Taj and Kafashian: The Putin-Medvedev Model

The electoral assembly of the Football Federation elected Mehdi Taj as the new president with 50 votes, replacing Ali Kafashian. Mostafa Ajorlou, who protested the election process, has called for the intervention of the Ministry of Intelligence. According to Mehr News Agency, Ajorlou stated: 'The Ministry of Intelligence should fulfill its religious duty and provide the people with the tapped phones of Taj, Eslamiān, and Jahangiri.' Taj, as the election winner, said in his speech before the voting: 'The state of football in the country is favorable. Football has been unjustly accused of corruption and immorality. Today, the entire football system in the country is operating in an organized manner.' Three candidates registered for the presidency, with Mostafa Ajorlou receiving 15 votes and Aziz Mohammadi 6 votes, losing to Taj. Ali Kafashian will serve as Taj's first vice president for the next four years. Sports media refer to this method of changing the management of the Football Federation as the 'Putin-Medvedev model.' Ajorlou, one of the protesters against the election process, told reporters after the voting: 'Clean football starts with its officials, but these hidden hands are the initiators of dirty football.' Ajorlou emphasized: 'This government is no different from the previous one. Jahangiri, the Vice President, did in football what Ahmadinejad did years ago.' This IRGC commander, who has handed over the election competition to another military figure, reminded reporters: 'Woe to the people that we have such football. I congratulate the government of hope and prudence for returning us to eight years ago.' The new president of the Football Federation immediately responded to Ajorlou's accusations: 'The minister has never accused Kafashian and me of corruption. These are statements being made now, and I ask the media not to pay attention to these remarks.' Mehdi Taj, the new president of the Football Federation, has held the position of deputy commander of the IRGC and did not wear military clothing due to his security responsibilities. He has a record of managing the Sepahan club and has been the chairman of the board of the Zob Ahan club, as well as a short-term member of the board of Persepolis. Other sports responsibilities include being the vice president of the Football Federation, head of the national teams committee, head of the referees committee, and president of the league organization. Taj worked in the General Directorate of Commerce in Isfahan Province in the 1990s and was the sales deputy of Zob Ahan. He later held the same position at Mobarakeh Steel and was a board member of Ghadir Steel and CEO of Metil Steel for a while. Despite Taj's years of involvement in football management, there is no trace of the positive impact of his economic background in this sport. Taj, who previously owned a sports newspaper, currently unofficially manages a sports website. In his electoral speech, he stated: 'The main approach is financial transparency. We must convert all football facilities into money. Privatization is an obligation.' Mahmoud Goudarzi participated in the elections and voted. The Minister of Sports once again criticized the Iranian national team, stating: 'We must respond to the fact that the ranking says one thing and the results say another. I am not saying this as a demand-maker; rather, I am saying that the people are asking, and you must know.'