Iranian club football and to a certain extent, Team Melli, has been facing indiscipline, anarchy, and physical altercations at various levels in recent years. The FFIRI and other responsible organizations have not solved this moral and cultural problem. While the FFIRI Ethics & Disciplinary committee in particular seems to be ill-equipped for the job and proven to be a feeble body that suffers a lack of consistency and at times toothless to what is happening around.

This chaotic lawlessness has been out of control that even the pre-season camps have suffered from it.

Saket Elhami, a controversial figure and one who has faced disciplinary action umpteen times, in the last few years and was frequently banned by ethics and disciplinary committees of FFIRI, once again caused controversy and made headlines. The new head coach of Havadar coaching his team in the Turkish camp had a physical fight with Hamid Motahari, his counterpart in Nasaji Mazandaran, to the amazement of the onlookers, tourists, and athletes present at the Green Park camp in Turkey.

The culture of violence and aggression among the Iranian coaches has replaced the culture of self-control, respect, and chivalry in Iran’s football. Instead of calming the players, some coaches entice them and display a bad example of behavior towards opponent coaches, referees, and even their own fans!  Needless to mention that such poor behavior creeps into Team Melli particularly if the team coach is lenient.

This is all occurring while there are no attempts by the organizations concerned to promote any cultural awareness in the Iranian League clubs. In the season when the clubs will witness the return of the fans into the stadiums, the teams create convulsions and have justified that ill behavior as seeking success by any means possible.

The physical altercation and fist fights were not limited to the Turkish training camps of Havadar and Nassiji clubs, either. Mes Kerman was forced to abandon its friendly match halfway through the game due to the violence and fights between its players and those of Gol Gohar Sirjan. The referee, Amir Arab Baraghi has to use his yellow and red cards many times while in charge of another match between Persepolis and Mes Kerman. And all these are friendly matches …!

It is not clear whether this toxic and volatile atmosphere created in the pre-season by the hands of football players and coaches will turn into a fear of football by fans. Even worst, if the fights on the pitch will creep into the stands with disastrous results.  Unless the intervention of ethics institutions to promote sportsmanship culture will reduce the severity of this amount of bad behavior.

The body which is really responsible, The FFIRI’s Ethics and the Disciplinary Committee needs to be sacked and replaced by competent and fast-acting personnel who do not fear Esteghlal and Perspolis influences and apply heavy sentences on the offenders.