Locadia's Reaction to FIFA Ruling Dismisses Possible Return to Persepolis; 'Leaving is Not an Option When People Are Executed'

While unofficial news about the possible return of Jurgen Locadia, the former Persepolis striker, circulated in sports media in recent days, the player's reaction to FIFA's ruling yesterday minimized this possibility. Locadia, the Dutch striker who shone at the beginning of last season with six goals, left Iran overnight and unilaterally terminated his contract following the escalation of nationwide protests last year after the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the 'morality police.' This action was accompanied by Persepolis's lawsuit against him, and ultimately, FIFA issued a ruling yesterday condemning Locadia. Currently playing in the Chinese league, Locadia reacted to FIFA's ruling by posting on X, mocking FIFA for ignoring human rights, stating: 'Thank you FIFA for doing a great job. I'm glad human rights won today. Just to be clear, I want to say: in a situation where people are being killed, people are being executed, people are being tortured, leaving [that place] is not an option.' On December 19 of last year, just before facing their traditional rival [Esteghlal], Persepolis football team faced a new shock when Jurgen Locadia, the Dutch striker and star of their attack, left Iran after several days of speculation. For a long time before that, unofficial news had circulated that Locadia would soon leave the country due to the political and social climate in Iran and the advice of the Dutch embassy, but each time these speculations faded with his presence in Iran and participation in team training. A few weeks after his departure, Locadia broke his silence and criticized the Islamic Republic for 'hanging people.' On January 4, he explained on his Instagram account the reasons for his exit from Iran, saying: 'We were playing football while people were being hanged. After that, we had to compete while other footballers were being hanged.' During last year's nationwide protests in Iran, several prominent Iranian footballers were arrested on charges of supporting the people, while Amir Nasr Azadani, a former Tractor player, was also at risk of execution. Last year, after this Dutch striker left Iran, Persepolis filed a lawsuit against their former player, and ultimately, the ruling in this case was issued in favor of last season's champions of Iranian football. Yesterday, the Persepolis club's website announced that with the club's efforts and the defenses presented, the FIFA Dispute Resolution Committee finally issued a ruling on Persepolis's lawsuit against Jurgen Locadia, and Persepolis won this case, with the Dutch player and the Chinese club jointly ordered to pay compensation to Persepolis. The issuance of this ruling came amid recent whispers of Locadia's potential return to Persepolis. However, given his reaction to the ruling and the text he published on social media, this should be considered dismissed. It seems that even if the club and Locadia reach an agreement for this return, the security institutions of the Islamic Republic, which have prevented some athletes, including Karim Bagheri, the previous season's coach of Persepolis, from operating this season, will not consent to his presence in Iran.