Exclusive: Iran’s Muaythai President Demands Bribes from Athletes

The president of the Muaythai Association of the Islamic Republic has threatened several national team members and athletes, demanding at least 30 per cent of their income from international competitions or they would not be allowed to participate in official tournaments, IranWire has learned.

The issue of sports officials demanding bribes gained prominence after Alireza Beiranvand, the goalkeeper for Iran’s national football team, proudly admitted in a recent interview that he had bribed a member of Persepolis Football Club’s board of directors.

The Football Federation said that they would not investigate the matter, as Beiranvand was set to play for the national team against Uzbekistan.

The Muaythai Association’s demand for bribes from athletes wishing to travel abroad for competitions comes despite the association’s close cooperation in recent years with governmental and security agencies to train repressive forces.

A source told IranWire that for many athletes, these small incomes from international competitions were their only hope, but Javad Nasiri, the president of the association, has now targeted them, threatening to report them to the Ministry of Sports’ security department if they don’t comply with his demands.

According to the source, Iranian athletes in previous years did not need permission from the Iranian Muaythai Association to participate in international Muaythai competitions in Dubai. However, this summer, after a series of correspondences with the UAE Muaythai Federation, Nasiri convinced them not to allow any Iranian athlete to compete without the approval of the Iranian association.

The source explained, “There is an annual competition held in Dubai that isn’t even directly under the World Muaythai Federation. Athletes can register independently for these competitions, paying for all their own expenses - flights, food, accommodation, transportation, and the competition fees.”

Although the prizes aren’t significant, the athletes still lose a large portion of them due to various deductions. “If an athlete wins a gold medal, they receive 5,000 dirhams ($1,360), the runner-up gets 4,000, ($1,090) and the third-place winner gets 3,000 ($816). However, 10 per cent of these prizes must go to a Muaythai club in the UAE as part of their contract, which is mandatory. After this deduction, only half the prize money remains for the athlete.”

Athletes must cover all their expenses out of pocket, and even if they win a medal, half of their prize is already gone. Assuming a Muay Thai athlete wins first place, they are left with around 2,500 dirhams.

Nasiri has told the male and female athletes planning to compete in Dubai that if they refuse his demands, he will “make them a case,” implying the initiation of a security or moral investigation against them with the Ministry of Sports’ security department.

Nasiri has a long history of fabricating security cases against Muay Thai athletes. The source told IranWire that Nasiri, using his influence in the Ministry of Sports, has secured permission for some athletes close to him to participate in international competitions without the oversight of the ministry’s foreign affairs committee or security department.

The source referred to previous global competitions, saying, “Teams of men and women have officially participated in these competitions without adhering to the ministry’s guidelines on proper attire, yet neither the Revolutionary Guards’ media nor the ministry’s security department reacted.”

In September 2023, Iranian Muaythai girls participated in the Asian Championships in Uzbekistan without mandatory hijab.

Following the publication of their pictures, all related organizations in Iran denied the legality of their participation, and security actions were demanded against them by the Revolutionary Guards’ media outlets, Tasnim and Fars.

Despite these actions, Nasiri now attempts to take 30 percent of athletes’ rewards for himself as a bribe. However, the same media that criticized female Muaythai athletes for not adhering to dress codes have not commented on Nasiri’s close associates who compete in international events under similar conditions.