Questions for Mansoor

[gol_kuchik]

As a sports journalist who has pretty much dedicated himself to expose Qhotbi (see the bottom of the post), could you please share your opinion,
thoughts on the followings?


1-Have you written anything about Bonacic and Sepahan's
3-1 loss to Urawa back in 2007. If I recall correctly, Bonacic did not play
Mahmoud Karimi, the Sepahan main striker up until very late in that game.
Instead he brought in an African player who was show cased by him in that
very crucial game but the player did not really show much. Supposedly
he did not even practice with the team much.
In the few minutes Karimi was brought in, he managed to score a goal.
Yet Bonacic Instulted Karimi by stating the reason Urawa won was because
their coach had Brazillian players and he had to deal with the likes of Karimi
in Iran. Right after Bonacic left Iran.

2-From my understanding, Qhotbi was upset with some bottle throwing thugs
who have insulted him at the stadium. I translated a letter written in Persian prior to this incident and posted it on PFDC. This was about "Leaders". Unfortunately, it does not appear with your busy schedule you
have time for this very important issue? If someone who is insulted by
these thugs (who coincidentally prevent Women from going to stadiums),
calls them Hayvan, why are you so insulted by his rage?

3-In WC 2006, you frequently posted a picture of Ali Karimi with another player on his shoulder, as a proof he was not injured, yet you did not bother
to explain why so few Iranians showed up in Germany at the stadium while
thousands of tickets were supposedly reserved for IFF (under Dadgan)
or at least were unaccounted for, so as a result twice more Mexican from half way across globe were present in Iran-Mexico game, does that deserve the
same level of scrutiny as Ghotbis girlfriend art gallery?

4-How about Asian Cup 2007? Any expose of the huge number of entourage
with GN and how monies were spent there? How about his "mismanagement"
of EsEs player list that led to EsEs dismisal in AFC club competition last year.
Allegedly, this was due to GN trying to put the list out based on players
he wanted to promote. Regardless, did you find this issue worthy of any
further investigation?

5-I have frequently asked on PFDC about the faith of 5.9 million dollars awarded to each team participating in 2006 WC first round. Have you thought of following up to see what has happened to this money and how it was
spent? As we all know, host country+FIFA took care of all hotel and
accommodation expenses, so this money was completely an added bonus.

6-Considering your concern with Ghotbis experience as analyzer of
S.Korean team, (who was officially assistant coach to Verbeek in 2006 WC and 2007 Asian cup)
have you considered writing about our current TM staff and if they are
all qualified (to me they are) but based on your high standards
why such silence on them? Considering you, yourself argued on this
forum that we can get top quality European coaches, do you believe all
is fine and well in that regard? As a pragmatist I can live with them, but
as a perfectionist, how can you?


7-In your opinion, is there a single Mafia with Qhotbi as its main pawn, or
are there mafias in Iran?


8-Do we know how much money is alloted for building football stadiums in
Iran? Where does the money come from? How is it spent and who is spending it? Considering that some of these major projects are running
well behind schedule (even at 145 oil), does that need any attention?

Mansoor aziz,
Please review your *recent contribution* since July up until now to PFDC and see for yourself that greater than 70 percentage of your posts have been
been about Qhotbi. My friend, do you think for a journalist this is healthy?

[shayan20]

I'm not Mansour but I can answer the first point If I may.
Rokhsat..

1. I'm not sure how close you followed the news back then in World club championship when Sepahan played but I read an article just days before the match that Mahmood Karimi had a knock on his knee during training after the Waitakere match and in an interview himself said he probably won't play against Urawa OR if He does if will be only a short time. That's why he was substituted late in 2nd half. hope it answers that part.

[Doctor DOOM]

shayan jan, I think what hamid is trying to convey is we shd be fair & balanced ( like fox news ?? just kidding ) and if we show concern about such matters mentioned in the ghotbi thread, then it is fair to expect such incisive and scrutinizing journalism in other issues and matters of our football as well ( which I'm sure mansoor jan is very much concerned with ).

I'm the last person to defend ghotbi, especially on the matter of his credentials ( reference to all the threads of last season ), but we shdnt pick and choose whom to expose and whom not to.

I agree with hamid that if mansoor applied this amount of time and skills to other personalities & issues of our football also, we'd all be that much wiser about the undercurrents and the going-on's of our football. and it'll look less of a personal matter, and more a general probing attitude towards all of our football.

[Ali Chicago]

Thanks to Hamid and Dr. for their post and stipulating the issue. The issue is as Dr. nicely put it "Fair and Balanced" coverage. The whole Shenanigan of LA based Iranians and sudden rush of large sum of money in football in a rather poverty striken country, tend to overshadow the whole Ghotbi issue. There are a lot of grey area in each side of this issue, from my point of view. So trying to make the issue to villans on one side and good guys on the other side, is pre mature.

[purple_haze]

Hamid jan, I had since long decided to stay quiet about matters regarding Ghotbi and I'm gonna try to stay that way.
This issue, is a multi-headed beast and there are many sides to the story and IMO unfortunately, there's just as much scene making and there are no completely innocent parts to be found on any side of it. Without going into further details, I can say had Ghotbi's career path not originated from L.A then maybe you wouldn't have to ask these questions.

[maij]

shayan jan, I think what hamid is trying to convey is we shd be fair & balanced ( like fox news ?? just kidding ) and if we show concern about such matters mentioned in the ghotbi thread, then it is fair to expect such incisive and scrutinizing journalism in other issues and matters of our football as well ( which I'm sure mansoor jan is very much concerned with ).

I'm the last person to defend ghotbi, especially on the matter of his credentials ( reference to all the threads of last season ), but we shdnt pick and choose whom to expose and whom not to.

I agree with hamid that if mansoor applied this amount of time and skills to other personalities & issues of our football also, we'd all be that much wiser about the undercurrents and the going-on's of our football. and it'll look less of a personal matter, and more a general probing attitude towards all of our football.

Let me understand what you are saying clearly.

Are you saying that Mansoor is mistaken for pursuing Ghotbi ‘s case where he had ample documented evidence amongst other stuff , while he did not pursue similar action against all other football personalities in Iran , which could certainly lead him to a wild goose chase looking for incriminating materials (Which could or could not exist) , or heaven forbids create some fictitious ones ?


Since Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein exposed Nixon in watergate ; to maintain credibility and integrity , should both of them have done similar investigative act on Ford , Reagan , Bush Snr. , Clinton , Bush Jr. and soon on Obama?
Else the whole thing is not fair and balanced?

[Ali Chicago]

In US there are people who come to the financial programs and recommand stocks or other financial instruments. It is very customery from the program host to ask them if they are holding that stock or their company hold that stock. If they do they are required by law to disclose it. The point is to make sure, they aren't biased in one way or another. The point is if one has a certain bias for or against something or somebody, they are obliged to disclose that info (in orde to assure impartiality).

[Doctor DOOM]

fair & balanced means one shd apply one's rule irrespective of the issue or individual involved.

[maij]

fair & balanced means one shd apply one's rule irrespective of the issue or individual involved.

Good ....

I am glad that you agree that Mansoor is fair and balanced.

[RaginG Inferno]

I do believe you raise an interesting thread, but it is, in fact, quite easily answered.

The man has his limits; he can't investigate every and any controversy in Iranian football. He must choose his battles, proverbially speaking. It does appear that he has dedicated his investigative efforts to the Ghotbi issue. Indeed, it was a pressing issue at the time; he was being considered for the head coach position.

You could contend that he should attempt to cover all issues equally. However, I think we'd all agree that it's his right to decide which issues he sees as the most important to pursue.

[gol_kuchik]

Docotor jan "fair and balanced" you took the word out of my mouth Although,
it is amazing how bad journalism can even change the basic meaning of things.
Ali Jan, I enjoyed reading your well ==reasoned== piece.

Maij jan, Mansoors letter is problematic on many fronts. To be honest, it
is laughable to write an open letter to someone detailing their personal life,
while not having a coherent line of thinking as --What is it that Mansoor
wants to say?--

--say Mansoor came to you and asked:
Agha Majid give me $200,000k and also give my girlfriend a villa in Malibu or I'll quit. Would it be his fault or yours for accepting it?

That is the incriminating evidence? For what? Shouldn't someone who
has been "incriminated" be fired? Then why is Perspolis Club and Mostafavi
begging him to comeback? But more comical is to understand what Mansoor
is saying: --He is now scolding Ghotbi for leaving?! Well, he is a cheat,
he is a bad coach, why in the hell do you want him to stay -- logic 101 anyone--?

--Oh but according to Mansoor he took too much money. Well, heck Mr.
Journalist if you had exposed all the other crap that went on and is going
on, may be some Mafia guy would not still be in charge to give money in
this quantity to a fake coach. Has it occured to Mansoor to ask, if some manger
giving 800k to Ghotbi, how much must that manager be making?

I guess now he wants to return Perspolis marbles back? What are the terms of the contract if Mansoor has done his homework? Or did he cheat the Perspolis management on that too?


Can't Perspolis sue Ghotbi in FIFA court? Wouldn't that be interesting?
Shouldn't Perspolis be more worried about the money lost than Mansoor?

This is the cheapest form of journalism that has now expanded beyond
the papers published on daily basis to give tabloid sports with no real
solution, no real investigation of bigger pieces of the equation, while like
a lot of other things we continue to live at 10% of our potential. Why is
it cheap?

If Ghotbi is the worst coach, the blame should go on people in
charge of hiring him, who also have a machinery of thugs that protect their
bad decisions, via Chomagh.

OK no one approved his jumping up and down after
Korea win, but really, anything more substantial?

[maij]

I do believe you raise an interesting thread, but it is, in fact, quite easily answered.

The man has his limits; he can't investigate every and any controversy in Iranian football. He must choose his battles, proverbially speaking. It does appear that he has dedicated his investigative efforts to the Ghotbi issue. Indeed, it was a pressing issue at the time; he was being considered for the head coach position.

You could contend that he should attempt to cover all issues equally. However, I think we'd all agree that it's his right to decide which issues he sees as the most important to pursue.

Of course , it is up to the individual journalist based on his information , ability and importance of the issue to decide what is worth investigating and what is not. No journalist has magic wand to investigate every possible issue , and if he doesn't do that , he is labeled as biased!!

[Doctor DOOM]

Docotor jan "fair and balanced" you took the word out of my mouth

... actually I took it out of fox's sean hannity's mouth

[maij]

Maij jan, Mansoors letter is problematic on many fronts. To be honest, it
is laughable to write an open letter to someone detailing their personal life,
while not having a coherent line of thinking as --What is it that Mansoor
wants to say?--

--say Mansoor came to you and asked:
Agha Majid give me $200,000k and also give my girlfriend a villa in Malibu or I'll quit. Would it be his fault or yours for accepting it?

Hamid Jan... I raised a certain issue about the question of fairness of a journalist in selecting the subject that he is comfortable with, so quiz me on this subject and argue that point. I am sure that Mansoor Agha is more than capable of answering the other parts if he wishes to.

I have my own views of the subject of Afshin Ghotbi that I believe; I have already covered in so many posts. It just makes little sense to repeat it again.

However, the subject of investigative journalism is the issue that I take an interest in and what is deemed as controversial and what is logical and acceptable or even ethical.

You mentioned the example of Ghotbi's girlfriend and his demands for expenses. So, you think that if I succumb to blackmail (since giving expenses to a spouse or a girlfriend is NOT part of the contract) indemnifies the blackmailer and incriminates me. And if a journalist found out about it and reports it, it is laughable!!!
The duty of a journalist is to report, he is not liable of the events and he/she does not create it. The journalist has the right to comment on the event , the way he/she finds it fit.

Despite your views, I found Mansoor’s piece of investigative journalism quite precious and honest. If you have any facts that counteract what was mentioned, then spell it out. Simply expressing your opinions about motives or labeling it as cheapest form of journalism, does not mean anything to me. Name-calling never enriches culture; it just typifies how (despite living in a western culture) some Iranians never change their hostile mentality against those who they do not agree with.

[Ali Chicago]

I do believe you raise an interesting thread, but it is, in fact, quite easily answered.
The man has his limits; he can't investigate every and any controversy in Iranian football. He must choose his battles, proverbially speaking. It does appear that he has dedicated his investigative efforts to the Ghotbi issue. Indeed, it was a pressing issue at the time; he was being considered for the head coach position.
You could contend that he should attempt to cover all issues equally. However, I think we'd all agree that it's his right to decide which issues he sees as the most important to pursue.

If I am not mistaken you study law right? Can you honestly read the so called open letter and claim that is a piece of so called investigative journalsem? Or it is bunch of claims without any proof?

There is a Tabloid journalisem all over the world who has more interest in dirt and sensetive personal issues of people's life rather than substansive discussion of issues. Tabloid journalisem has its own followers all over the world, as we wintess by likes of Jerry springfiled and Sun paper in England for example.

Can you in all honesty tell me the mere fact that Ghotbi hadn't gone back for the X number of years to Iran before this is a parameter in evaluating his performance? Or is it an feeble attempt to raise the so called "nationalistic" fever? What does Ghotbi's Xwife has to do with any of this?

Ghotbi salary and benefits is focused on without providing any context. In my other posts in the other thread, i went through the compensation of Daie and GN for example ( as much as these are available). Does a responsible journalist provide context or not? If Ghotbi was making 20 times more than high level coaches in Iran, I can see the point.

Does the write mention that Ghotbi was attacked while driving by his companion in his car and the windshield was broken all over them. And that was one of the reasons that he decided to leave Iran?

Ghotbi had one fault, he was the only serious potential danger (as a replacement) to the current staff of the TM. As a matter of fact, it is no secret he was the one who was supposed to get the job until 3 PM of the day that Daie was announced as the TM head coach (in a sudden reversal). That was Ghotbi's main fault.

By this post I am not claiming Ghotbi is an angle and mistake free and doesn't deserve criticizems. I am questioning the tactic and motiviation of focus on Ghotbi.