Dadkan: Football Federation’s Goal in Reaching the World Cup Is to Distribute Money

The former president of the Iranian Football Federation criticized the management of the country’s football in an interview with Rouydad24, saying that the federation’s primary goal in pursuing World Cup qualification is to secure financial rewards.

Mohammad Dadkan, referring to the performance of football officials, said a significant portion of their efforts is directed not toward national interests, but toward receiving the qualification bonus and deciding how to distribute it within the federation. In the interview, Dadkan emphasized: “The federation’s entire effort is to get the qualification reward money and divide it among themselves; nobody’s heart bleeds for the homeland.”

Dadkan further criticized the federation’s management and its current president, Mehdi Taj, pointing to difficulties surrounding the team’s travel and visa issuance restrictions, and describing the process as being fraught with “unnecessary hassles” for the team.