Continuation of the 'Alcoholic Beverages' Saga: Opposition to Krancjar, Kashani's Resignation

After the Ministry of Sports opposed Zlatko Krancjar's appointment as head coach of Iran's national youth team for 'cultural preservation', Habib Kashani, the manager of the team, resigned from his position. In recent weeks, sports media reported on repeated requests by Kafashian and Kashani to meet with the Minister of Sports, Mahmoud Goudarzi, who showed reluctance. The Director General of Supervision and Evaluation at the Ministry of Sports, who is also the secretary of the newly established commission for foreign coaches, stated that the purpose of this commission is to 'preserve and protect technical, legal, and cultural conditions' in sports, consisting of non-technical individuals such as the head of the Ministry's security. In his farewell letter, Kashani wrote: 'The reasons for a 40-year longing to qualify for the Olympics are a lengthy tale. For a team that suffered severely after the Incheon failure, I chose Mohammad Khakpour as the manager and organized a camp in Qatar. There were efforts and follow-ups for the presence of each player.' Referring to the agreement with Krancjar, he mentioned that a group of the best domestic and foreign coaches were considered, and the evaluations led him to choose Mr. Krancjar, 'a great coach with a clear record.' However, he lamented that time passes mercilessly without regard for the complex decision-making process in our football. The Ministry of Sports' news site wrote about the opposition to Krancjar's selection, stating: 'In reviewing valid written documents from various sources, the cultural aspect was emphasized, which Kafashian also stressed and considered a priority for the federation.' The Ministry opposed Krancjar's presence despite his previous three years as head coach of Sepahan and prior to that, Persepolis. The question arises: if there is an insurmountable problem, how was he allowed to work in Iran for four years? News Online reported that the Minister stated he consumes alcoholic beverages. Goudarzi said in a meeting with the media that the federation wants to appoint someone who drinks alcohol. The report further noted that Krancjar's use of alcohol has not been proven, and Kashani denied this rumor, stating he met with Krancjar at various times but never saw him in an unusual state. Fararo news site quoted Krancjar as saying: 'If I were an alcoholic, could I have worked in Iran for three years where drinking alcohol is a crime? The rumor of my alcoholism relates to when I was active in Montenegro, and the president of that country's federation went mad and said this.' In this regard, former national team coach Asghar Sharafi told Tasnim that it is better to examine the health of other coaches working in Iranian football from all aspects, as some issues are seen that are regrettable. Now, Habib Kashani, while announcing his resignation, named the Football Federation, the Olympic Committee, and the Ministry of Sports as the three pillars of the success of the youth team, reminding that 'irregular interventions hinder decision-making and the formation of a supervisory committee for foreign coaches disrupts the independence of the Football Federation. The rejection of a head coach for 'non-technical' reasons is an incorrect precedent.' This member of the Tehran City Council emphasized that Krancjar's selection was a decision made by the technical committee and the federation's board, but 'the independence of the federation in the mentioned triangle is lost and is going astray.'