Djenepo, Bifouma: African players at the heart of the war in Iran

Moussa Djenepo
Arrived at Esthegal in the summer of 2025, the Malian winger who played 13 matches in all competitions with the Iranian club this season, lives under the blows of explosions and cries of distress in Tehran, the Iranian capital which has been one of the most targeted cities in the country. On his social networks, the former Standard de Liège player hasn’t posted a single message since a training session that can be found on his Instagram account and which dates back 7 days.

Update: After a disturbing seven-day silence on social media, Moussa Djenepo finally gave reassuring news. The Malian winger confirmed that he left the country safely to join Mali.

Thievy Bifouma
Evolving in Persepolis, the 33-year-old Congolese striker (Brazzaville) is also in Tehran, the capital that continues to be targeted by Israeli-American strikes. The former Reims player, author of 2 assists and one goal in 13 games this season has also not given any news.

Jérémie Obounet Moussango
Aged only 23 years old, the Gabonese striker arrived in Gol Gohar Sirjan (central city of the country) this winter as a free agent. Less than two months after and 4 matches (one decisive pass), Jérémie Obounet Moussango also finds himself in the dead end of the war, without any real exit opportunity, while airports are among the strategic locations targeted by the strikes. Like the first two, he also did not post a single message on his social networks.

Munir El-Haddadi "safe" outside of Iran
In this atmosphere of tension, the Moroccan Munir El-Haddadi found a way to leave Esthegal where he evolves with Moussa Djenepo. By what means? By land using a car... donated by the club.

“I want to thank everyone who sent me messages and got worried about my situation in Iran. Yesterday, we intended to leave the country by plane, but we were finally evacuated from the plane and could not take off,

" the former Barça player explained on social media on Sunday.
Then to add:

 "The club provided me with a car so that I could leave the country by road and, thanks to this, I was able to cross the border without problems. I am currently safe in Turkey and will arrive in Spain in the next few hours. Thank you all for your support.”

Meanwhile, the other three must wait, hoping for a de-escalation or help from their respective clubs as well to be able to leave the country. The airspaces in the region not being ready to reopen so quickly.