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The future of Persepolis and Esteghlal clubs in the balance!

After the failure of the government to find buyers for the two major Iranian clubs, Persepolis and Esteghlal, Seyed Jafar Sobhani, the advisor to the head of the privatization committee of the government warned of the possibility of liquidating both clubs!.

The privatization of Persepolis and Esteghlal has been talked about for decades since Hashemi Rafsanjani’s era.  Subsequent governments, due to political reasons, were reluctant to make any serious attempt to release and privatize the clubs. Despite public claims that privatization was to go ahead pending administration and financial issues, each government found some reason not to carry any meaningful work. Nearly 15 years later since the first talk of Persepolis and Esteghlal being handed to private investors or the public, the current government made the most genuine attempt so far to finally offload these two poorly run and financially bankrupt entities from the books of the government.

Forced by economic hardship after the remarkable drop of oil revenue, the government flouted the political reservations of the privatization issues and fast tracked attempts to attract potential investors.

 The Ministry of Finance announced the price for the two clubs in a bid to attract investors, but no one came forward to the great disappointment of the government. A number of reasons were behind the lack of any interest by investors to acquire the clubs. The initial price were set quite high according to many potential investors, however , the most pressing issue remains the outstanding debts, especially by Persepolis whose CEO is in jail due to financial irregularities , and whether the government is willing to release both clubs debt free. The details are still sketchy on the issue although some officials have been quoted that the government will indeed work towards clearing most of the debts, believed to be in millions of US dollars.

Some Persepolis ex-footballers formed a group which demanded that the government should hand the clubs to them for free, to manage and run it just because a few decades ago, they used to play for the team and are fans for life!

To sweeten the deal further, Seyed Jafar Sobhani , the Adviser declared that the government is prepared to offer credit facilities to the buyer and extend the payment period of the deal from 2 years to 4 years from the date of the purchase while lowering the initial payment to 20% of the total price which remains unchanged.

“Legally, these two clubs have a license to operate until 21st July 2015. The government is not willing to continue operating and running the clubs, so if buyers cannot be found beyond that date, both clubs will go into liquidation. This is nothing new and we have faced this situation before.”   Sobhani added.

In private, most of the potential buyers of Persepolis and Esteghlal fear that the government will not truly wipe its hands off the two clubs even after privatization. It will continue meddling and interfering to ensure compliance with the party line. As such , the authorities can always make it difficult for the clubs to be survive and run independently of the government guidelines. Other financiers’ claims that neither of the clubs are commercially sound investments even after the clearing of the debts by the government. The running expenditure, especially the contract and wages of the playing staff and coaches, far exceed the actual and forecasted revenues.  Unless there is a wholesale clearance and contract re-negotiations at much lower rates, it is impossible to balance the books at both clubs. Failure of marketing personnel of both clubs, which was limited to shirts sponsorship deals, have prevented a sizable revenue for the clubs and instead the two clubs administrations built a dependency on government handouts, which was much easier task.

The TV revenue that many investors have been looking at as a potential attraction remains on the balance after the talk failures between FFIRI and the IRIB.  The two sides continue to disagree on the terms with each accusing the other of hindering the closing of a deal.

 

Is Kaffashian on his way out after recent developments?

In a brief communique, Ali Kaffashian has announced the appointment of Mr. Mahmoud Islamian as the deputy President of the Football Federation FFIRI.

Islamian, who is an industrialist and former University Professor, has graduated from Canada’s Victoria University. He has held several managerial and executive posts mainly in the Iron and Steel industry.

His sporting management background started with being a member of the executive committee of his home town club, Sepahan, then Zob Ahan , before a short stint in the same capacity at Mes Kerman and then finally the FFIRI.

Islamian is one of the unknown qualities of the executive committee. He has hardly figured in the media. His management skill in the industry is well documented and praised, however in Football, he is not been tested in earnest.

The media was quick to relate this appointment with the likely ousted of Ali Kaffashian from his position. Islamian seems to be supported by the Sports Ministry, the biggest behind the scene power broker in Iran’s football.

When Kaffashian was faced with the question if this appointment means in any way that he (Kaffashian) will be resigning, in his customary grin, the head of FFIRI responded philosophically and said “I am not supposed to stay in my position for ever and someday I have to vacate the post. I have not said or indicted that I will resign any time soon, though. Give the man (Islamian) a few days to settle down and at least get familiar with his job before you journalists come up with such suggestions. “

“I know that I have been a big burden on you people, but tolerate me a little more.” Kaffashian said in one of his dark humor.

kaffashian laughs

Ali Kaffashian is a shrewd survivor and has proven a tough nut to crack. He has survived many attempts to oust him from his post by his opponents, of which the Ministry of Sports is the main adversary. The beleaguered Boss of FFIRI , has continued to remain calm and respectful even against the harshest of criticism , some of which were close to personal insult. He maintains his stand of not engaging in public debates or questioning the characters of his opponents, never responding to harsh critics at equal intensity. His self-defense always remains dignified, respectful and well within the boundary of decency while addressing his critics not forgetting his trademark grin. That might be one secret of his survival. Being such a nice guy for some or a person with a “thick skin” to others perhaps attracts some sympathy towards him!

Islamian will be taking over from Ayatollahei who was pushed aside a month ago in a sweeping reform of the football federation.

Why Iran’s bid to oust Iraq from Asian Cup failed?

From the evidence and documents that the Iranians provided to the AFC and prior to that to FIFA , much of it was seen by journalists , It seems that there is a genuine doping case with verified positive test results . Al’a AbdulZahra the 27-year-old Iraqi player was tested positive for banned stimulant methylhexaneamine, not only by the Iranian Doping commission, but also verified by a WADA-approved laboratory in Cologne, Germany.

By the time that the Cologne report was back, Al’a AbdulZahra abruptly left Tabriz under mysterious circumstances. His two years contract was cancelled by Tractorsazi. As such , the Iranian authorities and FFIRI , no longer had any jurisdiction on the Iraqi player who popped up in Baghdad ,  playing for the Police Club (Al Shorta).

According to the Iranian officials, the report and doping lab results on AbdulZahra was submitted to FIFA on September 2014 as mandated by the Games ruling body, and they left it at that.

FIFA did promised to  act,  but did not respond, verify or query the Iranian documents any further, according to the Iranian side, until the FFIRI once again contacted FIFA and demanded a response on January 21st , 2015. The trail ends there as no one has seen any official response from FIFA.

There is very little doubt, if any, that AbdulZahra should be suspended according to the rules. However, suspension must be announced after investigations and a verdict from the ruling body , in this case FIFA. Those in corridors of power in FIFA failed to act and for that reason only, the case of Iran against Abdul Zahra was doomed to fail.  The Iraq FA and the coach would not voluntarily suspend a valuable player unless there is a document and a ruling by FIFA or AFC. As long as there is nothing official, there is no case to answer.

AFC on the other hand, cannot overturn the result simply because there is no ruling. However , given all the documents and the doping results verified by approved WADA lab in Germany and still insisting that  Abdul Zahra is clear to play the next match, leaves major questions unanswered about the legitimacy of this issue. We suspect that those in power in AFC know a few things about the law and would not act arbitrarily. AFC has not issued any communique regarding the subject (up to the time of writing this report) and no explanation was provided on reasons for rejection of Iran’s case. There has to be genuine reasons for it , that the  Iranians officials have probably been informed about by AFC but it is not publicized yet.

In any case, these was serious doubt that Iraq would be thrown out from the moment that this issues was raised. We find that if there is a case, it is between FFIRI and FIFA , not with AFC or the AFC Asian Cup organizers.

Barazay “Kranjcar is the perfect coach for Omid Team”

The Captain of Team Melli U-23 , known as the Omid Team , has spoken to ISNA about the aspirations and the prospects of the team.

Behnam Barazay , the current Rah Ahan player and the Captain of the U23 team , believes in strong preparation games ” unless we play against quality teams for our friendly games to get the big experience , I am afraid we will not be able to qualify for the Olympic Games.”

The young striker , is also confident that the Croat coach Zlatko Kranjcar is the best candidate for the Omid team ” He has coached at different levels, his record is quite good , he coached in Iran and his approach is professional. I believe he is the perfect coach for Omid Team.”

“Although many players prefer to work with Iranian coaches, and I am one of those players , as communication is easier , however a coach in the class of Kranjcar can make a big difference.” Barazay added.

Regarding the recent failures specifically in the Asian Games in Incheon, Barazay said ” The players were under tremendous stress after the Asian Games. In the Qatar camp , quite a lot of work was done on the psychological aspect but fear of losing still causes a lot of stress.”

About his own future career and whether he will follow his teammates Alireza Jahanbaksh and Sardar Azamoun in to Europe,  Barazay Did not want to think about that for the time being although he received an offer from an Arab team. ” All my concentration right now is on the form of my team Rah Ahan. I have  not succeeded in gaining the full confidence of Hamid Estili yet. My goal is to do that. I need to get it right here in Iran before thinking about abroad and becoming a legionnaires”

The situation with the appointment of Kranjcar took another weird twist when it was decided that a committee within the football federation will have to examine the Croat coach resume and give its seal of approval before the coach can be appointed. This development cam up aright after Ali Kaffashian and Habib Kashani confirmed the appointment of the ex-Sepahan Esfahan coach as the head coach of the Omid Team. Many observers are suspecting some interference by the Ministry of Sport who always claims that they have no role in appointing coaches for National Team , but in reality they exert pressure on the FFIRI and Kaffashian to pass their own candidates.

 

Behnam Barazay

Behnam Barazay

Friendly game against Kenya is off

Team Melli is preparing for the second training camp in its program for the AFC Asian Cup 2015. The camp is scheduled to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa.

As part of the program, a friendly international match was supposed to be played with an African team. The FFIRI negotiated with several teams and eventually picked Kenya as an opposition for the friendly which was supposed to be played in South Africa. The East African team demanded US$ 50,000 to cover the cost of logistics and accommodation, which FFIRI turned down as too expensive! The match is therefore canceled while FFIRI is actively looking for a cheaper team to play against!

Team Melli is scheduled to play against South Korea on the 18th November in Azadi Stadium. It seems that this is the only confirmed match that Team Melli will play until the start of the AFC Asian Cup 2015

TV blackout continues in Iran.

Ali Kaffashian , the President of FFIRI has warned football fans that there will be no TV coverage of football league matches anytime soon. “Those who want to watch football, need to go to the stadiums because we have not reached any agreement to resolve the dispute between us and IRIB” Kaffashian announced after the meeting with Ezzatollah Zarghami the head of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).

Zarghami with Seyyed Ahmad Khomeini

When asked by reporters what was the outcome of the meeting between the two parties regarding the TV broadcast, Kaffashian said that they simply exchanged views and no serious discussion on the issue of TV broadcast value was discussed! The meeting was the last one in a series that was supposed to resolve the issue of payment by IRIB for broadcast rights. IRIB strongly disagrees with the FFIRI valuation of the TV rights and described it as unreasonable and beyond the capabilities of the TV and Radio organization. The gap between the IRIB expectation and the FFIRI is quite large while mediators suggested the interference of the government and the parliament.

IRIB is the singular broadcaster in Iran and has complete monopoly on TV and Radio services.   Most of the clubs in Iran are also run, owned or financed by the government directly or indirectly. The situation is quite peculiar in Iran as the government, despite being theological and run according to Islamic principles which translates into free market, in reality the government has direct or indirect in control on every key commercial, business, media , sport  activities  and organizations that have impact on the country’s political or commercial interest. The concept on NGO is hardly applied in Iran while the population is brought up with a mentality of government welfare expectation.

Adel Ferdowsipour , for the first time, tackled the issue on Monday night through the popular Navad TV show. The issue of TV blackout and broadcast rights became a challenge for NAVAD and its anchorman Ferdowsipour who was defied by many reporters to have enough courage and discuss the issue openly on the popular program with tens of millions of viewers every week. It became a question of trust in the program and the impartiality of Ferdowsipour as a person who is looked upon as instigator of many behind the scene issues in Iran’s football politics and the person who has revealed many shortcomings , inadequacies  and even corruption in the most popular sport in Iran.

 Ferdowsipour addressed this challenge and the whole program was nearly dedicated to the issue with the main guest being none other than the opposition in the shape of Mehdi Taj , the head of the football league commission of FFIRI.Adel ferdowsipour

The long debate and exchange of thoughts, ideas and data between the two sides did not result in any practical solution. While IRIB believes that there should be a Broadcast Right for football, it vehemently disagrees with the figures that are demanded by the FFIRI and clearly informed FFIRI that its football standards and values should not be compared to those of Major European luges  like the English EPL or the Spanish La Liga.  A short report in the program highlighted the lack or even the nonexistence of any meaningful marketing activities by many Iranian clubs apart from shirt sponsorships. Instead, the clubs are looking for easy money and the least effort to get that, claimed the report. By receiving financial support from the owners, which are mostly government owned organizations, they are now again extending their hands to the government to receive substantial funds by the way of bloated TV right broadcast demands. “Many clubs live beyond their means. While the incomes of these clubs are negligible in business terms, their expenditure are quite high with millions of dollars payment for players and coaches. When the cash eventually dries out, which is a regular occurrence in Iranian clubs, they naturally resort to government to bail them out.”

The head of IRIB is appointed by the leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamanei.  Zarghami was appointed for a 5 years period by the leader. His mission and goal is quite clear which is to spread the religious ideas/sermons and implant the regime’s ideology into every Iranian home. The ex- revolutionary guard and an engineer by qualification is closely connected to the religious hierarchy and considered as a fundamentalist. However, despite much criticism by the liberals against his appointment, Zarghami managed to improve the services of the TV in many areas but all that falls short of the standards of the media in the west and the democratic nations. When it comes to sport, Zarghami is an avid sport fan, but the insiders say that his favorite sport is Volleyball not football. Whether his leaning towards Volleyball, which has attracted the attention of the sport world towards Iran’s after the remarkable run of Iran’s volleyball team at global stage, has any influence in the negotiations between IRIB and FFIRI is not known. Despite the lack of reliable sources, it is believed that both the regime Hierarchy and IRIB in the figure of Zarghami,  do not believe that football has brought enough glory to the nation despite the huge influx of resources compared to a sport such as volleyball, to merit huge investments and payout. They simply believe that the return on Investment (ROI) on football is poor and much below expectation.

Mehrdad Pooladi saved by FIFA !

The enigma of Mehrdad Pooladi and his failure to sign for a club was revealed at last.

Pooladi , who was Iran’s best player in FIFA World Cup 2014 according to figures and performance statistics, has failed to sign for a club since his contract with Persepolis expired at the end of last season.

It seems that whole problem preventing  Al Shahaniya , who had Pooladi in the top of their shopping list , from signing Team Melli’s left back was the refusal by FFIRI to issue an ITC despite Pooladi being a free agent and out of contract.

In an official statement by FFIRI published in their website, the federation announced that it has received a request from Qatar FA on 20th of September 2014 for the issue of International Transfer. Certificate (ITC) for Mehrdad Pooladi upon the request of  QSL club Al Shahaniya Club of Doha. FFIRI refused to issue the ITC because of Military Service commitment by Pooladi !

As per the FIFA regulation governing the transfer of players, if the original country of issuance failed to produce the ITC without providing a valid reason(s), then after 15 days the player may join his desired team without requiring an ITC while the FA that refused to issue the ITC in the first place has no legal right to that player.

In what seems to be another of those weird twists of the wonderful football administration of Iran, the interference of the football federation in a governmental task is immediately put under scrutiny. The question that would be asked by anyone with an average level of intelligence is, what has FFIRI , an NGO as Kaffashian likes to always brag about, has got to do with the Military service requirement of a player , which is purely government official business?

Time and Time again, FIFA has warned, suspended, sanctioned many of its FA members across the world because of government interference in football. Iran was one such country that was suspended right after the 2006 World Cup as the government forced the head of FA at the time , Mohammad Dadkan to leave his office, citing unsatisfactory results in the FIFA World Cup 2006 !!!

Masoud Shojaei along with Mehrdad Pooladi in the signing ceremony

It seems that FFIRI are not heeding the warnings and have yet to fully comprehend the risks of government interference in any shape, a taboo as far as FIFA is concerned. The government of Iran has the power , the tools , the procedures and the legal means to deal with the players who have escaped the military service, the Football Federation has no right to act as an agent of the government and refuse to issue ITC for a player because Pooladi has an issue with military service. To complicate the matters even more, one must ask, where has the FFIRI been all these years since 2006 when Pooladi started with Peykan Esteghlal, Tractorsazi , Mes Kerman , and now Persepolis? The answer was nicely provided by FFIRI themselves when an official responded to media questions and stated that FFIRI is not to be blamed for the latest problems of fake certificates because it does not have the tools nor the legal power to ascertain the validity of a player’s military service status. That is of course quite a valid point and a genuinely true statement, but refusing to issue an ITC for Pooladi is a direct contradiction to this statement and playing with fire as far as FIFA regulations are concerned. When FFIRI does not have the tools, the information and the legal power, why is it refusing to issue an ITC based on a military matter ?

Mehrdad Pooladi officially joined Al Shahaniya of Qatar Star League (QSL) to join his team Melli teammate Masoud Shojaei as the second Iranian in the team.

The team will be playing against Umm Salal who has Pejman Montazeri in their line up on Thursday. Al Shahaniya is currently two places above the relegation zone of the QSL with 4 points from 5 games.

Will Iran U23 be eliminated before the Asian Games start?

After the humiliating opening group game defeat against Vietnam, a 4-1 result that sent shock waves to many critics, experts and fans in Iran, the Olympic team is under the threat of elimination from the Asian Games , before even the game officially starts. This would be a milestone in Iran’s football, a one which is truly mortifying for a nation that claims to be at the top level of Asian football.

Iran has to beat Kyrgyzstan on Thursday and by a comprehensive margin to assure qualification in what was seen as an easy group.  The Asian Games Men’s football competition draw could not have been any kinder to Iran , as not only it has put it in 3 team group instead of 4 , it also  placed it with FIFA ranking 139 (Vietnam) and 144 (Kyrgyzstan) or no 21 and 22 in Asia. This time there are no Arab teams, who have really learned how to play against the Iranians, to disturb the U23 team progress. Apparently that huge advantage meant nothing as the little Vietnamese showed the mighty Iranians a few tricks of their own, specifically scoring.

Beating Kyrgyzstan at this level is not an easy task as Iran discovered in the last Olympic Qualifiers in 2011. Human Afazeli was the coach when Iran U23 struggled to beat Kyrgyzstan by the tightest of margins 1-0 in Tehran while they were lucky to get a goal-less draw in Bishkek and qualified by a single goal margin. Afazeli is currently working alongside Nelo Vingada as the U23 Team Manager in Incheon.

Vietnam player celebrates scoring against Iran

Defeats in football is part and parcel of the game, but the manner of defeat can make a world of difference and in many cases, it highlights the underlying problems of that football. Ali Kaffashian has been running the federation with his usual grin for 7 years and getting away with one poorly and disjointed organization. According to the respected Amir Haj Rezaei ” the system and the administration of football in Iran is the biggest culprit behind these humiliation of our football.  Time and again, the only victims are the coaches who lose their jobs while those who are really accountable or at least share  a large portion of the blame ,  maintain their power , repeatedly display their incompetence and inability to manage football , and continue repeating the same mistakes. Our football is at the mercy of politicians’ whims and being exploited by them. These are people who have seen a great opportunity in football to exploit it and benefit from its popularity. Without improvements at the top, chances of success are slim at field level.”

For Kaffashian , it is business as usual. Asked about this humiliating defeat in the press conference after signing the contract with Queiroz, the incumbent President of FFIRI claimed that there are no easy teams in the World Anymore! Down deep inside, he was probably wondering what all this fuss is about!

That response by Kaffashian , just about sums up this man’s standard and aspiration towards Iran’s football.  Driven by other behind the scenes, not much can be expected from this FFIRI administration.

Players and coaches, have to take all the burden of competitions in order to succeed.

Iran U23 meets Kyrgyzstan u23 at 12:30 Tehran time on Thursday 18th September.

 

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Ali Daei is sacked as Persepolis coach. Turmoil continues!

The turmoil at the most popular team in Asia has continued after today’s announcement by the Persepolis chairman, that Ali Daei has been relieved of his duties as Persepolis head coach

Hamid Derakhshan is appointed in a caretaker capacity.

Persepolis has been embroiled in various problems on and off the field for years. The Ministry of Youth and Sport which has direct control on the club has been directing the affairs and changing many personnel after the sacking of Mohammad Rouyanian, who is now believed to be in prison awaiting a trial for corruption.

The Ex Sepahan CEO Rahimi was appointed as the new CEO of Persepolis replacing Rouyanian ,  A complete change of board members was followed and a person by the name of Siyasi was selected as Chairman.  Siyasi, translated from Farsi means political, and as it turned out , that was the only thing he was concerned with. Interestingly enough , very few of the new Persepolis board had much footballing pedigree except for watching matches on TV according to one sarcastic critic.

 The bad results on the field culminated in the sacking of Daei , however , the CEO Rahimi refused the order of the sacking originated from the chairman himself. The conflict between Chairman and CEO resulted in the departure of the latter for refusing to obey the chairman request , which Rahimi said was unlawful as it is the CEO duty to appoint or sack coaches rather than the chairman.

Persepolis financial, managerial , administrative and staff relationships issue has no end. The Ministry have made a right mess of the club by their direct interference,  poor management and control, mostly executed by Amir Khadem . The ex-freestyle wrestling champion. has been given the green light by the Minister to put the house of Persepolis in order and prepare the club for privatization.. However ,  despite the good intentions,  Khadem has failed miserably and the signs are that more turmoil are forecasted ahead.

The turmoil and failures of Persepolis is archetypical and a classic case of where Iran football seriously fails.

Poor management , political interference and incompetent personal at decision-making levels.

Currently, football in Iran is run and managed by a horde of incompetent personnel starting from FFIRI and down to the clubs.

Imagine if FFIRI instead of Kaffashian and his gang , was run by the same Iranian managers responsible for development of Iran’s Volleyball ( Mohammad Reza Davarzani ) or Basketball ( Mahmoud Mashhoun)!

Asst. Minister accuses FFIRI of incompetence.

Assistant Minster of Youth and Sport, AbdolHamid Ahmadi accused the football federation of failing to act as it is mandated and divert its weakness and shortcomings on others.

In a statement to ISNA , the Assistant Minister who was on his way to Yazd said “The ministry of Sport has no role in the contract negotiations between the sport federations and their coaches. We have highlighted this so many times. Those who claim that the Ministry is interfering in the negotiations or influences the outcome of FFIRI and Queiroz, contract talk,  are simply covering up the real culprit. It is the feeble football federation that has left Iran’s National Team (Team Melli) without a program and without a coach. We do not pay the coach wages, the federations does.”

“It is not our business to lay conditions on any federation, the legislations and the role of the ministry is quite clear. We are a supervisory body and will provide consultation and assistance to any of our national sport federations.”

Mr. Ahmadi reserved his sharpest criticism for the Iranian media and accuses it of being the instigators of a lot of side issues in sport by their prejudiced reporting influencing people into hostilities.

“Instead of promoting sport as a healthy lifestyle and practice, the media here continuously create controversy by picking news items that involves a conflict between one party versus another. By doing that, the tension between the two quarreling sides increases and people start taking sides. Most of these quarrels or differences have nothing to do with sport but a lot is generated due to personal conflicts and issues.”