PLDC - Tehran, Ali Kaffashian, the president of the Iranian Football Federation, has said that the federation is in debt, and Ahmadinejad has not kept his promise.

Regarding Team Melli's second consecutive cancelled camp and the financial troubles surrounding the IFF, Kaffashian said, "Mr. Ahmadinejad had promised to solve the problems in our football, but he has not kept his promise. We tried our best, but no one helped the federation, and I can't stack debt on top of more debt."

He continued, "The federation is not only for one Team Melli. There are several teams at different age groups and categories (e.g. beach football, futsal) that needs camps and friendlies. When there is no money, then nothing can be done. Without funding, I can't make things happen, and I can't just keep adding to our debt."

The president of the IFF also touched on sponsorship deals, and explained, "We have met with several companies interested in sponsoring Team Melli, but our negotiations led to nowhere because their offers were insignificant and not worthy of our football. The amounts that they offered were not even enough to play for our technical cadre. If they (government) gave us the rights to broadcast our own games, then we wouldn't have these problems."

By: Arman Tamjidi