Football Fan Walking from Spain to Qatar Was Arrested in Iran

A football fan from Spain decided to walk to Qatar to watch the World Cup, which starts in November. The fan’s mother says that there was no contact with him for several weeks. She then learned that he was arrested in Iran.

In January, Santiago Sanchez Cogedor left his hometown near Madrid. He planned to walk from Spain to Qatar for the World Cup, which starts on November 20.

Then, his family did not hear from him for about one month.

According to Cecelia Cogedor, Santiago’s mother, the Spanish foreign ministry told her that her son was arrested in Iran but was healthy.

Santiago’s father says that his son is not involved in politics and the only thing he’s interested in is the soccer team Real Madrid.

The Spanish ambassador to Iran asked the Iranian authorities about visiting Sanchez, but there was no response. It’s not clear why Sanchez was arrested or where he is.

Sanchez Cogedor was documenting his trip on Instagram. On October 1, he posted that he was entering Iran from Iraq. He also left a voice message for his parents saying that he was going to visit Tehran, the capital of Iran.

For more than six weeks, there have been protests in Iran. The protests started because a 22-year-old girl, Mahsa Amini, died after being arrested.

Last month, nine foreigners from Poland, Italy, and France were arrested in Iran in connection with the protests.