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GOAL - Iranian football journalist Kaveh
Mahjoob looks at what can be done to help Iran return back into the fold of
the international football community.
In the previous article "FIFA not playing fair with Iran." I stated the
inconsistencies of FIFA in suspending Iran from international football.
While FIFA has been inconsistent and unfair in how it has singled out the
Iranian Football Federation, the issues that FIFA raise are indeed accurate
observations. The main question is now that Iran’s football has been
suspended, what needs to be done by the Iranian football authorities to
remove the suspension?
Key Reasons for the suspension.
In suspending Iran, FIFA identified the following as its reasons:
- IRIFF (Iran Football Federation) was not adhering to the principles of the
FIFA Statutes regarding the independence of member associations,
-The independence of the decision-making process of the football governing
body in each country.
- The way in which changes in the leadership of associations are brought
about.
Consequences of the Suspension
These are immediate and significant. Immediately, Iran will not be able to
participate in the Asian Games. Unless Iran can convince FIFA that it is
serious in resolving FIFA’s concerns, the winners of 1998 and 2002 Asian
Games will not participate in this year’s tournament.
Soon thereafter, Iran’s two representatives in the upcoming Asian Club
Championships, Esteghlal and Sepahan, will miss the tournament.
Perhaps the most costly consequence will be missing out on the Asian Cup.
Iran has qualified for the Asian Cup and with the group drawings scheduled
to be held shortly, there is a chance that Syria could take Iran's place.
How to Remove the Suspension?
Raise the Activity Level
Iranian football officials need to get on top of this mess which is mostly
of their own making.
They need to make a strong statement committing to resolving the issues
cited by FIFA in the shortest possible time while simultaneously petitioning
for a temporary waiver. The purpose of the waiver should be to demonstrate
concrete and significant steps in addressing FIFA’s concerns while receiving
permission to participate in international matches.
The statement should be immediately followed by a project plan addressing
step by step “FIFA’s road map.” It is reported that a few representatives of
IFF have gone to meet with FIFA on Sunday (November 26, 2006)
Adopting FIFA’s Road Map
FIFA has provided a roadmap consisting of three steps.
1. Establishment of an IRIFF Normalization Committee appointed by FIFA and
the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the composition of which reflects
the role of football’s stakeholders.
Comment – Reports have indicated that as many as three AFC representatives
along with two Iranian members would be in such a committee. This
committee’s first task would be to implement what is identified as step 2
below.
2. Drafting of new statutes on the basis of the FIFA Standard Statutes
Comment – To implement this step, time is not an ally of Iran. Iran’s is a
football system that is 100% dependent on the government. All but one of
Iran’s Premier League teams are owned and operated by the government or
industries owned by the government.
IFF needs to explain the realities of football in Iran (very similar to at
least 100 other countries) yet commit to implementing changes with action
plans and timeframes that would be in-line to FIFA standards.
3. Organization of new elections under the supervision of FIFA and the AFC
after the approval of the above-mentioned new IRIFF statutes.
Comment - Many believe this one is the core of Iran’s Football Federation
problems. On the eve of Iran – Angola match during the 2006 world cup,
Mohammad Dadkaan, Iran’s then IFF President, was fired by Iran’s Physical
Education department.
This is commonly believed to have contributed to Iran’s suspension. Dadkaan
then chose to publicly challenge his firing but finally agreed to resign a
week ago. The soap opera created between the former IFF head and the new
management helped to create the current mess. Organizing a new election
should be the least time consuming of the three steps.
Last Words
The question remains on how seriously the Iranian football establishment has
taken FIFA’s action. Taking an aggressive and anti-FIFA position would not
work. FIFA is a monopoly that has full control over the laws and “dollars”
of the game.
FIFA is the world football body that establishes, administrates, monitors
and enforces the “laws of the game.” FIFA has been choosy on when and how to
go after football federations to ensure compliance. FIFA as an organization
has easier times penalizing weaker football nations (e.g., Kenya) or those
that have significant international political challenges (e.g., Iran).
Iran has to comply with FIFA’s terms to continue on in the world football
community. Iran’s football management have to comply because they know what
FIFA asks of them is within the rights of that organization.
Iran has no choice but to comply despite FIFA’s consistent
“inconsistencies.”
Kaveh Mahjoob This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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