Football Federation Appeals Committee Ruling: Afghan Players Can Play in Iran League

Iranian media referred to the recent ruling by the Appeals Committee regarding the legality of Afghan players residing in Iran participating in domestic competitions as a 'historic' decision. The issue arose when the Mehrgan Darreh Shahr team in Ilam Province filed a complaint against the Tarafoolad Charmahin team from Isfahan after losing to them in the Hazfi Cup, citing the presence of an Afghan player. Sajjad Jan-Mohammadi, an Afghan-origin player for Tarafoolad Charmahin, participated in the match and scored a goal. Following this, the Mehrgan Darreh Shahr team complained about the use of the Afghan player, and the disciplinary committee declared the match 3-0 in favor of the Ilami team. This disciplinary ruling was met with protests from the lawyers of the Isfahani club, who cited FIFA articles 6 and 7 regarding the use of local and foreign players, successfully overturning the decision. The Appeals Committee of the Football Federation ruled on the presence of Sajjad Jan-Mohammadi, who is of Afghan descent, in the Tarafoolad Charmahin club. According to FIFA's disciplinary regulations, a person is considered a local of a country if they meet one of three conditions: being born in that country, migrating to that country before the age of 10 and living there for three years, or migrating after the age of 10 and living there for five years. According to the ruling issued by the Appeals Committee of the Iranian Football Federation on January 1 of this year, Mr. Jan-Mohammadi was born in Iran and has lived there for five years. The ruling states that since Mr. Jan-Mohammadi lived in Iran for at least three years before the age of 10, he is also eligible for new nationality. According to Hamshahri Online, this definitive ruling by the Appeals Committee paves the way for the presence of other Afghan-origin players in Iranian football and could be 'the foundation for a significant event' in the country's football.