Hosseini Hedayati: From the Revolutionary Guard to La Liga

Hosseini Hedayati, an Iranian businessman and sports manager, has purchased 55% of the shares of the Spanish club Getafe. The Tasnim news agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, reported that he will travel to Spain on December 10 to 'take over the club.' Hedayati's entry into football began with financial support to Persepolis and later the establishment of the Steel Azin club in the second half of the 2000s, which earned him the nickname 'banker' from sports publications. Steel Azin attracted many stars, including Mehdi Mahdavikia, Ali Karimi, and Fereydoun Zandi, but eventually fell to a lower division. In April 2011, Hedayati announced the dissolution of the club. He purchased the rights to Malavan Bandar Anzali and registered the rights to the Gahar Zagros team in the name of his brother, but he was unsuccessful with both teams, similar to Steel Azin. Occasionally, sports publications report on complaints from players or staff of these three clubs against Hedayati for failing to meet commitments. In an interview published by the Mehr news agency, he also spoke about his background in the Revolutionary Guard. He stated, 'When I left the Guard, General Dehghan, the commander of the Air Force of the Guard, said you are suited for economics. At that time, the Guard was giving us all bonuses. For example, 2500 tomans was the blessing of my life. I bought land for two billion, and recently they bought it from me for three hundred billion. In 1996, I bought land for 21 billion, and now they buy it for 160 billion.' Is Hedayati's legendary wealth accumulated from the 'blessing of the 2500 tomans bonus' from the Guard? The Jam-e Jam newspaper in its Nowruz 2008 issue detailed Hedayati's assets, including ownership of Steel Azin Industries, steel and sheet manufacturing plants, a shrimp farming company, tower construction in the UAE, ownership of agricultural lands, furniture market activities, and presidency of commercial companies in the Middle East. A search in the official newspaper of the country shows the list of companies that Hedayati has established or held key positions in over the past decade: Persian Gulf Nayband Industrial Company, Media Gostaresh Rona, Ettehad Shokouh Investment, Khavar Azin Industrial Development, Fajr Galvanized Industries, Rahrovan Hazrat Zahra Institute, Afrooz Azin Company, Khavar Saz Industrial Development, South Alborz Food Industries, and Gilan Shir Dairy Products. Nevertheless, he has always claimed to be a proponent of privatization. Although whether state, military, or private, he suddenly faced a crisis when purchasing the team's uniforms for Steel Azin and, according to Ali Karimi, had to receive free uniforms from an unknown Iranian manufacturer. Another point is the gathering of individuals with significant national and military backgrounds in a team that considered itself a symbol of privatization in Iranian football. Nasrollah Sajjadi, the current deputy minister of sports, Mohammad Jafar Safai, the former director of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting in London, Farakhi, the club's legal deputy who demanded punishment for Ali Karimi for drinking water during Ramadan, and General Mostafa Ajorlou, all became employees of Hedayati. The team, which was supposed to select its head coach from among greats like Frank Rijkaard and Fatih Terim, could not even practice at the Dastgerdi Stadium due to outstanding debts. In September 2010, Hedayati wrote in his resignation letter: 'Greetings to the pure souls of the martyrs and the great leader of the Islamic Revolution; I, Hosseini Hedayati Dolabi, born on Ashura, have had the honor of serving the family of purity and chastity. In a situation where the wise leader of the revolution states that anyone who deliberately harms Islamic unity has sinned, I do not find it permissible to remain in football.' However, perhaps the infiltration of the Revolutionary Guard into one of the most prestigious football leagues in the world will not harm Islamic unity, as Hedayati has purchased shares of Getafe. In May 2012, news of his imprisonment was also published. The website Baztab reported that Hedayati 'was one of the well-known bank debtors who had tried to keep himself safe from the usual repercussions' and was arrested. This site estimated Hedayati's total debt to the banking system at 180 billion tomans, of which only seven billion tomans was provided as bail for this debt. In the Baztab report, Hedayati was accused of 'paying suspicious sums to famous mourners and engaging in illegal economic activities under the guise of religious ceremonies.' These accusations have always gone unanswered by him. A series of failures, accusations, and violations that may not matter to Madrid fans in the stands of the Alfonso Pérez Stadium. They, under the guidance of Romanian coach Cosmin Contra, are thinking about survival in La Liga.