Tag: Adel Ferdowsipour

Nekounam pours his wrath on FFIRI.

 Javad Nekounam was interviewed by telephone on Navad Program Monday night. The poor communication line, spoiled what was supposed to be constructive exchange between himself ,  the incumbent head of FFIRI, Ali Kaffashian and the show anchor Adel Ferdowsipour.

Kaffashian was the studio guest of Navad.

Javad Nekounam stopped short of accusing Ali Kaffashian of negligence when he talked extensively about the lack of  proper support for Team Melli during its quest to qualify for the world cup. “I am not singling out Mr. Kaffashian who has tried to help the team, but at best his efforts were way short of what has to be done for the most important team in Iran that is trying to qualify for the World’s biggest sporting event. Support for Team Melli is a collective effort which has not met our aspirations.”

“All what the Team Melli players have said about that were true (…)  no one has fabricated any lies .” Nekounam alleged.

“Lack of funds meant that we had to do with sub-standard kits that were actually made in Iran. I agree with Ashkan Dejagah on that. Iran’s football league standard is of a low quality of which 20% of that weakness is due the poor quality of the balls manufactured in Iran. The kit we were using was not of a good quality and everyone was dissatisfied with it.”

nekounam AFC Award 2013

Team Melli kit manufacturers UHLsports has strongly challenged what it calls allegation of substandard quality , although the German sports good company admitted that some fake UHLSports kits was found in Team Melli’s kit collections  when an audit was conducted.  Those fake ones were not sent or approved by UHLSports nor did it have any control over it.

Nekounam criticized the FFIRI again by accusing the federation of inattentiveness and disregard for Team Melli players. “After the win against Chile, we expected some rewards, but we did not even get a phone call to congratulate us let alone a bonus.!” The Osasuna Captain said.

Nekounam had no complimentary words for the Iran’s football. He accused un-named parties of building hurdles against Queiroz and working to ousted him. He also emphasized that he and the rest of the Team Melli players are quite satisfied with Queiroz and braved Kaffashian to keep him by using his own judgment rather than succumbing to external pressure.

Nekounam was evidently referring to the pressure by the Ministry of Youth and Sports but did not have the nerve to name them. Kaffashian admitted that he did not contact the Team Melli players but offered no apology or proper justification.

Nekounam admitted that his decision to quit Team Melli was abrupt and without much thought, however, he insisted that he has played his last game with the team.

NekounamJNekounamJ

 Nekounam has some valid arguments, although none of it is new. However, like the plethora of critics, the record holder of matches in Team Melli is not offering practical solutions nor indicating that he is willing to work on some good deeds to help take Iran’s football out of this hardship, at least within his capabilities.

Nekounam also ignored a very important issue and that is the role of the Iranian players themselves in this chaotic status. Players who are paid professional wages but hey are amateurs in every sense of the word, and that includes Team Melli players.

While the country’s economy and many sectors of society was suffering under sanctions, many footballers were enjoying a luxury life with wages several folds higher than other professional such as surgeons , doctors , university lectures etc.

Indiscipline, apathy, lack of commitment, disrespect for peers and egotism are quite rife amongst the footballers. Areas that have not been seriously addressed by any football management schemes, although it is common knowledge.

 

A disgraceful act by the Ministry of sport official.  

 Humiliation and indignation of a person in public, is considered an offense punishable by law in every country of the world including Iran which has a strict law against such misdemeanor.

Last night on one of the most popular TV shows in Iran , a Ministry of Youth and sport official who was contacted by phone by Adel Ferdowsipour, the presenter of Navad, to explain the reasons behind the rejection of Zlatko Kranjcar as the Head Coach of Omid team , stated that his Ministry has rejected the Croat coach , not based on technical merits but on cultural issues because the Croat is an Alcoholic!

When challenged by the presenter if there are any evidences of such claims and whether it has been verified by a law force, Police or the judicial system, the Ministry of sports official responded that they have enough evidence against him although he was not prosecuted nor accused of any wrongdoing by a law force!

This public accusation in front of millions of viewers carried out without giving the accused person the right to defend himself , which is a basic human right,  amount to defamation and invasions of privacy. It is also a prosecution and public trial by the Ministry official who has neither legal authority nor the jurisdictions to conduct a trial.

What makes the matter even worse and certainly shameful, is that the Ministry of Youth and Sport has been asking for calm and serenity while advising the media and sport personalities not to engage in public quarrels and accusations, at the time when both the Minister and his deputy , and now this official is doing exactly the opposite of what they preach and claim.

  In some civil law jurisdictions, defamation is treated as a crime rather than a civil wrongdoing.  Recently , Mayeli-Kohan was jailed for such violations and slanders , which was a strong message to anyone who dares to wrongly accuse others without evidence. Will this official be put on trial or will the government use its veto to cover his wrongdoing?

 How long will the pragmatic and progressive President Rouhani , tolerate the Minster of Youth and Sports and his men, notorious for their meddling, agitations and public hostility with the football federation,  is another question that is beginning to be asked by many observers.

A president who was elected on a campaign that promised free expression , respect for people privacy and  letter of law must surely be embarrassed and concerned by the antics of the Ministry of Youth and Sport which has put the name of football in Iran in disrepute, according to Mehr News agency.

TV blackout continues in Iran.

Ali Kaffashian , the President of FFIRI has warned football fans that there will be no TV coverage of football league matches anytime soon. “Those who want to watch football, need to go to the stadiums because we have not reached any agreement to resolve the dispute between us and IRIB” Kaffashian announced after the meeting with Ezzatollah Zarghami the head of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).

Zarghami with Seyyed Ahmad Khomeini

When asked by reporters what was the outcome of the meeting between the two parties regarding the TV broadcast, Kaffashian said that they simply exchanged views and no serious discussion on the issue of TV broadcast value was discussed! The meeting was the last one in a series that was supposed to resolve the issue of payment by IRIB for broadcast rights. IRIB strongly disagrees with the FFIRI valuation of the TV rights and described it as unreasonable and beyond the capabilities of the TV and Radio organization. The gap between the IRIB expectation and the FFIRI is quite large while mediators suggested the interference of the government and the parliament.

IRIB is the singular broadcaster in Iran and has complete monopoly on TV and Radio services.   Most of the clubs in Iran are also run, owned or financed by the government directly or indirectly. The situation is quite peculiar in Iran as the government, despite being theological and run according to Islamic principles which translates into free market, in reality the government has direct or indirect in control on every key commercial, business, media , sport  activities  and organizations that have impact on the country’s political or commercial interest. The concept on NGO is hardly applied in Iran while the population is brought up with a mentality of government welfare expectation.

Adel Ferdowsipour , for the first time, tackled the issue on Monday night through the popular Navad TV show. The issue of TV blackout and broadcast rights became a challenge for NAVAD and its anchorman Ferdowsipour who was defied by many reporters to have enough courage and discuss the issue openly on the popular program with tens of millions of viewers every week. It became a question of trust in the program and the impartiality of Ferdowsipour as a person who is looked upon as instigator of many behind the scene issues in Iran’s football politics and the person who has revealed many shortcomings , inadequacies  and even corruption in the most popular sport in Iran.

 Ferdowsipour addressed this challenge and the whole program was nearly dedicated to the issue with the main guest being none other than the opposition in the shape of Mehdi Taj , the head of the football league commission of FFIRI.Adel ferdowsipour

The long debate and exchange of thoughts, ideas and data between the two sides did not result in any practical solution. While IRIB believes that there should be a Broadcast Right for football, it vehemently disagrees with the figures that are demanded by the FFIRI and clearly informed FFIRI that its football standards and values should not be compared to those of Major European luges  like the English EPL or the Spanish La Liga.  A short report in the program highlighted the lack or even the nonexistence of any meaningful marketing activities by many Iranian clubs apart from shirt sponsorships. Instead, the clubs are looking for easy money and the least effort to get that, claimed the report. By receiving financial support from the owners, which are mostly government owned organizations, they are now again extending their hands to the government to receive substantial funds by the way of bloated TV right broadcast demands. “Many clubs live beyond their means. While the incomes of these clubs are negligible in business terms, their expenditure are quite high with millions of dollars payment for players and coaches. When the cash eventually dries out, which is a regular occurrence in Iranian clubs, they naturally resort to government to bail them out.”

The head of IRIB is appointed by the leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamanei.  Zarghami was appointed for a 5 years period by the leader. His mission and goal is quite clear which is to spread the religious ideas/sermons and implant the regime’s ideology into every Iranian home. The ex- revolutionary guard and an engineer by qualification is closely connected to the religious hierarchy and considered as a fundamentalist. However, despite much criticism by the liberals against his appointment, Zarghami managed to improve the services of the TV in many areas but all that falls short of the standards of the media in the west and the democratic nations. When it comes to sport, Zarghami is an avid sport fan, but the insiders say that his favorite sport is Volleyball not football. Whether his leaning towards Volleyball, which has attracted the attention of the sport world towards Iran’s after the remarkable run of Iran’s volleyball team at global stage, has any influence in the negotiations between IRIB and FFIRI is not known. Despite the lack of reliable sources, it is believed that both the regime Hierarchy and IRIB in the figure of Zarghami,  do not believe that football has brought enough glory to the nation despite the huge influx of resources compared to a sport such as volleyball, to merit huge investments and payout. They simply believe that the return on Investment (ROI) on football is poor and much below expectation.

Daei reveals how President Ahmadinejad sacked him!

In a controversial revelation by Ali Daei, the recently sacked Persepolis coach has said that the main reason behind his sacking as Team Melli coach was the then President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The outspoken Daei said the reason for his sacking is his refusal to join Ahmadinejad re-election campaign and show his public support to the hardline President.

 Daei was sacked after one defeat against Saudi Arabia in the World Cup 2010 qualifiers, his only defeat as a coach of Team Melli. Iran was going through the Presidential Election with the opposition leaders Mousavi and Karoubi gaining grounds on the incumbent President Ahmadinejad who was losing much public support as a result of poor economy.

Daei’s claim came in last night’s edition of the popular Navad program in which Ferdowsipour was discussing Persepolis recent developments, coaching and managerial changes.

As customary in such situation, it was quite difficult to believe who is telling g the truth, but what was abundantly clear in the chronic mismanagement, government interference, nepotism, political influences and back stabbing behind the scenes that is distressing football in Iran. Persepolis, like Esteghlal , is owned and financed by the government through the Ministry of Youth and Sport in Iran. Despite the continual denials that the Ministry interferes in the day-to-day running of the clubs, facts and behind the scene events tells otherwise.  

ahmadinejad daei

Another interesting aspect of the program was the number of Persepolis fans who were upset by the recent developments in the club. Despite poor results by Daei , he still has much support base amongst the fans as the polls indicated. Daei, admitting some of his shortfall ( and that is in itself quite unique) but attributed the team’s poor performance to the attempts by the hierarchy in the club and the Ministry of Sport to dislodge him from his post as early as the season start! In brief , Daei was saying that they were plotting against him and making his life difficult.

Daei in his defense, said “We lost quality players like Khalatbary , Jalal Hosseini , Mosalman and others because the management failed to agree terms with them and pay what they are worth. On top of that, quite a large number of players were not fully paid from the previous season’s contract. How would you expect the players to perform on the field?” Rahimi, the sacked CEO of Persepolis supported Daei’s claims and confirmed that the Hierarchy wanted Daei out even before the season started!

Daei has accused the present Minister of Sport , Goudarzi of sacking him and has established that he has the honor of being sacked by the President of the Country once and the Minister of Sport the next time.

Clearly , much like its neighboring countries , political interference in football is widespread and prevalent in Iran. Political events and spheres of influence seem to spreads to where popularity lies. The exception in Iran is the relatively more press freedom and transparency which allows such exposures to reach the public.   

Ghalenoei attacks Ferdowspour and calls him the illness of Iran’s football!

In another indication of the low tolerance of Iranian coaches for any criticism, the post-match press conference attended by hordes of reporters , Ghalenoei strongly lashed out at Adel Ferdowsipour and his Football TV Show “Navad”. In an scathing attack , he called the famous TV presenter and his program “the illness of Iran’s football.“

Ghalenoei said that he is thinking to sue Navad program presenter if the legislations allows him to do so while he ordered Navad to stop mentioning his name on that program. Ghalenoei also banned any of his player communication with the TV show in any manner.  To add icing on the cake, Amir Ghalenoei also criticized Mohammad Fanei, the refereeing expert  who was present on the show and considered what is going on in “Navad” a pre-meditated orchestrated attack on Esteghlal Club!!!

Such radical reaction by Ghalenoei , is neither new nor unusual , however it is an alarming symptom of the deteriorating personality of Iranian coaches, their tolerance level, character and demeanor in public. Ghalenoei has just come out of another public bout with Javad Nekounam after the Team Melli Captain, accused his former coach with incompetency and failure to address tactical issues and preserve respect for his staff and players.

After Ghalenoei finished his wrath against Ferdowsipour, the customary questions time ensued as he invited the reporters to present their questions. In a very unique solidarity with a colleague in the media, not a single reporter asked him a question in what was very clear indication of the reporters’ disgust and in protest against the harsh language of the Esteghlal coach.

Ghalenoei style and verbal backlash is not very dissimilar to another fiery coach, Ali Daei the current coach of Persepolis.   While Queiroz is not exactly exemplary when it comes to accepting criticism, being hyper-sensitive to negative comments by anyone, The Team Melli coach does react in a much calmer manner which is much presentable and to an acceptable level without over dramatizing or insulting the opposite party.

Both Daei and Ghalenoei , along with Hossein Faraki , where on the shortlist of Ali Kaffashian to replace Carlos Queiroz if the two side did not agree terms. With the negotiations still at stalemate between the Portuguese coach and FFIRI, it is very much a possibility that Kaffashian might pick one of the three for Team Melli.

With Daei and Ghalenoei characters seriously in question, Hossein Faraki remains the best bet if the negotiation with Queiroz fails.

UHLSport “Queiroz has a personal vendetta against us”

The Regional Manager of the German sports goods manufacturer UHLSport GmbH, the provider of the official kit for Team Melli reacted strongly to the comments made by Carlos Queiroz against it.

Earlier in Navad program aired on Monday, the show anchor Adel Ferdowsipour established contact with Queiroz who was in Johannesburg, to discuss the progress of Team Melli preparation. Part of the grievances that Querioz had , and he had a whole lot of it , was the status of the kits provided by UHLSport for the camp particularly that there was only one track suite per player for the whole duration of the camp which is scheduled to last for 3 weeks.

After the conclusion of the interview with Queiroz , Ferdowsipour contacted Vahid Jaffary , the Regional Manager of UHLSport GmbH in Iran to seek his opinion on Queiroz allegations.

Jaffary responded by saying that he is surprised by Queiroz allegation , yet he should not be if we look back at the events of the past.

“We are legally bound by contracts, specifying the amount , the volume and number of kits to be provided also the quality. If there are any shortages , problems or discrepancies , then the supplier (UHLSport) should be contacted directly to resolve the problem if problems exists in the first place. This the civilized and professional way of dealing with such matters.”

“However, Carlos Queiroz comes on TV and accuses my company in public which is in real term a slander. Queiroz motives are personal. I don’t want to discuss the details of it , suffice to say that during negotiations for this contract with the football federation , Queiroz demanded a few things that were not acceptable to us and we turn them down. Since then , and after we won the contract and signed with the FFIRI, the coach of Team Melli took a stand against us by bad mouthing , complaining and trying to find any excuse to  ridicule our company.”

“Queiroz public display of opposition and personal vendetta started from the date we set up a ceremony to introduce the New World Cup kit. He did not attend the ceremony” Jaffary said.

 “I want one of the accountable mangers of the federation who countersigned the contract and come forward , even on TV , to say whether we have carried out our part of the deal or not. Let me tell you that we already have shipped 700 kgs worth of kit to Austria for the next camp. We have also said that we are ready to provide extra kits beyond the contract up to the World Cup.”

“The interesting part of this allegation is that Querioz’s request for kits , far exceeded the number of players in the squad”

On the other hand , ALi Kaffashian was taken by surprise by the Queiroz’s allegations against UHLSport. The head of the football federation said “I don’t know what Queiroz is complaining against , we have invested 3 billion tomans for the two camps in South Africa and Austria. We have to talk to him and find out what he meant by his statements.”