'True team of Iran:' German football team speak up

In many ways, the sixth division derby between Holzheimer SG and SC Kapellen-Erft was like so many lower league games across the country — a raft of subs, an early goal and a win for the visitors that sent them top.

But one part of this game was different. Holzheimer dedicated the derby to Mahsa Amini, whose death in the custody of Iran's "morality police" spearheaded the largest protest movement Iran has seen in decades.

The club have long supported the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement in Iran, but as the one-year anniversary of Amini's death approaches, the club wanted to show their continued support. Before a ball was kicked, information was delivered about the situation in Iran, especially the pressure women are under, and during the game T-shirts and jumpers were sold to help children with cancer in Iran.

"The idea goes back to the World Cup 2022. We realized people asked the Iranian national team to take a stand, but that didn't really work. Then we said in our team, shouldn't we do something? Shouldn't we start a movement and be a voice supporting Iran from afar? Let's give the people something to believe in and that's how it got going," Pascal Schneider, captain of the Holzheimer, told DW.

The club has always put social issues at the forefront and has long shown their solidarity through videos on Instagram and by wearing "Women, Life, Freedom" t-shirts. One group of fans even traveled from Cologne (nearly 500km away) to show their support because they were so impressed that an ordinary German football team was taking a stance on such an important issue.

The only Iranian in the team is head coach Hamid Derakhshan, who has been in Germany for more than 30 years.

True team of Iran

"We've had a great response," Derakhshan told DW. "Ninety-nine percent of the people who write to us were very emotional. We felt that we had become the true team of Iran and the Iranian people."

Since voicing their support, the club has gained a great number of followers in Iran. Both captain Schneider and coach Derakhshan had a message to send to the people of the country.

"I hope you will all be free one day, like we are," Schneider said. And have the freedoms we should all have. You have invited us to visit you and we would love to visit you someday."

An emotional Derakhshan said: "I would like to say to the audience, especially in Iran, even though we were born in Iran but grew up abroad, I myself have been here for 30 years, we all see ourselves as people of Iran. Be sure, until the day of the revolution, we are with you. No matter where we are, all Iranians think this way, have this feeling. I am very proud of my team and the club for giving us this opportunity to be by your side. I thank you for supporting our team. I hope we will reach our goal soon."

Original reporting was done by Bamdad Esmaili.
Edited by: Chuck Penfold