The semi-official Mehr News has reported that a Team Melli player has been arrested for partying.

The unnamed player was apparently attending a party and according to the news agency, he was intoxicated. The agency claimed two other players accompanying the arrested player escaped the scene in time to avoid arrest, however the security forces have identified the pair and asked them to give themselves up !!!

The news comes a couple of weeks before Team Melli plays its second FIFA World Cup qualifier against Guam.

Partying in Iran is a crime punishable by arrest and imprisonment.  Throughout the years after the revolution many footballers have fallen victims of this rule with some losing their future in football and their livelihood . Thousand of young people and couples are arrested annuly for attending parties particularly where music is played or alcohol is consumed. Such events are normally carried underground and in secrecy. The hardliners are quite vigilant however, and these arrests occur after tips to the security forces. On the contrast, Iranian ruling clan promotes mourning rituals , grieving  ceremonies and remembrance of religious figures in sorrow as an alternative for youth entertainment.