Sepahan Esfahan reacted sharply to the threats of sanction by the football federation FFIRI on the release of Ali Karimi the promising young forward to Team Melli U-23.

Ali Karimi is among the players selected by Nelo Vengada for the Olympics team which is currently in a training programs which includes several camps and international friendly matches. The next match will be in Jordan. With the start of the Persian Gulf Football league only days away , Sepahan Esfahan club opted not to release their forward for the camp as the team needed to focus on the league with several difficult matches ahead.

The release of the players to the national teams’ non- official competition, which is completely up to the judgment of the club, has apparently created a wave of discontent in the FFIRI. In an internal memo from Mehdi Taj to Ayottlahei , both discussed the possibility of a sanctions against Sepahan calling the club a repeat offender following its refusal to release the player for Team Melli fo the South Africa camp while it was still engaged in the AFC Champions League.

Sepahan released an official statement sharply criticizing the federation personnel for lack of understanding of the law. The statement said that it will deal with the matter when Sepahan Management receives and official correspondence from the FFIRI regarding this matter. Sepahan is preparing the team under the Croat coach Kranjcar.

It is not clear why the FFIRI is so blatantly acting ignorant on FIFA’s regulations that governs the release of players , a law that has been discussed umpteen times before Iran’s participation in the World Cup. It could very well be just bullying tactics by the FFIRI to intimidate clubs to release their players despite the commitment of these clubs to play in domestic and/or continental leagues. In both cases of the scenario,  it one conducts unbecoming from the very people who are supposed to uphold and abide by the rules.