Daei Forgives Mayeli Kohan, Ministry of Sports Also Withdraws Complaint Against Daei

Mohammad Mayeli Kohan, the former head coach of Iran's national football team, who was imprisoned in Evin Prison due to a complaint from Ali Daei, was released after five days. He had been sentenced to four months in prison for defamation by a court. Daei withdrew his complaint, allowing Mayeli Kohan to be released without serving the remainder of his sentence. Daei's declaration of forgiveness led the Ministry of Sports and Youth to also withdraw its complaint against Daei. Daei's complaint against Mayeli Kohan and the announcement of the appellate court's ruling in his favor sparked harsh comments from football veterans in the media and sports circles. This was the first time in the history of Iranian football that someone imprisoned their former coach for 'false statements.' Daei stated that after consulting with his family, he decided to forgive what the law deemed his right because he did not want to see his grandchild sad while waiting for his grandfather. In a statement announcing his forgiveness of Mayeli Kohan, Daei wrote: 'What happened in recent days was the result of events that had been repeating for a long time, putting me in the position of a criminal, with everything they said thrown at me and my family without knowing the reason for their hostility.' The former national team player and Persepolis wrote in this statement: 'They attributed the worst things to me and my family, and everyone remained silent. What could I do but resort to the law? The law that had previously issued its ruling on this matter, and I had already given up my rights.' The former captain and head coach of the national team explained about Mayeli Kohan's imprisonment: 'The imprisonment of one person disturbs many, especially his family. I swear I thought about these issues many times, but when the caretaker does not maintain the sanctity of the Imamzadeh and the one condemned by the law is not remorseful, what should the other party do?' The former Persepolis coach, referencing several verses from the Quran in his statement, wrote: 'A space had been created for some perpetual opportunists to surf the wave. Those who are ignorant of the subject or have feigned ignorance.' Daei did not name the opportunists he referred to, but it seems from sports media that the atmosphere of criticism, especially in state media, had become so heavy that the former national team striker had no choice but to announce his consent for Mayeli Kohan's release from prison. On the other hand, the Ministry of Sports was also facing pressure from the parliament and sports media and was looking for an opportunity to abandon the complaint. Daei's declaration of forgiveness for Mayeli Kohan was the best opportunity for Goudarzi to announce the closure of the complaint against Daei. In a meeting attended by Ali Parvin, Hossein Kalani, Jafar Kashani, and officials from the Persepolis club's board of directors, the Minister of Sports stated that he himself comes from a sports family and would never be satisfied with even a slight infringement on the dignity and character of sports people and their champions. Ali Daei had considered the Minister of Sports responsible for his dismissal from Persepolis, and Mahmoud Goudarzi had also filed a complaint against him for this reason. However, Goudarzi reminded in this meeting: 'I have no complaints against anyone and I want everyone to know that sports belongs to genuine and caring sportspeople. Everyone must do their utmost in their position for the success of sports and to gain the satisfaction and happiness of the people and be supportive of each other in this regard.'