The Karimi case – misconduct & mismanagement [VIDEO]

PFDC – TEHRAN, Immediately after the sacking of the most dazzling Iranian football player by his club Steel Azin, different media outlets were quick to publish intriguing headlines about the issue.

While Iranian based, Islamic Republic controlled or at least observed, sources were eager to point out Ali Karimi’s disciplinary misconducts, Western news outlets as always were happy and willing to jump on news that derides the Islamic system.

The poor communiqué by Steel Azin Club, did not help the Islamic Republic cause nor image, as it mentions that Ali Karimi, a Muslim, has broken a taboo by drinking water in public during the Holy Month of Ramadhan thereby showing disrespect and contempt, hence he was immediately dismissed. The communiqué failed to mention any disciplinary hearing for the alleged misdemeanor.

Fact is that Ali Karimi already for a while has shown dissatisfaction with Steel Azin’s management, especially with Mostafa Ajorloo, a former Revolutionary Guards commander and a former chairman of Pas Tehran Club. Additionally, as often before, the former Bayern Munich man was all but reluctant to communicate his feelings, most recently blasting Ajorloo’s incompetence in a news article on his own website – a conduct usually not tolerated in professional football.

Karimi’s main points of critisicm concerned alledged unwise recruitment of players, bad treatment of players, selection of football jerseys and kits and lack of support for Ali Karimi himself in his disputes with the Iranian football federation (IFF).

The frosty relation between Ajorloo and Karimi took a turn for the worst when Sadegh Doroudgar was added to the club’s management. A long time ally of Ajerloo, Doroudgar is infamous for being a unsympathetic, harsh and wildly volatile character who has even used physical force to impose his will.

The situation had since then been close to escalation, and many insiders assumed it would be only a matter of time until one of the two would either leave the club or be forced to do so.

Meanwhile the IFF released guidelines for players’ conduct during Ramadan and announced that club managers would be responsible for players behaving according to those guidelines.

However, an obviously frustrated Ali Karimi, apparently fully aware of the ruling, requested to drink water during a training session ahead of the league clash against Esteghlal Tehran. When, in accordance with the guidelines, he was allowed to go to the locker room to do so, Karimi disobeyed the rules and consumed water on the training pitch. Not only his action violated the rules, but furthermore he allegedly attacked IFF verbally and the league’s disciplinary committee for forcing such a ruling, when confronted by the officials.

Ajorloo, not present at the mentioned training session but immediately informed by Doroudgar about the events, wanted to use this window of opportunity to dismiss his bitter rival from the club for ‘religious reasons’ immediately, but reportedly club president Hossein Hedayati asked to at least wait until after the crucial IPL game. 

After the 2-2 draw on Saturday, Ajorloo finally dismissed Karimi from the club, but the communiqué only mentioned Ali Karimi water consumption without any reference to the outstanding dispute between him Ajorloo.

However, Steel Azin’s action and Ajerloo’s in particular had immediately backfired on the club. Majority were on the side of Karimi as it became clear that the club failed to pursue professional guidelines and ethics by not having a disciplinary hearing in which the defendant Karimi was to be allowed an opportunity to explain his action and defend himself. The decision, unilaterally taken by Ajerloo on behalf on the club, puts the owner, Hedayati at a cross road.

Also Ali Karimi immediately got support by teammates such as Mehdi Mahdavikia or Mehrzad Madanchi, who spoke out in the playmaker’s favour, turning the public opinion even more against the already unpopular manager.

On the other hand Hedayati, usually very much involved in daily operations and business of the club, remained silent on this issue, until he uttered a few word in a quick interview on Navad program. There are speculations that Hedayati and honorary member of Steel Azin’s board of directors, former Iranian ambassador to the UAE, Hamid-Reza Asefi, might intervene and try to resolve the issue by bringing Karimi back to the club, while also keeping Mostafa Ajerloo in management team – an option that Karimi has immediately dismissed unless Ajerloo publically apologized to him on TV the same way he (Ajerloo) humiliated Karimi on TV.