Mehdi Taj presidency win opens door for return of Queiroz to Iran
(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...Inside World Football – LONDON, Following months of turbulence, Mehdi Taj (pictured) was elected as the new president of the Iranian Football Federation (IRIFF) for a four-year term on Tuesday.
Taj prevailed in the three-candidate ballot with 51 votes, defeating the incumbent acting president Mirshad Majedi with 25 votes and Azizollah Mohammadi who got just four votes. In February, Majedi had replaced Shahaboddin Azizi Khadem, who was removed from the presidency of IRIFF.
Taj said: “We have to work together to solve our problems. Now is the time for hard work. I thank the two other candidates. We must move towards brotherhood and cooperation. The past is the past, we must move forward.”
Taj ran on a Carlos Queiroz-inspired ticket. He vowed to bring back the Portuguese coach, who is hugely respected and admired after taking Iran to two consecutive World Cups in 2014 and 2018. Current coach Dragan Skocic was fired and then rehired in July.
The uncertainty and political maneuvering have complicated Iran’s World Cup preparations with the IRIFF’s financial resources limited and difficulties in planning warmup friendlies because of the country’s isolation.
The elections had been in doubt after the IRIFF announced that the elections had been postponed for non-compliance with the law.
