He was arrested by SAVAK, the Shah’s secret police, in the early 1970s for his political activities, and following the 1976 Asian Championship, he was quietly pushed out of the national team setup. After the Revolution, Ghelichkhani chose not to return. Instead, he settled in France, where he embarked on a new chapter as a political and cultural thinker. In Paris, he founded and edited Arash, a Persian-language political and cultural journal. Through Arash, Ghelichkhani became a respected voice in the diaspora, promoting democracy, social justice, and cultural dialogue. His commitment to freedom of expression and human rights made him an influential figure among exiled intellectuals and activists.
