Habib Kashani the former CEO of Persepolis club and the Manager of Omid Team has quit his job.

On his appointment for the highly demanding job after the Asian Games debacle, Kashani was in action quite quickly and managed to secure the services of Zlatko Kranjcar to coach the Omid team with the aim of taking the U23 team for the Olympics in Rio for the first time in 40 years. After completing all selection processes and formalities  Ali Kaffashian announced the news to the press that Kranjcar has been selected and approved by the federation’s Football Development & Technical Committee. However, only a day later Kaffashian suddenly had a change of heart. He claimed that there is one more filter to go through before signing the contract.

That filter was none other than the Ministry of Youth and Sports ,  notorious for interferences in the work of football federation. The Ministry has previously been a strong opponent of Queiroz contract extension and now it appears that Kranjcar is not a suitable coach for the Omid team, according to their own football expertise panel . The Ministry keeps denying direct involvement, but both the Minister Goudarzi and his deputy Sajjadi have been vocal and consistent in their ongoing interferences on the pretext of providing advice, read order, to the football federation. Such interferences are in direct violation of FIFA

Kashani has issued a long emotional public letter on  his resignation. He stated that he was not in need of or pursuing a job but was pursued by the federation for such a critical mission. With a 40 years absence being a black mark in Iran football heritage, Kashani had a national mission to answer, according to his letter.

“Although I believe that all the three organizations involved in the Omid Team, the FFIRI , The Ministry of youth and Sport and Iran Olympic Committee IOC,  are sincerely and diligently working towards the success of the team top break this 40 years absence, I correspondingly believe that the establishment of a Technical Committee in the Ministry of Youth and Sport that can over-rule the football federation , is a direct violation of the football law and interference in the running of an independent NGO. However , I still respect that committee’s decision if it was based on technicality and/or genuine valid reason.”

“Instead, an international coach with a pedigree and a resume of success in Iran and oversees is rejected based on non-footballing issues. This is totally unacceptable.”

“I still want to be a soldier and a servant for this country and in this respect, I shall resign my job to allow a suitable candidate who is capable of working with the trio of organization to achieve its goal of qualifying to the Rio Olympics Games.”