There came the moment thousands of Persepolis fans were waiting to hear: “I hereby announce my resignation following this defeat,” said the embarrassed manager Hamid Estili after being in charge of the Red Devils’ League Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of their greatest rival Esteghlal late last week.
The 3-0 loss was not a once in a blue moon occurrence, but rather the imprint of a fourth straight defeat against their derby rivals which further tainted Persepolis' fading reputation.
It is easy to find the scapegoat of the situation by pointing at Estili, who is a former loyal Piroozi player who had recent managerial experiences at the helm of Shahin Boushehr and Estil Azin. When Estili was handed the Persepolis job there was some surprise considering he didn't have much to brag about based on his past managerial record, but the club’s chairman at the time should have known better.
When Estili was appointment, the Tehran giants were preoccupied by their attempts to sign top stars during the summer transfer period and Persepolis’ former chairman Habib Kashani also instead chose to focus on a shameful war of words with departed boss Ali Daei. Eventually he found a way to legally fire Ali Daei and appoint his favourite candidate Estili, who never convinced the fans.
At the time of Estili's appointment, the Tehran giants were preoccupied trying to sign top stars during the transfer period and Persepolis’ former chairman Habib Kashani also instead chose to focus on a shameful war of words with departed boss Ali Daei
Indeed, despite having access to millions of government subsidised funds and after all the controversies calmed down, Persepolis managed to capture only a handful of average players, plus former Bayern Munich man Ali Karimi, of course, who proved to be their only winning jackpot bet. The rest of the squad proved to be somewhat of a waste of investment - arguably the same as the manager - as Persepolis struggled with losses and draws even against relegation-threatened teams to hover around ninth spot close to mid-season.
But Persepolis’ never-ending miseries go beyond poor results, losses to the Blues, or the “fingernation” incident of two players in October. The club’s demise is long echoed by their downhearted fans who have chosen to boycott their darling club’s games in show of protest.
The Reds. who used to proudly claim to have the highest number of fans in Iran, were embattled this season with record-low attendances of 10,000 fans at some games. Sadly, those who ignore this disturbing trend are in fact in charge of decision-making for this very same struggling club.
The reality is, because of their unfortunate fate of being a state-funded club, they are funded in millions of taxpayers’ money in loans by the government, but are bound to be directed by some government official; usually the most abiding official with the least sport management expertise is appointed.
As government policies change, so do Perspolis' chairmen, which results in disturbing stats which we witness today: 11 chairman changes have taken place at Persepolis in the last decade, or six changes in the past five seasons alone.
With the average contract of one season at most, these chairmen have sacked 11 managers in the past decade, and an astonishing nine managerial changes in the past five seasons. It is not even getting better as we speak. Already an incompetent chairman and a manager, both of whom shouldn’t have been appointed in the first place, have already lost their jobs this season in this circus style of management.
The Reds who used to proudly claim to have the highest number of fans in Iran, were embezzled this season with record low attendances of 10,000 fans at some games
Club fans are absolutely enraged at their beloved club’s never-ending crisis, boycotting their home stadium in recent seasons to leave the stands empty for officials who are ruining even the remaining ashes of this club.
Squad players are furious because they receive most of the rants while dreaming of a trophy or success they know they can’t achieve anytime soon. The team manager is under pressure to deliver better results within months before receiving the pink-slip from the chairman as they usually do every season. And club chairman is appointed by the state, to somehow divert the crisis away from the state’s embattled reputation in having control over Iran’s elite football clubs, by spending taxpayers’ money and changing coaches when results go out of hand.
This is not a new story. It has been that way for years now. Until Persepolis fans demand their rights to take back ownership of the club, the downfall will only plummet lower.
For now, lets focus on Persepolis’ new soon-to-be unveiled manager, who is destined to be the next scapegoat of the club’s failing state. History will repeat itself.
By Niloufar Momeni