Way Forward For Iran And FIFA

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.