ISL 2022-23: “Don’t worry about the red, Vafa” - Twitter explodes in support of Chennaiyin FC's Vafa Hakhamaneshi after sending off against East Bengal

Chennaiyin FC came away with a 1-0 win after Iranian centre-back Vafa Hakhamaneshi nodded home from a corner in a cagey ISL 2022-23 encounter against East Bengal at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan earlier today. However, it is what followed the goal that grabbed eyeballs across the country.

After scoring, Vafa pulled his shirt over his head to reveal the words “#Women #Life #Freedom for… 11:11” underneath. The message was, of course, in support of protests back home in Iran that began in reaction to the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini for wearing an “improper” hijab, considered to be violating the nation’s mandatory hijab law.

The ‘celebration’ itself resulted in Vafa receiving a second yellow card and being sent off, having been cautioned for a foul on Semboi Haokip only ten minutes earlier.

Luckily for Chennaiyin FC though, they would not go on to rue the decision, with the Marina Machans holding on to their slender lead till the very end. It did help Thomas Brdaric’s side that Sarthak Golui of East Bengal also received a second yellow barely minutes after Vafa was given his marching orders.

And while there were a few fans and experts who referred to the move as “silly”, hordes of fans came out in support of the 31-year-old standing up for a cause he believes in. We look at some reactions from fans as they took to social media in support of the Chennaiyin defender.

Chennaiyin FC jump to 5th on the ISL 2022-23 table

The win itself saw Chennaiyin keep their first clean sheet of the season, and in the process, leapfrog ATK Mohun Bagan to move to 5th in the table. While manager Brdaric will be happy with the away win and the clean sheet, he and the team know there’s plenty of work to be done.

Next, they return to base to take on ISL 2020-21 winners Mumbai City FC on Saturday, November 12, at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai. Whether the team are able to build on the momentum from their win remains to be seen, and there’s only one way to find out.