahan SC squad, also had to resort to this after their flight to Dubai was cancelled. Interestingly, it was the same aircraft on which Munir was travelling, as reported by Norte de Castilla.
In Sánchez's case, it was not a minivan but a taxi, also provided by his club, that took them to the same border through which the Spanish-Moroccan player exited. As the footballer recounts, during the journey they could see "some missiles being destroyed in the air." "It was a delicate moment," he told the Valladolid newspaper.
The Iranian crisis has led to the suspension of the national league until further notice. This is not the only championship affected, as Qatar has also taken the same decision, jeopardizing the Finalissima, a match between the European and Conmebol champions, which was to be played by Spain and Argentina on March 27.