🔻Ali Khattir and Hojjat Karimi, two members of the executive board of the Football Federation, became embroiled with one another in a television program, exchanging harsh accusations and criticism.

🔹This altercation on live television shows the depth of the management crisis in Iranian football and will likely put future meetings of the executive board in the face of serious challenges.

🔹The disagreement began with how Amir Ghalenoei was selected and how his contract was renewed. Karimi, the managing director of Tractor Club, said about the members’ approach: «In the session to renew Ghalenoei’s contract for 4 years, all the members were against it, but when Taj spoke, everyone agreed— including Ali Khattir.»

🔹He accused Khattir of taking benefits and said: «You definitely took certain benefits, and you’re the one who keeps silent; you also went on your trip with the national team and all of a sudden everything became good.»

🔹In response, Khattir, by attacking Karimi’s work record, said that the presence of non-experts was the main cause of the problems, and added: «The problem in our football is that it’s unrestrained and unstructured. One has a restaurant, gives people kebab and a hookah, and then he becomes the managing director of a club or a member of the executive board of the Football Federation.»