Recovered/Located Iran - Santiago Sanchez 41, Spanish National not been in contact since 1st October 2022, walking to Qatar for the World Cup.

[StillDiggin]

Fan walking from Spain to Qatar for World Cup feared missing in Iran

A Spanish man trekking from Madrid to Doha, Qatar, for the 2022 World Cup has not been heard from since the day after he crossed into Iran three weeks ago, his family said on Monday.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Seni]

Los últimos pasos de Santiago Sánchez antes de desaparecer camino a Qatar

Poco antes de cruzar la frontera con Irán el español, que inició a pie el camino al Mundial de Qatar, fue acogido por una familia Kurda a pocos kilómetros del territorio iraní. Fueron los últimos en interactuar con Santiago Sánchez Cogedor.

www.antena3.com

Santiago Sánchez’s last steps before disappearing on the way to Qatar



24 hours earlier, Santi spent the night with a Kurdish family who received him and gave him directions. This Kurdish family, that live a few kilometres from the border with Iran, were the last to see Santiago.

“He wanted to know how to reach Iran and we showed him the way. He was seen crossing the border by family members but we don’t know what happened to him afterwards”, they explain.

“We don’t know what happened to him after he entered Iran”.



Tofiq Ahmad tells of the 24 hours that Santiago spent with his family. He showed them a map of Spain on his mobile phone in order to show them where he was from.



“We told him that we had clothes and that he could choose what he wanted. He asked us for a towel in order to have a shower after resting for a while”, Tofiq remembers.

They also offered him food. Chicken and rice, which Santiago ate with some pitta bread.

“He told us about his journey and his aim of reaching Qatar in order to watch the World Cup.

“He was very friendly and we passed an agreeable night. He spoke with my children about his trip”.

(..)

Following the night’s rest, Santi started on the route to Iran. Upon his farewell he surprised his hosts by speaking the local language. “He said may Allah protect you in Kurdish”.

Since that moment, nobody has heard anything about Santiago, although there is speculation that he might have been detained by Iran’s police, based on the protests being held in that country because of the death of Mahsa Amini.

 

[annpats]

Oh dear. Just why, why do these people do these things?!

If he was offered clothes by the Kurdish family, did he not have any of his own?? Is he just travelling around with the clothes he's got on? That doesn't make sense. Where are his belongings? He left Spain in January, so the article says. He also asked for a towel so he could take a shower. No towel, no clothes.

Qatar is a tiny country that sticks out into the sea on the east coast of Saudi Arabia. So he would have had to walk all the way across Saudi too, and nearly all of that is baking desert. Unless he was getting a boat across the Persian Gulf from Iran to Qatar, if one even exists, or bribe a fisherman's boat?

These countries have strict entry requirements and don't like random westerners turning up with silly ideas. They're not even that keen on proper tourism.

The Kurdistan region of Iraq is in the very north, near the border with northern Iran. He would've had to walk 1500km south to get to the Persian Gulf, across the sea from Qatar.

I presume he had a visa for Iran, otherwise he wouldn't have even been able to cross the border (which he was seen doing.)

But today is the 25th day without contact. I'm sure he must've had his phone confiscated and is being held by the Iranian authorities.

If he had no money, no clothes and nowhere to stay, a tourist visa requires that. So I can see why the Iranians may have held him. But then they could've easily just deported him as well, but didn't. Maybe they saw him as a "security risk". It doesn't take that much for them to detain you in Iran. The situation is dicey even with their own citizens.

MOO.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Very scary. He might be in prison somewhere. Or something even worse may have happened to him

He seems to trust that people will be friendly to him, if he is friendly to them.
Sounds like a really lovely man

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

I didn't presume he had no clothes simply because they offered. Perhaps what he had was dirty or worn or faded from his trip, but the cart he is pulling seems like it may have clothes etc. Sounds like just a kind thing - to offer food, shelter, and clean clothing (that may be more conducive to the climate?)

But of course, maybe he DIDN'T have any clothes, who knows. Just positing a different read of what was said.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Maybe it's something like this.

NZ couple detained in Iran for four months, now released

New Zealand social media influencers who went missing in Iran for four months are safe and well after exiting the country. Topher Richwhite and Bridget Tha

www.newstalkzb.co.nz

They entered Iran during the first week of July and hadn't been heard from since.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade declined to comment on the couple's situation since August.

Santiago Sánchez is mentioned in this article.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Spanish soccer fan Santiago Sanchez goes missing in Iran while hiking to Fifa World Cup in Doha

Santiago Sanchez has not been heard from since he crossed into Iran three weeks ago, stirring fears about his fate in a country convulsed by mass unrest.

www.stuff.co.nz

This was not Sanchez's first time in Iran. In 2019 he biked a similar route to get from Madrid to Saudi Arabia.

 

[Seni]

El mensaje que recibió Santiago Sánchez, desaparecido en Irán en su camino al Mundial de Qatar



Snippet:

Everything began in 2019, when Santiago Sánchez Cogedor, resident in Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, decided to attend the Super Cup final en Saudi Arabia. An ex – military man aged 40 who had been in different missions in different countries and who, now planned to arrive at the Football World Cup in Qatar on foot.

 

[Seni]

He would have needed a Visa for entry. Could have gotten that before he left or upon entry via airport. Will back up tomorrow.

 

[Suglo]

El mensaje que recibió Santiago Sánchez, desaparecido en Irán en su camino al Mundial de Qatar



Snippet:

Everything began in 2019, when Santiago Sánchez Cogedor, resident in Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, decided to attend the Super Cup final en Saudi Arabia. An ex – military man aged 40 who had been in different missions in different countries and who, now planned to arrive at the Football World Cup in Qatar on foot.

“Avisó a algunos amigos de que el ambiente era complicado, lo hizo el 2 de octubre, a través de WhatsApp”

“He told some friends via WhatsApp on October 2nd that the environment was complicated.” Sounds like he knew he was walking into a potentially volatile situation. I hope he’s okay.

 

[azure]

Qatar is a tiny country that sticks out into the sea on the east coast of Saudi Arabia. So he would have had to walk all the way across Saudi too, and nearly all of that is baking desert. Unless he was getting a boat across the Persian Gulf from Iran to Qatar, if one even exists, or bribe a fisherman's boat?

He was indeed planning to take a boat from Iran to Qatar. Per the Daily Mail, "His next step would have been Bandar Abbas, a port in southern Iran, where he would travel by boat to Qatar."

 

[Seni]

Sounds to like he me like he never got his Visa. Irán is not an open country for visitors, open any page for travelllor country warnings and you will see. Foreigners arrested for security issues, amongst others.

(It is also a fabulous country, my parents met and married in Tehran, but not under present regime)

 

[azure]

Sounds to like he me like he never got his Visa. Irán is not an open country for visitors, open any page for travelllor country warnings and you will see. Foreigners arrested for security issues, amongst others.

(It is also a fabulous country, my parents met and married in Tehran, but not under present regime)

I've actually, technically, been to Qatar (layover), but I'm completely ignorant about Iraq and Iran. To me, the quotes from the family he was staying with in Iraq made it sound like they walked him to a designated border crossing. Would he be allowed to cross without a visa?

 

[StillDiggin]

So this is probably what happened to him.

Soccer fan missing in Iran 'arrested after visiting Mahsa Amini grave'

A Spanish soccer fan trekking from Madrid to Doha, Qatar, for the 2022 World Cup has been arrested in Iran after visiting the grave of Mahsa Amini, according to two reports.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[annpats]

So this is probably what happened to him.

Soccer fan missing in Iran 'arrested after visiting Mahsa Amini grave'

A Spanish soccer fan trekking from Madrid to Doha, Qatar, for the 2022 World Cup has been arrested in Iran after visiting the grave of Mahsa Amini, according to two reports.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Oh dear. As a foreigner in Iran, once you start getting involved in Iranian politics, you're done for. They see it as inflammatory. I don't know why he didn't just stick to visiting a few touristy places on the way of going about his business getting to Bandar Abbas.

Poor fella. I hope he'll be released soon.

 

[Suglo]

So this is probably what happened to him.

Soccer fan missing in Iran 'arrested after visiting Mahsa Amini grave'

A Spanish soccer fan trekking from Madrid to Doha, Qatar, for the 2022 World Cup has been arrested in Iran after visiting the grave of Mahsa Amini, according to two reports.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Didn’t expect that. Why would he put himself in harm’s way like that? Hopefully this is just a rumor. If true, he isn’t going to be watching any soccer games live in Qatar next month.

 

[StillDiggin]

UPDATE: Family of missing Spanish football fan confirm Iran arrest 'no charge weighs on him'

THE Spanish football fan, who was hiking from Madrid to Qatar to watch the World Cup but had been reported missing, is said to have been arrested in Iran.

euroweeklynews.com