Ehsan Hajsafi would never be invited to the national team again for playing with their club Panionios against Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv FC; however, the Iranian Football Federation later stated it would review the case and reach a decision after speaking with both, with Hajsafi eventually returning to the side in November and Shojaei stating that they were pressured by their club to play. On 18 March 2018, Shojaei was called up for friendlies against Tunisia and Algeria, being criticised after his return against the former by an Iranian member of parliament who called for his life ban. He was eventually selected for the finals in Russia as team captain, becoming the first Iranian player to travel to three World Cups. He made his debut in the tournament on 15 June in a 1–0 group stage win against Morocco, but sat on the bench for the next two games in an eventual group stage elimination. In December 2018, Shojaei was selected for Iran's 23-man squad for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. He became the only Iranian to participate in seven international tournaments. Activism Shojaei expressed support for the Iranian Green Movement on 17 June 2009, when he wore a green bracelet against South Korea in a World Cup 2010 qualifier along with five other players. During the match, he also wore a green undershirt previewing a possible goal celebration. Shojaei discussed corruption in Iranian football in an interview with Radio Farda, and also spoke out against child sexual abuses in December 2016. He was subsequently summoned to the Ethics Committee of the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran. A vocal advocate of lifting stadium ban for women in Iran, Shojaei openly expressed his regret that his mother, sister and wife were unable to see him play. He reportedly called for repealing the ban, when he met with president Hassan Rouhani in July 2017. Personal life Shojaei's sister, Maryam, was also an activist campaigning for women's rights in Iran. Career statistics Club International Scores and results list Iran's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Shojaei goal. Honours AEK Athens Super League: 2017–18 Tractor Hazfi Cup: 2019–20 Nassaji Hazfi Cup: 2021–22 Iran Islamic Solidarity Games: Bronze medal 2005 Individual Super League Greece Team of the Season: 2016–17 References External links TeamMelli official profile 1984 births Living people People from Shiraz Iranian footballers Association football midfielders Persian Gulf Pro League