For more than a decade, Iran’s football has been suffering from poor management and administration, the result of which are numerous failures at all levels of national teams.
This episode with the Belgian Marc Wilmots is yet another addition to FFIRI collection of failures. In his faulty wisdom, The contract that was signed Mehdi Taj which remained under wrap with no one able to view, scrutinize or audit, allows the other party (Wilmots) to claim a flagrant breach of contract by FFIRI only a few months later.
The head of FFRIR, Taj, claimed that the contract with Wilmots is water-tight as they have learned their lessons from the previous contract’s shortfall signed with Queiroz. Really! Of course, Taj and his predecessor, Kaffashian regularly claim, brag and state a lot of things without providing proof or evidence. They both have developed skills in manoeuvring and wrong-footing their critics as well as their abilities to deflect blames on others, but when it comes to the proper administration and professional management skills, these people have a steep learning curve and nowhere near efficient.
Running a football club or federation does not require a university degree nor does it require the abilities and qualification of neurosurgeons, however, it does require degrees in business administration with knowledge of organizations, economics, public relations, international relations, human resources and communication skills.
Why is it difficult for Iran’s FFIRI to arrange friendly international matches for Team Melli? Such failure, even considering all the excuses and justifications, is enough in itself to expel those in charge and bring fresh blood or experienced persons who can arrange matches at international level.
And what about the pursue of coaches for Team Melli? Let’s face it, Marc Wilmots is not considered a top-level international coach, he is not even in the class of Carlos Queiroz. OK, he came with a fresh mentality and a mission to transform Team Melli into a fearful attacking force, however, at the first real test, he failed. There is no question that coaches need time to get familiar with the squad, observe the league, talk to club coaches and generally inspect the training resources and decide on the facilities required, but how can Wilmots conduct all that while he is back home in Belgium?
What clause in the contract has allowed him to do that? Taj was quoted as saying that Wilmots is abiding by the terms of his contract, just before the Iraq match which means that Taj and FFIRI are at fault for such a contract. Taj is guilty of failing the fans and players because of his failure to understand the requirement of Team Melli coaching. No self-respecting professional coach will sit at home a few thousand miles away and expect to coach and manage a country’s trying to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. This insane idea seems to be acceptable to Taj and Wilmots!
The FFIRI doesn’t have enough proficiency and traits to select a coach who can lead Iran to the World Cup, they employ a rookie coach and expect him to lead Iran to the Olympics games, they do not have the ability to arrange friendly matches for Team Melli, they are incapable of telling the truth, yet the fate and reputation of football in their hands and they do not accept they are at fault.
What has become of football in Iran? As long as there is a Mafia consisting of a closely-knit group of people who keep rotating from one post to another in football federations and clubs, the situation will remain critical. Ex-government, military or the Guards, are pushed to these leadership posts as gratitude to their services and loyalties to the regime rather than appointing the right people in the right jobs. As long as Iran football is governed by such mentalities and run as a government branch, these failures and heartaches for the fans will be long-lasting.
Football must be run like a business organization, with accountabilities, organizational audits and oversites and by professional people who are capable and knowledgable.