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Iran's Football Association: Speaking About Suspension is Against Our National Interest

June 2, 2020
Payam Younesipour
4 min read
The Iranian Football Federation responded to IranWire's report that the federation faced suspension by FIFA
The Iranian Football Federation responded to IranWire's report that the federation faced suspension by FIFA
FIFA's letter warned the Iranian federation that amendments to its constitution violated FIFA's Statute. It gave the federation until June 5 to bring the constitution in line with its rules
FIFA's letter warned the Iranian federation that amendments to its constitution violated FIFA's Statute. It gave the federation until June 5 to bring the constitution in line with its rules

Iran’s football federation has responded to IranWire reports that it has been suspended by FIFA, dismissing the claims as false and "outlandish."

A statement issued by the Islamic Republic of Iran Football Federation (IRIFF) on its official website states that discussing the issue of suspension is "against the national interests" of Iran.

On June 1, IranWire reported that FIFA had suspended the Iranian federation after it introduced amendments to its constitution that directly contradict FIFA Statutes. In particular, Iran’s new constitution enshrines government interference in the sport and the federation’s activities, although there were as many as 80 points in the draft that were problematic and controversial in the international governing body's view. FIFA gave Iranian football authorities until June 5 to comply with its requests to amend the constitution. 

The letter said the IRFF amendments would “jeopardize” Iran’s compliance with Articles 14 and 19 of FIFA Statutes that “stipulate that all member associations are obliged to manage their affairs independently and without undue influence from third parties. For example, the presence of the Minister of Sports as a fully-fledged member of the IRIFF general assembly would place the IRIFF in direct breach of the aforementioned obligations as set out in the FIFA Statutes.” 

The Iranian Football Federation responded to IranWire without publishing the official letter from FIFA alongside it. It accused the IranWire report of “misrepresentations” and of trying to “target the interests of Iran's national football," adding that it was "unfortunate" that such a report had been published. 

"According to routine rules and regulations, the world federation has set the deadline by which the Iranian federation must send the amended text of the statute, and has announced that this is a common and normal process when drawing up official documents. The Iranian Football Federation will send the amended draft text in due time, as expected.”

 

Iranian Football Authorities Meet to Discuss the Crisis

The Iranian Football Federation has responded to IranWire’s most recent report, but it has not said anything about reports, including IranWire's, of the disappearance of nearly 80 billion tomans [$5.3 million] allocated by FIFA to the Iranian Football Federation for Iranian  participation in international competitions. It has not answered accusations that this act also appears to go against the interests of national football.

At the end of the statement about IranWire’s claims, the Iranian Football Federation wrote: 

"The publication of outlandish rumors, especially the use of the word ‘suspension,’ has led to unnecessary alarm among the public, especially among football fans. These rumors are in no way consistent with reality. Suspension has not been raised in any of the correspondence between FIFA and the Iranian Football Federation."

The IRIFF has until Friday, June 5, to present the amended constitutions to FIFA, addressing the areas FIFA deems to be in violation of the international football body’s statutes and rules. But the IRIFF faces a number of obstacles, including that the draft constitution must be signed off by Iran’s own sporting authorities.  

Following FIFA’s letter of warning, which was dated May 29, several current and former executives from the Iranian Football Federation met with representatives from the Ministry of Sports and Youth in the Jordan neighborhood of Tehran to discuss the threat. It was decided that three former executives would be presented to FIFA as a transitional or transitory committee that would be tasked with redrafting the constitution and dealing with FIFA on the matters that violate FIFA Statutes. Mehdi Taj, the former head of the federation and a member of the Asian Football Confederation Emergency Committee, was not among the executives listed to sit on the task force, despite his prominent influence in Iranian sport.   

The Iranian Football Federation also faced suspension back in 2006. At that time, Mohsen Safaei Farahani, a reformist politician and the head of the Iranian Football Federation from 1998 until 2002, led a transitory committee to draft a new constitution.

On Tuesday, June 2, the Varzesh-3  website reported that Iran’s federation had not been suspended, and that FIFA would be deploying a committee to address the points FIFA objects to in the current draft of the constitution. 

"If the football federation's Board of Directors, who day in and day out attend a range of meetings with people in and outside the organization, are unable to reach a conclusion and implement FIFA's amendments within the next day or two, we will most likely see the formation of the transitional committee to run the federation's affairs,” the report said. 

Varzesh-3 said that "three Iranian members and three representatives from FIFA" would serve on the committee.

A source confirmed to IranWire that, at a meeting between the directors and representatives of the federation and the Ministry of Sports, the committee’s chairman and members were selected and approved by the ministry.

 

Related coverage: 

IranWire Exclusive: Iranian Football’s Million-Dollar Swindle

IranWire Exclusive: FIFA Suspends Iran's Membership

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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