The Incident of a Female Employee Being 'Beaten' at the Iranian Football Federation

With just a week until the start of the Asian Cup, the most significant news from the Iranian Football Federation includes employee strikes, the dismissal of the vice president, the absence of the national team supervisor, Ali Karimi's resignation, and finally, verbal and physical altercations in the federation's hallways. The sit-in by federation employees in support of Mehdi Mohammad Nabi led to verbal and physical confrontations, one party being the former coach of the national youth team. The news of 'fighting' between Houman Afazali and a female employee of the federation was reported by several news sites, including Fars News Agency. The Tabnak website also quoted a female federation employee stating that Houman Afazali slapped her, and the surveillance cameras recorded it. The footage has been handed over to security, and according to her, if the federation allows, it may be broadcasted. This federation employee claims that when the speeches of Kafashian and Nabi ended and the sit-in concluded, Afazali's wife, passing by, called the employees ignorant. She refers to Zahra Haratian, a member of the medical committee of the Asian Football Confederation. She, whose full name has not been published in the media, claims: 'I heard someone yelling in my office. Mr. Afazali entered the office very angrily, pinned me against the wall, and slapped me in the face.' While the employees were astonished, Afazali was forcibly removed from the room while still attempting to attack her. Several federation employees claim to have witnessed the incident and have filed a complaint against Afazali with the federation's ethics committee. However, Zahra Haratian has denied the fight, stating that no physical confrontation took place. Haratian, like the other party, believes there is no more reliable source than the sports security. She mentioned that employees gathered in front of Kafashian's office, but in her opinion, if a rational gathering was to take place, they should have sat in the public relations hall. 'I was waiting for a signature to send my document to FIFA and was delayed until the afternoon.' Haratian further told Fars News Agency: 'I got angry because I have to answer to FIFA and the confederation, but my displeasure did not sit well with some. One or two of them called me a 'bootlicker,' but I just said I feel sorry for you. I have also introduced my witnesses to the Ministry of Sports security.' Haratian emphasizes that her husband did not come to the federation at all. However, she also says: 'My phone rang, and it mistakenly went on loudspeaker. Houman heard me being insulted and got very upset.' After the selection of the youth team coach, Houman has been in a feud with the federation and does not even come to the federation's alley. Haratian refers to the selection of Mohammad Khakpour as the head coach of the youth national team, while Afazali considered himself the most suitable candidate for this position. Haratian emphasized: 'The Ministry of Sports security is aware of everything, and I am not just Zahra Haratian but also a FIFA representative in Iran. My displeasure is that my and Houman Afazali's resumes with 180 coaching experiences in national games should have been considered.' However, this statistic does not seem to be accurate. Afazali has worked at times as an assistant, interim coach, or analyst in national teams. The disciplinary committee of the Iranian Football Federation, which quickly convenes meetings regarding on-field altercations, has remained silent this time about the altercation within the federation itself.