Carlos Queiroz has reversed his decision to quit Iran and decided to stay in his job according to Ali Kaffashian. The head of FFIRI was speaking to the press on Saturday evening after the meeting with Queiroz and a representative of the Ministry of Youth and Sports discussing the future of the Portuguese coach in the aftermath of his decision to leave his job as head coach of Team Melli.   Queiroz who has earlier on accused the Iranians of holding him as a hostage because the FFIRI did not accept his resignation , will be continuing until the World Cup 2018.  There is no indications that any supposed improvements and pre-conditions of Queiroz will be implemented any time soon, however , The ministry's  representative has assured Queiroz of their full support and as such has eased Team Melli head coach's worries about the intention to get rid of him as he feared.   Team Melli will be starting the World Cup 2018 qualification campaign on 16th June with a match against Turkmenistan in Group D of the Asian Zone qualifiers. Oman , India and Guam are the other 3 teams in the group.  

Iranian National Tax Administration (INTA)  has categorically denied that Carlos Queiroz tax issue is completely settled.

A spokesman for INTA refuted claims by the public relation officer of the Ministry of youth and sports who claimed yesterday that the full payment of tax arrears was sent to the tax authority and the chapter of this case is closed. “We have received no such payment from the Ministry of Youth and Sports or the football federation. We also dispute the figures that were mentioned in the press by the football federation as the actual tax figures and arrears including late payment charges is nearly doubled the figures they have mentioned.” Declared the INTA official. FFIRI has mentioned a figure of Iranian Toman 1.3 billion ( approx. US$ 460,000 ) while the INTA official have been quoting a figure nearer to Iranian Toman  2.2 billion ( approx. US$ US$ 778,580) As such and unless the tax arrears are settled, Carlos Queiroz is banned from leaving the country. Queiroz was stopped from leaving Iran on his last attempt  when he was about to depart on a flight to Austria for the European tour of Team Melli. A day later and with the pledge given to the tax Administration by the Minister of Youth and Sports, that the FFIRI will pay the taxes in full, Queiroz was allowed to leave to Europe. Meanwhile Mostafa Tabatabaei, the head of finance in the FFIRI explained that INTA has agreed to settle the back payments in installments. Tabatabaei confirmed that there are still some payments due however he rejected claims that Queiroz passport is being held by the authorities. “I don’t know who are these people spreading the news, but Queiroz has his passports with him. We have prepared a letter to the authorities explaining the entire situation around the case. Just awaiting the signature of Ali Kaffashian who is in Singapore on duty. Everything will be fine.” Despite Tabatabei’s explanation, the rules have not changed nor is there a further waiver. Unless the taxes are settled in full, Queiroz will be unable to leave Iran according to the press reports.   Source: Iran Varzeshi  

The differences between Kaffashian and Queiroz statements and outlooks seem to be as diverse as the North and South Pole. Each one come with statements contradicting the other, each has his own outlook and thus the drama continues. Carlos Queiroz is adamant that he wants to leave and cannot stand working with the FFIRI. For Ali Kaffashian, everything is hanky dory and Queiroz is still Team Melli coach as far as he is concerned. Things are so normal that they would be discussing the friendly games arrangements with the Portuguese coach, starting with Uzbekistan game, as soon as possible, according to the FFIRI boss. Carlos Queiroz wants to end the contract amicably, which translates to “No financial penalties” , Ali Kaffashian is delirious because even the Ministry of Youth & Sports has decided to support the coach, so , Queiroz is going nowhere anytime soon! Carlos Queiroz feels that he is being held hostage by Kaffashian and FFIRI because they do not want to release him. Kaffashian says there is a mutual binding contract signed between the two parties that they all must respect. FFIRI is happy with Queiroz and there is reason for him to leave and neither did they ask Queiroz to go. In public, each side is defending his stand by selective presentation of facts. There is no doubt that both have valid points in their favor. Taking side with one is certainly not wise as each side seems to have justified grievances while at the same time; they both have failings and deficiencies. It is quite difficult for any intelligent person to believe Carlos Queiroz’s justifications for wanting to leave, such as lack of resources, poor support for Team Melli, and hostilities of some FFIRI personnel.  Queiroz has spent 4 years in Iran and has pretty much faced all sort of hardship which a professional coach of his caliber is not used to. At some stage he decided that he will no extend his contract and just before the World Cup 2014 , he made his intention public adding it with a lot of insulting remarks for the country and the football officials. He said that he had enough and he is not returning back to Iran because of the very same problems that he is repeating now. Why did he come back and extended his contract? Surely, he cannot be that naïve to believe that a mighty transformation has occurred in FFIRI?  Surely he didn’t think Kaffashian is creating miracles now ? On the other hand, the FFIRI and Ali Kaffashian have proven beyond any shadow of doubt that their performance and delivery at best , falls well short of a professionally run organization. To add to this chaotic maladministration, the lack of money and failure to market football to generate an alternative source of revenue made their work even more challenging and most importantly made FFIRI exclusively dependent on Government handout. FFIRI , is not an organized entity and to be fair , it is not entirely their fault either. Why Queiroz wants to leave now, if he really is genuine in that, is certainly an interesting tale. He knows that he is quite popular with the fans , he knows that Kaffashian and his FFIRI has supported him and will continue to  like no other Team Melli coach in the history , he knows that his job is quite safe and secure until the World Cup 2018, yet he wants out! The man from Portugal has given the Iranians ample lessons and lectures about everything in life while liberally insulting his adversaries and being rude, disrespectful and discourteous even to the journalist who dared question his might and authority. They still like the man who repeatedly looks down at them and refuses to watch the league matches because they are boring and below standards, as Queiroz claims! Explaining this mystery is the domain of conspiracy, controversy and exposing of untold secrets. It all depends on which side of the story one believes in. Objectivity and impartiality is a very difficult commodity in Iran’s football, so even by judging on the most logical side there is a risk that it is not the truth. At the end, what really matters is Team Melli. People need to ask themselves whether it is healthy to keep a coach in his place despite his unwillingness to continue. Some even doubt that Queiroz wants to leave, especially after the revelation that someone has conned him out of 700,000 pounds. Is he playing a game or seeking more influence?  

After a few days of drama not very dissimilar to a Bollywood movie, in which Kaffashian has opportunely announced that Queiroz has returned back to his job and will continue his duty with Team Melli, barring a few minor hurdles, Carlos Queiroz in a press conference this afternoon , rejected every claim made by Kaffashian and declared that he is unwilling to continue working with this federation. His only reason for being here is to resolve the issue of the contract. “I am not willing to continue working with the federation after all the events that have occurred and I have submitted a friendly Resignation (!!) which was not accepted by Kaffashian. Now, we are trying to find other solutions to terminate the contract in an amicable manner.” Queiroz explained. “Working for the federation because of a contract is one thing, and working from your heart and your soul is another. I have come to a definite conclusion that there is no use continuing to work for people who are trying to snare you and undermine your authority to the extent that I cannot even select my own team.” Queiroz went on repeating his side of the story with a lot of drama. He once again accused unnamed persons for being detrimental to his job and enemy of Team Melli!  He directly accused the Manager of Team Melli of siphoning the federation’s money and practicing nepotism by inviting and sponsoring his relatives and friends during Team Melli foreign travels. He also accused the same Team Manger of wasting money on sponsoring “leader Fans“,  so that they chant his name during matches. “When the time comes to my bonus or wages, this same person claims that the federation lacks financial resources. Of course,  because he spent it all on his relatives and those fans chanting his name.“ Queiroz alleged in a serious and direct accusation of corruption in Team Melli department. Two managers of Team Melli worked with Queiroz during his time. Abbas Torabian and Mehdi Mohammad Nabi. The latter was ousted from the football federation while the former is still working in the FFIRI as the marketing director. “I am very transparent and very honest. I am only here because I have felt that the true fans of Team Melli deserve and explanation.” Queiroz who failed to produce a single piece of evidence on his claims, concluded. If there was some false hope by Kaffashian and some personnel of the Ministry of Youth and Sports , who have been surprisingly very active and vocal in their support for Queiroz lately, it has all but disappeared this Tuesday afternoon. Queiroz will not leave Iran until Kaffashian releases him from his contract; else there will be severe penalties on the Portuguese coach. He also insinuated that if he is not released from his contract, he will work but under duress and force! It will be interesting to see what will happen in the next few days as everyone involved in this theater is trying to protects his interest and appear to the public that he is the real hero and defendant of Team Melli. Queiroz has sent many clear and veiled messages to Kaffashian as if to tell him “ What part of No , you don’t understand?” Kaffashian on his part , is known for his persistent bargaining and tolerance. It could be a long final episode.  

The negotiations between FFIRI and Carlos Queiroz continued on Thursday but there was no resolution or progress on the intention of Queiroz to resign his job as head coach of Team Melli. With each day passing more and more information are uncovered to indicate that there are much more behind the scene reasons for Queiroz sudden departure. Kaffashian has repeatedly mentioned that his administration is quite happy with Queiroz and there is a binding contract between the two parties until 2018. “We have not filed any complaints nor did we question him on anything. If we did not want him, we would not have signed with him after the World Cup. As far as we are concerned, he is still team Melli coach. If he insists to go , then we have to refer to the contract.” Kaffashian said. [quote class="If we did not want him, we would not have signed with him after the World Cup"]If we did not want him, we would not have signed with him after the World Cup.[/quote] On Queiroz side , his reason for leaving is thought to be the opposition of some administrators in FFIRI who does not him to continue in his job. As feeble excuse as they come especially in business of football where coaches are sometimes faced with a barrage of protest and even profanity from the fans and the media. Nothing like that ever happened to Queiroz in Iran. On the contrary, the Portuguese coach is quite popular with the majority. Naturally, some inquisitive personnel sought the real story behind Queiroz abrupt decision to leave. The answer directed them to the question of Insiders Deals and corruption. The rumors of corruption in FFIRI related to Carlos Queiroz contract has been doing the rounds in Tehran Newspapers offices amongst many other places. Some whistle blower(s) in FFIRI have apparently alerted the Ministry Of Youth and Sports officials that there was some foul play in the extension of the contract between FFIRI and Queiroz. The Portuguese coach has publically announced that he is not renewing the contract with Iran after the World Cup and went as far as harshly criticizing the government and the officials in FFIRI of negligence and lack of support for Team Melli which rendered continuation of his job as impossible. However, somehow Queiroz and Kaffashian came to terms and all that Queiroz badmouthing was water under the bridge and forgotten. Queiroz returned to coach Team Melli and his contract was extended up to 2018 World Cup. Suddenly and just before Team Melli’s departure to Austria , Queiroz indicated that he is resigning his post! His reason was claims of hostility and disrespect by some FFIRI officials that he cannot accept as being a healthy working environment for him. Kaffashian claims that Queiroz first talked about leaving 2 months earlier than that. It is difficult to believe where the truth lies. The rumors about corruption was so strong which apparently forced the Minister of Youth and Sports to send his top security man to the recent negotiations between Kaffashian and Queiroz , which previously was thought to be a private meeting between the two without any one lese present. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Maziyar Nazemi , claims that the person who was present in the meeting , Mr. Hassani Kho was delegated by the Minister himself to oversee the negotiation. When challenged that participation in an internal meeting is considered a direct interference by the government in the affairs of the Football Federation, Nazemi refuted such allegations by saying that the presence of Hassani Kho was requested by Kaffashian himself to give advice (…) and on the other hand, “Team Melli is the property of all the Iranians so we have a civil duty to protect the interest of the people. “ Nazemi claimed. Mr. Hassani Kho is known to the FFIRI. He was the chief government minder who policed Team Melli squad in the FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil. “Mr. Hassani Kho is familiar with Queiroz as he was in Brazil with the team , so he was the most appropriate person to be in that meeting !” Somehow that official version did not convince many of its authenticity. The presence of a high ranking Security personal in negotiations between Queiroz and Kaffashian cannot simply be as what Nazemi claimed. There has to be more to it than that and something more serious, was the thoughts of those seeking the truth. It was found out that the whistleblower has alleged that Queiroz has agreed to re-sign with Iran after his contract expired, on several conditions. One such condition was to change the kit supplier from uhlsport GmbH to Addidas. Queiroz allegedly would be getting a commission on the number of kits supplied by the German famous Kit supplier Addidas! Such allegation has prompted the Minister to send his security man as a minder and presumably to give the two a signal that the government has got long arms and watching for any signs of fouls play! On the same subject, uhlsport GmbH has sent a letter of protest to Ali Kaffashian after Nekounam allegation about the kits, made in the TV program Navad. The President of FFIRI confirmed the uhlsport's complaint to the reporters and responded to the German Kits supplier that Nekounam is no longer a Team Melli player and he is not even playing in Iranian league, indication that the former Team Melli Captain is beyond the control of FFIRI now! When confronted by a reporter today about allegations that Queiroz has demanded that official Team Melli kit supplier must be changed to Addidas, Kaffashian said “Queiroz is here was to discuss his future with Iran not the kit supplier.” Interestingly enough, Kaffashian did not categorically deny Queiroz’s favoritism of Addidas nor did he comment on some journalist accusations that the Portuguese coach is an agent or a broker for the Kit manufacturer, Addidas!