• Sports Minister ordered an investigation two weeks ago into reports of an assault at a football academy.
• The Shahr Khodro football club is based in Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city.
• The gender of the minors allegedly assaulted is not specified.

TEHRAN – Iran’s sports minister has ordered an investigation into allegations of sexual assault against teenagers at a football academy in the country’s northeast, according to state media on Saturday.

“On social media, a former media manager for the Shahr Khodro football team claimed that the parents of 15 players from this club and its academy have filed a complaint against the club and its coaches for sexually assaulting their children,” according to a state news agency in Iran.

The gender of the minors allegedly assaulted was not specified in the report.

The Shahr Khodro football club is based in Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city.

“Iran’s Minister Hamid Sajadi ordered an investigation two weeks ago into reports of an assault at a football academy for teenagers in Mashhad.”

According to the agency, Sajadi demanded a “firm response” from those responsible for the incident.

“We fear for our lives,” they added.

On Friday, the local newspaper Shahrara reported on its website that the families of players from the club had gathered outside the headquarters of the provincial football organization to protest the “tragedy”.

When their protest did not elicit a response, the families decided to take the matter to the media, according to the daily.

In 2017, an official from the Iranian football federation‘s ethics committee claimed that more than ten teenage members of a club had been sexually assaulted.

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