Parliament Report on Corruption in Football: 18 Individuals to be Referred to Judiciary

The Article 90 Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly has published its detailed report on corruption in Iranian football to be submitted to the judiciary. Hamid Rasai, the head of the committee investigating corruption in football, stated that 18 individuals will be referred to the judiciary following the reading of the report in a public session of the parliament. This report is the result of 'over 100 meetings' between commission members and security and oversight authorities, relevant ministries, media, and members of the football community. The parliament claims that 'diversionary responses' from the Football Federation and inadequate cooperation from the Ministry of Sports' security have prolonged the investigation process. Match-fixing, bribery, doping, gambling, use of forged documents, tax evasion, alcohol consumption, illicit relationships, drug use, and the spread of superstition are among the issues highlighted in the report, which emphasizes that some federation managers are complicit in these irregularities. The Islamic Consultative Assembly criticized the 'passivity of the Ministry of Sports towards the federation's violations,' illegal decisions by the heads of physical education, mismanagement by the federation president, the corruption of some media managers, and the inaction of security and judicial authorities against the corrupt. The report considers the establishment of a committee to address professional violations or an ethical charter as illegal actions by the football federation and notes that 'the federation president, while violating laws, appointed several judges to the federation, and these judges also committed violations that are prosecutable.' The parliament, without naming Mohsen Safaei Farahani, claims that since 1998, with the appointment of a political figure without a sports background during the seventh government, these appointments have led to the involvement of non-football political managers and have distanced the sport from its primary and professional goals. Meanwhile, most heads of sports federations in various fields have historically been political or military figures. Currently, Seyyed Mahdi Hashemi, a member of parliament, is the head of the shooting federation without any sports background! According to the Ministry of Sports, 155 members of parliament hold sports positions. It is unclear what specific accusations are raised in the detailed report and how they will result in judicial follow-up. For instance, 'the league carries the term professional but has not yet become truly professional!' The report mentions, without naming names, that several coaches have intermediated through federation staff to introduce players to clubs and received amounts up to $50,000. Some journalists also threaten players or coaches that if the requested amount is not paid, they will be defamed in the media. In women's football, the parliament reported 'alarming reports of ethical issues, unhealthy relationships, and the use of players with specific physical characteristics' that are under investigation. Repeated revelations about financial corruption, collusion, and match-fixing in Iranian football have been made in recent years, but in practice, apart from temporary bans, neither the accusers have faced consequences nor have the accused been held accountable. Similar revelations in professional leagues worldwide lead to criminal convictions and teams being relegated to lower divisions. However, in Iran, repeated accusations and unresolved cases have caused even popular teams to face cold receptions from their fans during home games. The case of the Al-Badr Bandar Kangan football team was highlighted by the program 90, as the team's collusion with Maher Karaj in the second division was confirmed by the disciplinary committee, yet the Al-Badr team was promoted to the first division instead of being relegated! Kafashian also stated that this team has invested in football and the federation does not want it to be relegated! The director general of the Ministry of Sports and Youth's security reacted to the publication of the Article 90 Commission's report in the media, stating: 'It was not the right thing to do, and if there are documents regarding corruption in football, they should have been provided to this ministry first, and we are fully prepared to deal with corruption.' Reza Hasani-Kho told the ISNA news agency: 'I had informed friends to be careful that there should be no political exploitation in the report. Have the involved parties been spoken to, and have they been convicted in court that now you want to read the report in the parliament?' In this context, the Article 90 Commission: the violations of the Football Federation are evident; the Ministry of Intelligence's entry into the corruption case in football refereeing; the discussion of corruption and brokerage in program 90; 'the accused have filed complaints.'