Mohammad Mayeli-Kohan was summoned to a police station in Tehran where he was arrested , hand-cuffed and sent to the notorious Evin prison to serve jail sentence of 4 months.
The jail sentence is the result of a judge verdict against the former Team Melli coach following a law suit raised by another former Team Melli coach Ali Daei for slander & defamation. The two have been embroiled in a long dispute, much of it initiated by Mayeli-Kohan who engaged in a smear campaign utilizing a media which thrives on controversy. Being an outspoken and controversial figure , the Iranian media awarded much space and opportunity for Mayeli-Kohan to publicly accuse Daei of misdeeds including financial benefiting from Peresepolis club contract and misappropriation of funds. Mayeli-Kohan failed to produce any credible evidence during the trials.
This is the second time that Daei has won a court case against his sworn enemy Maylei-Kohan , who portrays himself as a person on crusade to clean Iran’s football ( and the country , for that matter) from corrupt elements. The first case resulted in an undisclosed settlement between the two parties with a claim that Maylei-Kohan has agreed to a cease and desist court order.
Mayeli-Kohan however, did not stop and continued his rhetoric, accusation and allegations against Daei.
The route of the animosity by Mohammad Mayeli-Kohan against Daei goes way back to 1997 when Mayeli-Kohan was the head coach of Team Melli playing in the World Cup 1998 qualifiers. Ali Daei was the leading forward and top goal scorer of the team. In a crucial stage, the two had a disagreement which leads Mayeli-Kohan to drop Daei from the team roster. Daei’s exclusion raised much media & public criticism. Mayeli could not produce the one win that Iran required for direct qualification to the World Cup, and following two defeats and a draw in the last 3 matches, he was fired from his job. Daei’s exile from Team Melli was short-lived. Maylei-Kohan always believed that it was Daei’s power and influence which has led to his sacking from his Team Melli head coaching job.
In another interesting twist to the tale, Iran’s Sports Minister has interfered in the court proceeding of Maylei-Kohan and ordered the Legal advisor of his Ministry, Mazyar Nazemi to pursue the case in order to release Maylei-Kohan from prison!
The Minister‘s motive, according to Nazemi, is to protect the honour and reputation of senior sport personalities in public and prevent disputes between two parties reaching such a stage. However , Goudarzi is not only interfering in a court of law , which is the highest authority in the legal system in Iran , he is in contempt as he himself has filed a libel suit against Daei in a court of law accusing a senior sport personality (Daei) of slander and taking the matter to the highest legal system in Iran exactly opposite what he preached in support of Mayeli-Kohan !
The minster is using public resources and spending public money interfering in a personal case that as little to do with him , a case which the court has already handled. The minister interference also draws a big question mark about his prejudice and partiality. His interference in the court verdict is a clear case of conflict of interest.