Approval of Transfer of Persepolis to Social Security; Retirees Oppose, Minister of Labor Takes Pride

The transfer of Persepolis Football Club to the Social Security Organization as a means of settling debts to this organization was approved by the government on Wednesday, March 7, leading to heightened criticism of this decision. In this regard, two independent retirees' organizations have criticized the government's action. However, the Minister of Labor claims that the transfer of Persepolis to the Social Security Organization is a great honor. The National Union of Retirees stated that the government continues to plunder the assets of workers and retirees, and we oppose the forced sale of bankrupt sports clubs to the Social Security Organization. The Iranian Retirees Council wrote: 'Mr. Minister! Retirees are not willing to spend their savings in the funds on sports clubs, especially the costly and loss-making Persepolis. Why do you decide on our behalf?' This labor organization added: 'You do not have the right to squander from the pension funds. For active and retired workers, the transfer and, in fact, the imposition of this club on our funds is not only not an honor but a blatant violation of the interests of pension funds.' The Iranian Retirees Council emphasized: 'If these transfers are an honor for you, for us retirees, it is oppression and injustice.' Additionally, the head of the Tehran Social Security Retirees Association stated that it is unclear whether Minister Solat Mortazavi is the Minister of Labor and Welfare or the Minister of Sports. Ali Dehghan Kia criticized the government's approach to this issue, adding that the Minister of Labor said that the transfer of Persepolis to the insurance funds of the Ministry of Labor is a great honor, but we, as the owners of the Social Security Organization's capital, loudly and clearly state that despite our respect for this club, we do not want this honor. He emphasized that in conditions where retirees are struggling to cover their living expenses, there is no reason for their capital to be spent in a place that does not yield returns. These objections come while the Minister of Labor claimed on Tuesday, March 6, that 'if the shares of Persepolis are transferred to the Social Security Organization, our funds will be fully and powerfully present. We will do this willingly.' The government's decision also faced various reactions on Islamic Republic television, and according to reports, a presenter in a live program said, 'You can't pay retirees' salaries, but you issue a 2 trillion toman check for football?' The newspaper 'Haft Sobh' published in Tehran also reacted to this issue, criticizing the government's approach with the headline 'Aren't you tired yet?' and wrote that there are security considerations surrounding these clubs, and as long as those security considerations exist, which are unlikely to be resolved soon, the only solution is to transfer them to wealthy institutions. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Sports tried to distance itself from this matter and merely observe the events. In this regard, the Deputy Minister of Champion and Professional Sports stated on Tuesday, March 5, that the Ministry of Sports is not involved in team management and club ownership, and it is not part of this ministry's duties. Mohammad Sharvin Asbaghian emphasized that the Ministry of Sports is the supervisory body over the performance of clubs and is pursuing this matter to clarify the status of the two clubs, Persepolis and Esteghlal. The whispers of this transfer have been ongoing in recent months, and concerns about it led the Tehran Social Security Retirees Association to send a letter to the First Vice President on January 31, protesting the transfer of 80% of Persepolis shares to the Social Security Organization. This association wrote that owning this club poses a significant threat to Social Security. Despite all these criticisms and concerns, on Wednesday, March 7, the cabinet approved the transfer of Persepolis to Social Security as part of settling the government's debt to this company, and soon, Persepolis will be under the control of this organization.