PLDC - Tehran, Mohammad Fanaei, a veteran referee, who was one of the linesmen of the 1994 World Cup final between Italy and Brazil, has been the target of a storm of verbal attacks from Daei.

Fanaei had announced that the officiating of the match between Persepolis and Zob Ahan was fair, and the penalty that wasn't called for The Reds, shouldn't have been called anyway; something completely contrary to Daei's opinion about the match.

Ali Daei wasted no time addressing Fanaei, and he objected, "You are a consultant for one of the Pro League teams, and you think I haven't been involved with football for all these years?"

He continued, "Does Mr. Fanaei, who says he has been a refereeing expert for 15 years, think that I have been playing rugby or ping pong for all these years? I have been involved with European and world football, and the matches I have played have been officiated by the best referees in the world. You can't say that Dehnavi committed a hard foul on Karimi, when it was Karimi himself who fouled Dehnavi initially."

Fanaei replied to Daei, "As one of the greats of Iranian football, you have to learn to respect the opinions of others. I voice my opinions as a professional and an expert, and I very much value my reputation."

Nima Sharifi, a journalist/columnist for FaraFarda has written a deep and emotional article regarding Daei's behaviour.

In this article, Sharifi wrote, "I am from a land where being a legend has nothing to do with morality and behaviour. A place that you can use money and power to reach the top."

The FaraFarda journalist continued, "When I saw Ali Daei disrespect his elder (Fanaei) on a highly viewed television program, my heart broke for those mountaineers ( Aidin Bozorgi, Pouya Keivan, Mojtaba Jarahi) who never reached 'legend' status. To me, they are and always will be more legendary than Daei; a Daei whose jumps of joy and fist pumps of celebration, fights with other coaches, disrespect towards Tabrizis, and disrespect towards the media, will never be forgotten."

With only three games into the season, Daei has already had plenty of drama.

Please share your opinions and thoughts regarding this subject in the discussion forum.

By: Arman Tamjidi