Month: February 2022

The saga of Azizi Khadem!

The events leading to and following the temporary removal of Azizi Khadem are indeed mind-boggling affair and is indicative of how crooked and dodgy football is in Iran.

Hardly a household name or a person with an illustrious football career,  Azizi Khadem, found himself occupying the most important post in Iran’s football. In a dodgy election, he managed to beat a much tried and tested Kiomars Hashmi, Mostafa Ajrlou, and Iran’s football legend Ali Karimi to win the presidency of FFIRI.

Azizi Khadem was in fact was a member of FFIRI working behind the scenes but he was hardly a newsworthy item and rarely quoted in public. He tried his luck for the post of presidency twice and failed, it was his third time lucky for the former executive of several government-owned industries.

Government-owned is indeed the magical word, as through such connections that even dubious people can go a long way climbing the ladder.

Azizi Khadem’s win, which was a surprise for many critics, did not start on a positive note. He was media-shy and prepared to work quietly. His modus operandi was to keep below the radar, follow his agenda, and hope he was not noticed frequently. In such a post, it was difficult to achieve tor that. But, he managed to ruffle some feathers, and the opposition to his management style and threat to his post started brewing within the corridors of tFFIRI growing bigger and bigger by the weeks.

Career and Biography

Shahabuddin Azizi Khadem was born on February 22, 1977, in Lorestan. He was a Bachelor of Political Science graduate from the University of Tehran, holds a Master’s degree in Regional Studies and International Relations from Allameh Tabatabai University, and a Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of Tehran.

A man with two birth certificates

Shahabuddin Aziz Khatam used a birth certificate number 755 and date of birth 11973 in Pol Tang, which belonged to his deceased brother

On August 10, 1997, he was able to get his new identity card with the date of his birth of January 21, 1976, which conflicts with many of his records and does not match his real age!

a 10 years old soldier!

In his own words, Azizi Khadem said that in 1987, according to his old identity card, he was drafted and sent to the war front as a 15-year-old boy, although according to his new identity card, he would have been a 10-year-old child!!

football background.

After the war, while studying in 1997, he played as a right-back for the Rah Ahan team and was a member of Iran’s students’ national team. During the reign of Ahmadinejad’s government, and due to his close connection with Parviz Kazemi, the then Minister of Welfare, Azizi Khadem was appointed to the board of directors of several government-owned companies operating under the authority of the Ministry of Welfare.

He was a board member of Amirkabir Petrochemical and Shazand Petrochemical government-owned companies and was also the Parliamentary and Legal advisor to his mentor the Minister of Welfare and Social Security.

Azizi Khadem somehow entered football administration by recommendation and influences through an appointment in the board of directors of the Football Federation  FFIRI. in 2012 at the age of 33, and a year later he became a member of the Executive board of directors of the government-owned club “Peykan”.

He somehow was appointed as a Board Member of FFIRI at the age of 33 when the bylaws of FFIRI stipulate that the minimum age for such appointment was 35 years!

Running for Presidency

In 2017, he tried to register his candidacy for the Presidency of the Football Federation, but his application was rejected due to his lack of 10 years of managerial experience required to be eligible. He was disqualified.

Azizi Khadem tried her luck again a year later in 2018, but the assembly voted for “Mahmoud Islamian“. in 2020, he was able to enter Saipa Club as a Board Member of the government-owned club

In 2021, Azizi Khadem along with Ali Karimi, Mostafa Ajrlou, and Kiomars Hashemi were approved as candidates for the post of President of the Football Federation. Finally, he was able to win 48 votes of members of the Assembly against 38 votes of Kiomars Hashemi. After winning the election on his third attempt, he was appointed as the President of FFIRI.

Most of his career progression was through appointments. A career that started by faking his National Card “Shinasnameh” and dubious claim he was on the war front at the age of 10. The common factor in all his career was a government-own entity and a close connection to a Minster or person in a powerful position.

Interaction with sorcerers!

From the very first days of his tenure as president of the federation, there were rumors about how he interacted with some people active in the field of foreign sciences. A reference to witchcraft !. In August 2021 after Team Melli defeated Syria 1-0 to put its feet firmly for the qualification to the World Cup 2022, Azizi Khadem attributed the victory to God and the prayer of “Khooban Alam” rather than the players, coaches, or the whole squad. ‘Khooban Alam’ was a reference to those mystery forces which his critics believe to be similar to mysterious voodooism.

VAR controversy from Israel

After “Khooban Alam”, he produced another blooper which led to controversy. Iran was about to acquire the VAR system. FFIRI contracted a company based in Hong Kong, to supply the system.  The contract was suspended with that company after the revelation that it was indeed an Israeli shareholders company. This refereeing assistance system was supposed to reach Iran, but it was stopped. Seems that Azizi Khadenm and his staff failed to carry out the proper due diligence.

It was all downhill from then on as a series of shortfalls, gaps, maladministration, and bad decision making put Azizi Khadem in loggerhead with the rest of the executive members. It is safe to say that he was exposed for what he was.

And then came his suspension in February 2022. That is 353 days after his appointment.

He was blamed for and subsequently held accountable for sub-standard training facilities for the national teams, supply of poor quality jerseys, the expulsion of Esteghlal and Persepolis from AFC Champions League, negligence in finalizing the coaching staff contracts,  delayed or non-payment of staff and coaching wages, the pseudo-VAR contract, and rumors of links to some witches and sorcerers, failure of timely response to AFC/FIFA correspondences while providing inaccurate or false information with FIFA, lack of transparency, nepotism, inflating FIFA with extra staff, the appointment of unqualified administrators in FFIRI ..etc which was said to be 43 violations.

Azizi Khadem is a classic example of how dark forces operate in Iran. Corruption is deep-rooted. While their pawn in FFIRI has left after being exposed for what he is, an incompetent and unfit person to lead Iran’s football to its glory days, the big players who put him there in the first place are still there, untouched and waiting. No doubt that at the next opportunity, they will pounce to produce another man to protect their interests. Nowadays, football is a lucrative business more than being a sport. It is being used by all sorts of nefarious characters since it can generate huge amounts of money.

It is how badly football is managed that has been the Achilles’ heel of Iran’s football for decades.

Azizi Khadem removed from his Presidency of FFIRI

Azizi-Khadim removed from his post

The executive board of directors of Iran’s Football Federation FFIRI has temporarily suspended the President of the federation FFIRI until further notice on Thursday. This suspension is the initial motion to remove Aziz Khadem from his post permanently.

At the request of five executive members, an extraordinary meeting was held on the morning of February 17th with the main item of the agenda being the suitability of the current president Shababudin Azizi Khadem in running the federation and addressing several shortfalls attributed to him.

The meeting reviewed the conditions upon which the president may continue in his post and conduct the duties of the top executive of the federation or the temporary suspension allowing another candidate to fill the role until the general assembly meeting that decides on the president. The executive board decided to suspend Azizi Khadem in the extraordinary meeting whose term of office did not last more than 354 days.

The most important managerial post in Iranian football lasted less than a year for the unpopular Aziz Khadem. Interestingly enough, under the so-called incompetent president, Iran recorded a historical third consecutive qualification to the World Cup with three matches yet to be played. ONly Brazil managed one better than Team Melli.

The Secretary-General becomes the De Facto President

The meeting was formalized at 9:30 am today, when Hassan Kamranifar, the Secretary-General of the Football Federation, made a great effort to implement the articles of association of the federation. He also asked the support of the Ministry of Sports to seriously prevent the entry of various people into the meeting.

The Arrival of Azizi Khadem

The president arrived at the National Football Center at 9:00 AM a good half an hour early to attend the decisive meeting.  Shahabuddin Azizi Khadem rushed through the gate of the National Football Center with his driver right in front of the reporters and press photographers. He refused to comment and had to be seen or photographed.

On the other hand, Shohreh Mousavi, Vice President of the Football Federation, and head of Women Football Affairs entered the National Football Center with a contrasting way, She and a number of the board were smiling for the media. Mousavi is credited for leading that gang of five, as referred to by some media outlets, for the move to outset Aziz Khadem. She along with Hasan Osouli, Mirshad Majedi, Ahmad Reza Barati, and Bahram Rezaian arrived full of confidence in achieving their goal..

The Strict security.

Security personnel of the Ministry of Sports and the Football Federation strictly prevented various people from entering the National Football Center. They even asked Bonyadi-Far who had a scheduled task at the center, to return back another day.

Journalists and other media personnel were present in front of the main door of the National Football Center from 8 o’clock, but they were not allowed to enter.

Filming for the day lest

The Public Relations of the Football Federation have fully filmed today’s meeting of the Executive Board of Directors in order to provide it to the competent authorities and the Asian Football Confederation if necessary.

Two management members were Barred from the meeting

According to the official announcement of the AFC, two of Aziz Khadem’s allies were prevented from attending the meeting. Haidar Baharvand and Hamid Reza MehrAli, the first and second vice-presidents of Khadem were excluded. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has stated that the two men are not legally allowed to attend the board meeting deciding the fate of their boss, so both the deputies had to leave before the meeting deliberations started.

Obstruction to the entry of Khadem’s closest friend.

Mojtaba Khorshidi, the Manager of Team Melli was on his way to attend some business at the National Football Center, but the security of Azadi Stadium stopped him from entering. Khorshidi claimed that he intended to attend his office and not the meeting but the security informed him that the area is restricted even for the employees!. According to some witnesses, Khorshidi who is a personal friend of Azizi Khadem and his ally intended to have a short and urgent conversation with Azizi Khadem, but as he was not o enter under any circumstances, he slipped a note to his boss on a small piece of paper.

Police protection.

The arrival of the police security force which has deployed its patrol units around the National Football Center to ensure there will be no interruption or disturbances of the board meeting by the proponents of the incumbent president.

Breach of Security

The mysterious entry of a former head of the Futsal Committee, Davood Parhizkar, became a hot topic. Parhizkar is not an active member of the FFIRI and holds no official post, yet he was allowed to enter the National Football Center, but it is not clear whether he was able to attend the board meeting or is there only for personal matters.

The chairman responded and left.

A voting session was held on the dismissal or continuation of Azizi Khadem without his physical presence. At this meeting, he first defended himself against accusations and charges of shortfalls in his duty.  At the end of the interrogation, the majority of the board members voted to temporarily suspend Shahabuddin Azizi Khadem from the post of President of the Football Federation. This is unprecedented in Iran’s football history.

A majority consensus to expel the President.

Hassan Kamranifar, secretary-general of the Football Federation, called on the members present at the meeting to keep their votes secret. However, there has been a lot of talk about an alliance of eight members who could decide whether Shahab Azizi Khadem should stay or leave.

Ahmad Reza Barati, Shohreh Mousavi, Tahmours Heidari, Khodadad Afsharian, Mirshad Majedi, Ehsan Osouli, and Bahram Rezaian were present at the meeting.

Azizi Khadem’s entourage started packing.

The President of FFIRI under immense pressure had a few backers in the federation offices and corridors, however, those in his favor soon started packing their belongings in anticipation of worse things to come. That did not escape the hawkeyes of some reporters as they reported that a number of Azizi Khadem’s regular associates gathered their belongings after his temporary dismissal to say an early farewell. Azizi Khadem also bid farewell to all the staff at the national teams’ camp when he left the National Football Center, but refused to talk to reporters.

A serious challenge for FFIRI lies ahead.

The board of directors of the Football Federation, now headed by Mehrdad Seraji, not only has to make transparency its top priority but also has to resume the process of approving the bye-laws, which was previously approved by FIFA, in order to draw the approval of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. They should also try to hold a meeting of the General Assembly of the Federation as soon as possible to permanently remove Azizi Khadem.

Mahdavikia leads Iran in a difficult Asian U23 group

Tashkent: Korea Republic will open their defense of the AFC U23 Asian Cup title in Group C following the conclusion of the Uzbekistan 2022 Finals draw in Tashkent on Thursday.
Joining the Korea Republic, which defeated Saudi Arabia 1-0 in 2020 final, will be the ASEAN trio of Thailand, 2018 runners-up Vietnam and Malaysia.
Hosts Uzbekistan, the 2018 champions, will have Iran, Qatar, and newcomers Turkmenistan to contend with in Group A.
Australia, third in the 2020 edition, was drawn in Group B with Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait while Japan, the 2016 champions, are in Group D with 2020 runners-up Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and debutants Tajikistan.

AFC U23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2022 – Official Draw

The fifth edition of the Championship will be played in Central Asia for the first time, with Uzbekistan hosting 32 matches across the cities of Tashkent and Karshi.
Four former champions and nine teams to have reached the semi-finals or better within the last decade alongside two debutants will battle for Continental supremacy from June 1 to 19.
Iran’s Omid team will be led by former star Mehdi Mahdavikia. Although at this level of football, there are no weak teams, Iran’s Omid is in one of the more difficult groups, especially in the presence of the host and the strong Qatari team. Mhadavikia is handling the difficult task of leading Iran for the Olympics with this team, which has eluded Iran for more than four decades.
Group A
Uzbekistan (UZB) – Iran (IRN)- Qatar (QAT) -Turkmenistan (TKM)
Date Time Teams Venue
Wednesday, 1st June 2022 18:00  Iran v. Qatar    Bunyodkor Stadium, Tashkent
20:00  Uzbekistan v. Turkmenistan Pakhtakor Stadium, Tashkent
Saturday 4th June 2022  18:00  Turkmenistan v.  Iran    Bunyodkor Stadium, Tashkent
20:00   Qatar v. Uzbekistan  Pakhtakor Stadium, Tashkent
Tuesday 7th June 2022 22:00  Qatar v. Turkmenistan    Bunyodkor Stadium, Tashkent
22:00  Uzbekistan v. Iran    Markaziy Stadium, Qarshi

Match against Lebanon might be held away from Azadi.

Mojtaba Khorshidi, the Manager of Team Melli said “the last game of our national team against Lebanon might be held in a city other than Tehran”:

“According to the president of the federation in regards to the development of football in the provinces, there is an inclination for the last game of the group against Lebanon to be played in one of the following cities; Mashad, Isfahan, Tabriz or Ahvaz. provided they get the approval from FIFA and are up to the standards required” Khorshidi added.

” I think it could be a good and pleasant event for Iranian football. The national football team is doing its best to win both games and maintain its lead. We do need our fans elsewhere to witness the success of the team also”

Asghar Sharafi bemoans the lack of discipline and competent managers in Iran’s football.

Asghar Sharafi, the former Team Melli player and assistant coach to Heshmat Mohajerani when Iran qualified for the 1978 World Cup for the first time, is a unique outspoken character. His military background has taught him strict discipline and throughout his career, he abided by these principles. Sharafi’s values on discipline have endeared him to many but it seems that the days of such mentality of the pre-revolution era have lost their color, according to the former coach.

In an interview with Kayhan, Asghar Sharafi said  “The big clubs of the world are part of their society. Any society that abides by the law will flourish. In one European country, the prime minister was questioned for attending a party. These are the products of respect for the law, where the laws and regulations are institutional. It starts at the grassroots. In our society regretfully we think otherwise as lawlessness and revolt are admired. As such calamities befall us.”

Sharafi is referring to several breaks of discipline in various clubs and Team Melli some of which made big headlines.

“We must look at who is running our major clubs and then measure our expectation in dealing with wrongdoings and indiscipline accordingly. “Sharafi added: “Unfortunately, diminutive people manage our football here and these people do not have the guts nor the resolve to deal with immorality, insubordination, and disorderly acts. In the big and prestigious clubs of the world, the people in charge, react to such matters of transgression because of the respect the clubs has for its fan and society, even more than the sole interest of the club itself.”

“In the distant past, in Iranian football, there were people at the head of clubs who dealt with indiscipline and did not allow those irregularities to spread. In the days when I was the head coach of Shiraz, we had a player who was indisciplined. I dealt with him as severely as possible. Once, a young player on our team punched the referee in the chest during the match. I was interviewed that day and I said that this player did not hit the referee, but in fact, he hit his own coach because, with such an act, he questioned his coach’s credibility. In the big clubs of the world, ethical issues are important, but in Iran, the only thing that matters is to win points.”

“One of the biggest problems of football in Iran is managers’ fear of dealing with indiscipline; That could be the manager of the club or the director of the football federation. He says to himself that if I deal with an undisciplined player and suspend him, my team may not succeed. So, they pass a light sentence, and on many occasions on appeal, that suspension is dropped! This is a big problem. In a club like Manchester United, a young player who has committed an offense is dealt with severely, and that is not a personal treatment but to protect the interests of the whole organization, these interests include the credibility of the club and the fans. Unfortunately, the biggest problem in our football is the lack of competent and specialized managers at the top. If Iranian football had been run by people who were competent, sympathetic, and moral but most importantly, familiar with the fundamentals of the sport, we would never have witnessed recent unruly events.”

Taremi saves Porto from Home defeat

The top of the Portuguese League clash between the leaders Porto and second-placed Sporting Club was played at Dragao Stadium in Porto.

That important match for the Portuguese fans was also the center of interest for the Iranian as the Team Melli central forward Mehdi Taremi was starting and the stage was open for him to prove his worth especially after the rumored interest by Arsenal to sign him in the summer. Taremi did not disaaponit. Not only he was the man of the match, but he also scored a brilliant header to save his team from defeat from their fiercest rival.

In this ill-tempered match, Porto was stunned early in the game when the host Sporting scored the opener with a nice close-range header by Paulinho in the 8th minute. As that was not bad enough, the guests Sporting, managed to score the second goal of the game in the 34th minute by Nono Santos from an error committed by Porto Captain Pepe. Sergio Conceiço’s team was able to score their first goal on Mehdi Taremi’s assist to Vieira in the 38th minute.

The first half ended 1-2 to Sporting.

The physical play of both teams caused the referee to brandish many yellow cards, and by the 49th minute, the color of this card turned red for Sporting player Sebastian Coates, with Sporting having to play most of the second half with 10 players. Porto’s pressure was immense in the second half until finally, Mehdi Taremi raised majestically to head a cross into the far corner of Sporting keeper, scoring the equalizer in the 78th minute with his exceptional header.

After the goal, there were many clashes between the players and some also involved the bench. Some ugly scenes were witnessed with the Referee unable to control the match. Not only there were individual pockets of fights everywhere on the pitch which saw an invasion from everyone including the whole bench of both teams. The melee continued until the match was prematurely ended.

It was pandemonium and ugly. Pepe and another player sporting player were dismissed.

The bright side of these ugly scenes is that, for once, Mehdi Taremi took a distance from all these trouble spots. He hardly got himself involved with the opposition players and did not go to the referee and blab his mouth like he usually does. Is this a sign of maturity? We hope that Taremei, a star on his own right now at the world level, maintains this attitude and calm. Indeed it was a truly admirable act by rational Mehdi.

With this draw, Porto reached  60 points to remain at the top of the standings of the Portuguese Premier League.

Azmoun doubtful for Korea match adding to the absentees list.

Team Melli will be with 4 key players for the top-of-the-table match versus South Korea in Seoul next month. “Sardar Azmoun’s ligament damage is still bothering him, he still needs treatment. I can’t say exactly when he will be able to play.” declared  the head coach of Bayer Gerardo Seoane “

Azmoun will need another 3-4 weeks to fully recover which will possibly mean he will miss the match in Seoul. Azmoun’s absence on the top of the 3 known absentees due to suspension and disciplinary issues. Moharrami is out for two matches due to his red card against the UAE, Ezatollahi is also suspended due to accumulations of yellow cards, and KananiZadegan is suspended by the FFIRI for misdemeanors he committed including endangering the health of his Team Melli colleagues by attempting to invite a girl while he was on COVID19 quarantine.

While the four players’ absence seems to be significant on paper, the pleasant surprise is that Team Melli has such a strength in depth that no dramatic action is needed to address these absentees.

Dragan Skocic has many options to replace Azmoun and Ezatollahi as he has a good number of replacements. In defense, with two absentees, it sounds more difficult but Siavaush Yazadni has performed well on his debut in the central defensive role, while Majid Hosseini, Milad Mohammadi, Saleh Hardani, and Aref Agasi are all capable to fill the roles in the defense.

 So, although Team Melli is not at 100% strength, it is hardly a crisis situation facing the Koreans and then Lebanon at Azadi in what is a formality matches as Team Melli already had qualified.

Team Melli at Top of Asia and 21st World Rank.

Team Melli maintained its FIFA World Ranking at 21 in the latest list published by FIFA. With 15 points addition, Iran now has 1572 points as the top Asian team, with Japan second, followed by Korea Rep and Australia.

This ranking is important as the World Cup draw because of the seeding. The finals draw is scheduled to take place on 1st April 2022, after the March window for international fixtures.

19
Colombia
Colombia
1585.89
1607.15-21.26
20
Wales
Wales
1578.01
1578.010.00
21
IR Iran
Iran
1572.89
1557.5815.31
22
Peru
Peru
1563.45
1551.1512.30
23
Japan
Japan
1549.82
1531.5318.29
      

AFC RANKING

AFC
FIFA
 

Team

 
 
Total Points
 
 
Previous Points

+/-

 
 
1
21
IR Iran
Iran
1572.89
1557.5815.31
2
23
Japan
Japan
1549.82
1531.5318.29
3
29
Korea Republic
Korea Republic
1522.85
1507.2415.61
4
37
Australia
Australia
1486.86
1484.881.98
5
52
Qatar
Qatar
1437.91
1437.910.00
6
53
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
1433.95
1434.71-0.76
7
69
United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
1353.1
1350.392.71
8
74
Iraq
Iraq
1325.44
1333.03-7.59
9
75
China PR
China PR
1313.81
1337.33-23.52
10
79
Oman
Oman
1301
1306.01-5.01
       

Move to dismiss FFIRI president Azizi-Khadem

While the joy and celebration of Team Melli have not dried yet, the sweetness is becoming quite bitter for the FFIRI President Shahbubdin Aziz-Khadem.

In a somewhat unexpected move, the Executive Board of the Football Federation is finding it necessary to prepare the ground for the dismissal of Shahabuddin Azizi Khadem. Some members of the board of directors have decided to dismiss Azizi Khadem for weak performance and unsuitability to occupy the post of the head of the federation. Ceratin members have colluded and demanded that the incumbent President be subjected to a vote of confidence on the grounds of suitability and competency. those opposing Azizi Khadem also questioned his football chronology and management in this field, which falls far short of the required for such a sensitive and important post.

Observers however doubt that critique to be the true reason for the drive to oust him. Although many agree on the shortfall of Aziz Khadem and his lack of football pedigree and management skills, these facts were known from the day he registered his candidacy for the post of President of FFIRI. This political move is seen as the result of some pressure from above and the intervention of people who seek their own interests and/or settle personal accounts. The opposition group has lobbied hard to align the rest of the Executive Board Members with themselves in order to achieve their goals.

Certainly, Azizi Khadem’s performance in the Football Federation has its weaknesses and has many critics, however, it is not a one-man show and many on that board are accountable for the failure of the FFIRI to function efficiently. It is unprecedented that one of the weakest boards in the history of the Football Federation is seeking the removal of the president with outside pressure while the board has not made any meaningful efforts to improve matters within the federation. Nevertheless, it seems that the pressures on some members will force them to sign the dismissal form of Shahabuddin Azizi Khadem to pave the ground for his dismissal.

Political interference in FFIRI is quite normal. Iran has been sanctioned before by FIFA for such interventions, this time, however, the hierarchy has become wiser and used internal tools to achieve their goals.

In a move taken from the chapter of the way the football federations in the Persian Gulf Operate, the work is all being done legally (…)!  In that system, most executives of the football federations are either government appointees or state policy supporters, but all done under the cover of legitimacy without any government entity publicly getting involved. This, of course, is to avoid FIFA’s wrath and possible sanctions. The Iranians have learned this lesson and are copying the neighbors across the Persian Gulf.

 According to the official announcement by the spokesman of the Football Federation FFIRI, a meeting of the board members is scheduled to be held in the next 14 days to decide on the fate of Shahabuddin Azizi Khadem. The letter requesting a meeting was registered officially while the meeting date for the crucial meeting is yet to be decided.

FFIRI bans Hossein Kananizadegan for lack of ethics.

The Disciplinary and Ethics Committee of Iran’s Football Federation FFIRI has issued its verdict regarding the case against Team Melli central defender Hossein Kananizadegan.

“The committee has found Hossein Kananizadegan guilty as charged and fined one billion rials plus a two games ban for violating the ethical rules of football. The ban applies to National Team Games, Futsal, and Beach Soccer. Pursuant to paragraph 1 of Article 63 of the Code of Ethics and paragraph 4 of Article 103 of the Disciplinary Code, the ban and fine contained in the above ruling shall not prevent the execution or the suspension of the ruling as soon as the execution is issued and an appeal is filed. Also, if he has an appeal to file, the player should submit his objection to the ethics committee of the federation within one week from this date, observing the legal formalities mentioned in Article 63 of the ethics regulations regarding the appeal process”.  the ruling declared according to the FFIRI website.

Kananizadegan has been a subject of controversy and his inclusion in the two Team Melli games against Iraq and UAE has been found to be a fraudulent and crooked move by the federation. The notorious Knanizadegan, who always seems to be one step near trouble on and off the pitch has uttered profanity and insulting remarks against Estghelal club fans. The recording he made went viral and was condemned by a large swathe of journalists, fans, and footballers alike. Esteghlal club management filed an official complaint against him in December last year.

The defender will miss both the South Korea match away and the final match against Lebanon in Azadi.

The 27 years old Kananizadegan currently plays his football in Qatar Stars League with Al-Ahli

Yet, the FFIRI Disciplinary committee despite having all the incriminating evidence to prosecute the player, conveniently waited until the last two Team Melli matches then issued the disciplinary action!