Member of Persepolis Club Board Arrested

Mostafa Salimi, a member of the board of directors of Persepolis Club, has been arrested. Salimi is the mayor of District 21 of Tehran and was a candidate for the mayoralty of Tehran from the reformists last year. His background includes a master's degree in public administration, a PhD student in environmental studies, director general of the security department of Tehran Municipality, mayor of District 19 and then District 6 of Tehran, as well as the CEO of the waste management organization of the municipality. He has been the mayor of District 21 for the past three years. Previously, the Khabar Online website had introduced him as a close associate of Faezah Hashemi in a report about selecting an interim mayor for Tehran. Ahmad Masjed-Jamei had stated in September 2013 during the selection meeting for the final candidates of the reformists for the mayoralty that Salimi had been successful in urban management and his program was based on familiarity with urban management. His characteristic, in addition to his long management experience in the municipality, is that he has a good popular base among the veterans and families of martyrs. The ISNA news agency introduced him as 'M - S' and reported that his arrest is not related to the legal cases of Persepolis Club and the arrest of Hamidreza Siasi, but occurred for reasons unrelated to sports activities. The Tasnim website, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also published a complete introduction and photo of him, stating: 'The exact reason for Salimi's arrest has not been announced, but it is said to be related to the case of Hamidreza Siasi.' This is not the first time in recent months that individuals associated with Persepolis Club have been summoned, arrested, or imprisoned. Mohammad Royanian, the former CEO, and Saeed Shirini, the former caretaker of the club, were sent to Evin Prison for a while. Hamidreza Siasi, the new CEO of the club, was also arrested just a few days after his appointment and is currently imprisoned. His case is being processed in a special branch dealing with sports crimes and the Revolutionary Court on two charges related to his activities in Persepolis, as well as non-sporting activities. The news of the arrest or summons of former Persepolis players Mohammad Mayeli Kohan, Naeem Saadavi, and Hossein Kabbi has also been reflected in the media in recent months, but their allegations are not related to this club.