Persian Gulf Pro League: Federation weighing up resumption plans
The Iranian Football Federation is considering different scenarios for the resumption of the Persian Gulf Pro League. All domestic football action has been postponed in the country since February 28 due to the military conflict between Iran and a U.S.-Israeli coalition.
Esteghlal leads the Iranian top-flight table with 41 points, two points clear of Tractor and Sepahan, with Golgohar (36pts), Chadormalou (35), and Persepolis (34) in the following spots. With eight rounds of fixtures remaining and the FIFA World Cup less than 10 weeks away, the Iranian football governing body is desperate to conclude the top-tier league before the national team's final training camp ahead of the global showpiece in June.
One likely scenario would be to continue the league in a centralized format, though the federation will face a daunting challenge to stage all remaining games in one single city. Heidar Baharvand, the head of the Iranian League Organization, said on Sunday that the federation might be forced to resume the league after the World Cup.
"Our intention is to hold all divisions of Iranian club football as soon as possible, but the Pro League matches could be postponed to after the World Cup," Baharvand said after a meeting with the representatives of all 16 top-flight clubs. "All teams favor the decision, though it means that next season will have to be delayed by one or two months," Baharvand said.
However, the Iranian official said that the problem with this plan is that his organization will only have until May 31 to introduce the Iranian league champion and runner-up to the Asian Football Confederation for next season's continental club competitions.
Meanwhile, Amir Qalenoei, the head coach of the national team, is eager to see the Iranian clubs back in action before the World Cup. The Iranian boss has already lined up his domestic league players for an upcoming training camp, starting April 14 in northern Iran, to make sure they will retain their match fitness for the showpiece event.