Tehran Times - Persepolis football team lost to Foolad 1-0 in Matchday 17 of the Iran Professional League (IPL) on Friday, however, the game was so controversial and after the game, there was a messy situation at the Foolad Arena in Ahvaz.
Javad Nekounam’s emotions boiled over in the second half after referee Mo’oud Bonyadifar’s decision went against his side. The coach’s harsh reaction cost him a red card.
It is not the first time that Foolad coaches have caused an uproar on the touchline and it seems that it won’t be the last. Continuous launching the tirades on the referees from the start of the game to the end, and spending more time outside of their technical area than inside it to the fury of rivals, has become a normal trend for the head coach of Foolad and his staff.
After the final whistle, the staff members and players of the two teams, Foolad and Persepolis, got into fight!
The two clubs also issued rough statements after the game condemning one another for breaking football’s fair play code.
Similar incidents have happened in the recent years in Iranian football and it seems that there is no serious determination from the Iranian Football Federation to deal decisively with such behaviors.
Players and managers must be warned about the increasingly toxic behavior of the IPL and the football federation. Abusive remarks against the referees, during and after the games, by the players or managers, has sparked outrage among the Iranian football fans and media.
Football's stakeholders, including the disciplinary committee of the football federation, must take this problem into consideration.
They have to issue a stern warning to clubs, insisting such behavior will not be tolerated.