Football chief warns of ‘match abandonment’ over ethnic abuse
Mahdi Taj, president of the Iranian Football Federation, has warned that domestic matches “will be suspended or even abandoned under international rules” in response to insulting ethnic chants in Iranian stadiums.
Taj made the remarks after Mohammadreza Zonouzi, owner of Tabriz-based club Tractor, had threatened to withdraw his team from the Persian Gulf Pro League and called on Taj to resign, citing the federation’s “silence and negligence” over repeated abuse of the club’s Turkish ethnic supporters during domestic matches. The most recent incident occurred in an away fixture against Shams Azar in Qazvin on Friday.
Tractor has blamed Persepolis supporters for the chants, as tensions between the two clubs have intensified over the past two years following the departure of Persepolis stars Alireza Beiranvand, Mahdi Torabi and Danial Esmaeilifar to Tractor ahead of last season – a move that helped the Tabriz side secure its first Iranian top-flight title in May.
Tractor and Persepolis met in the Hazfi Cup at Tabriz’s Yadegar-e Imam Stadium on December 18 – a match Tractor won on penalties – during which members of the Capital Reds’ camp, most notably Iranian football legend and Tabriz-born Karim Baqeri – now a member of the club’s coaching staff – were subjected to slurs and insults from the home crowd throughout the game.
“Regulations which were previously not enforced for various reasons will now be applied strictly and without leniency, including measures against ethnic, provocative and abusive chants that could lead to matches being suspended or even abandoned under international rules,” Taj said on the sidelines of a meeting between Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali and executives from the league’s so-called ‘Big Four’ – Persepolis, Esteghlal, Tractor and Sepahan.
“Unfortunately, some clubs and their affiliates create situations that inflame the atmosphere inside stadiums, while fans attend matches to enjoy football,” he added. “The outcome of today’s meeting is that we expect to see a reduction in such behavior in the near future.”
Taj further explained that a disciplinary committee meeting attended by all judicial bodies of the federation, as well as security officials, agreed that regulations previously left unenforced would now be implemented without exception.
“This includes dealing with ethnic, inflammatory and insulting chants. In line with international regulations, if such behavior continues, referees are obliged to stop the match and may even abandon it,” he said.