Head Coach of Foolad Khuzestan: If I Kill Someone, I'd Be Fined 800 Million, But To Speak I Have to Pay 2 Billion Tomans

Abdollah Vaisi, the head coach of Foolad Khuzestan football team, reacted to his "2 billion toman fine" by saying: "If I kill a person, which is the worst act in the world, I would be fined 800 million tomans. How is it that I have to pay 2 billion tomans just for speaking?" According to Iranian media, after the announcement of his fine by the league organization due to his statements in a press conference following the match against Aluminium, Vaisi said: "The stress and pressure of the games are so much on me that financial issues get lost in it. I initially thought I was fined 200 million or 20 million tomans, but then I saw it was 2 billion tomans!" Vaisi also questioned, "Is the league organization a legal authority that issues rulings?" He added: "At first, I thought the disciplinary committee fined me, and I should apologize to Mr. Hossein Zadeh as the head of this committee." The Iranian Football League Organization announced that Abdollah Vaisi was fined 2 billion tomans for what it termed "unprofessional and outside the scope of responsibility interview," and this amount must be paid within "one week"; his continued activity in the Premier League is contingent upon this payment. In the press conference after the Aluminium and Foolad match, Vaisi stated: "If the disciplinary committee or the football federation cannot intervene and see how the games are being manipulated, if they are incapable, the National Security Council and the country's information protection, which is very strong, should come in and monitor the games." He added, "We speak differently in front of the camera, and our games turn out differently; this is very sensitive and a violation of football rights, and we expect the ethics committee, the league organization, and the football federation to monitor the games. If we pretend everything is fine, whatever happens, that is the other side of the issue where we all know we say one thing in front of the camera and do other things behind it." Vaisi emphasized: "Please stop and do not let anyone's rights be violated. In all our leagues, not just the Premier League." Recently, the disciplinary committee of the football federation also punished Hossein Hosseini, the captain of Esteghlal football team, for hugging a female spectator who had jumped onto the field, in addition to two fines, he was ordered to apologize in official media and banned from attending one match. In response to this action, the goalkeeper of Esteghlal stated, "I will pay the fine. I sacrifice for that female fan!"