Prohibition of Ineligible Athletes from Joining Iran's National Teams

A military official of the Islamic Republic announced the prohibition of athletes who have violated military service regulations from participating in national sports teams. According to ISNA, Mousa Kamali, Deputy of Human Resources at the General Staff of the Armed Forces, stated that a letter from the Minister of Sports and Youth was recently made public, requesting the General Staff to allow athletes who had committed violations during their military service to join national teams. This military official reported that the committee's review of the Minister's request concluded that athletes who have violated military service regulations should not be allowed to participate in national teams, citing their actions as 'forgery and conspiracy.' Previously, in September of last year, Ebrahim Karimi, Deputy Head of the General Military Service Organization, mentioned in an interview with Islamic Republic TV that some athletes had received fake military exemption cards, leading to the cancellation of 13 cases, and stated that their issues would be reported to the Ministry of Sports and Youth, preventing them from playing, and they should naturally serve in the military. Gholamreza Bahrovan, responsible for organizing the Premier League football competitions, expressed regret over this issue, adding that such events tarnish football and harm its integrity. Mousa Kamali further emphasized that for those athletes currently serving and without any violations in their records, there are no restrictions, and the General Staff will cooperate fully with sports teams and federations. Regarding the main issue of these individuals being able to leave the country, he stated that if the relevant federations submit their requests to the appropriate organizations in a timely manner, necessary reviews will be conducted, and these individuals will not face issues in leaving the country. The issue of athletes subject to military service faced various reactions last year after it was revealed that some had managed to obtain fake military service completion cards. Previously, on December 30, 2012, the Iranian parliament approved a plan known as 'Exemption of Sports Champions from Military Service,' which exempts champions of the Olympic Games (first to third place), World Championships (first to second place), and Asian Games (first place) from military service. Ali Motahari and Hamid Rasai, among the parliament representatives, were opponents of this plan, arguing that it portrays military service as something so undesirable that exemption from it is considered a reward for athletes.