Players of Esteghlal Tehran Protest Poor Conditions at Club: 'We Have No Energy Left to Train'

The players of Esteghlal Tehran football team, in a coordinated action, reacted to the poor conditions of the club by posting a joint story on social media, stating that 'we have no energy left to train.' The players' protest is against 'chaos in club management, lack of sponsorship, and unpaid dues from last season.' It is mentioned that 'the dues from last season were supposed to be settled before the 10th of Shahrivar, but this was just another empty promise.' They wrote: 'Out of respect for the fans and the name of Esteghlal, we have turned a blind eye to many issues for a while, but this level of neglect and indifference is unprecedented.' The Esteghlal players pointed out that their request for a meeting with the club management to discuss and resolve issues was rejected. They emphasized that 'some want to diminish Esteghlal and turn it into an ordinary team,' but did not provide further explanation on this matter. This is the second strike by Esteghlal players this summer; they had previously gone on strike in early Mordad, which raised concerns among fans and dissatisfaction from head coach Javad Nekounam regarding the existing conditions in the Esteghlal team. In this context, a member of the Esteghlal board of directors promised on the third of Mordad that financial problems would soon be resolved. Alireza Khani, in response to the players' strike over financial issues, told the Ana news agency: 'Rest assured that this problem will be solved and the issues will be resolved soon.' Ali Samereh, the caretaker of Esteghlal, also stated on the 26th of Mordad regarding the controversies surrounding the team that 'I hope the officials who comment on Esteghlal come and solve the team's problems in any way they can.' He emphasized that 'the players do not want anything extra other than their rights, and their minimum demand is for the club to have a financial supporter so that we do not have problems in this regard.' Aside from the financial issues at Esteghlal, the conflict between Ali Khatir as CEO and Javad Nekounam as head coach is one of the biggest recent controversies in the club. This conflict even led to rumors of a confrontation between them, to the extent that on the 18th of Mordad, Farshid Sami'i, a member of the Esteghlal board of directors, denied the rumor of a confrontation between Javad Nekounam and Ali Khatir in an interview with Iranian state television without directly addressing it. Farshid Sami'i stated that: 'Unfortunately, problems have been imposed on us from outside. Mr. Nekounam wants two players, but the issue is that they say to adhere to the ceiling. Regulatory bodies have repeatedly pressured us, and our frustration is that these strict measures are only for Esteghlal.' However, Ali Khatir, the CEO of Esteghlal, later indicated through his statements that this conflict is deep-rooted. On the 14th of Shahrivar, in a sports program on television, he threatened the head coach of Esteghlal, saying: 'If Nekounam's statements are outside the framework of the contract, he will certainly face disciplinary action, and I will not allow him to go beyond his contractual space.' In response to this threat, Javad Nekounam attacked the club's CEO on the 20th of Shahrivar during a phone call on a sports program on Channel Three, stating: 'Khatir said if I speak outside the framework, I will be fined. I have never spoken outside the framework. They should not say that if the team finishes fourteenth, we will support them. On the other hand, my assistant has been told that if we bring a foreign coach, you come and be an assistant.' He emphasized that 'which club has the conditions that our team has? Our players have at least 30 to 40 percent of their dues from last year. A coach can work up to a point, but you must pay the players.'