Humiliation and indignation of a person in public, is considered an offense punishable by law in every country of the world including Iran which has a strict law against such misdemeanor.

Last night on one of the most popular TV shows in Iran , a Ministry of Youth and sport official who was contacted by phone by Adel Ferdowsipour, the presenter of Navad, to explain the reasons behind the rejection of Zlatko Kranjcar as the Head Coach of Omid team , stated that his Ministry has rejected the Croat coach , not based on technical merits but on cultural issues because the Croat is an Alcoholic!

When challenged by the presenter if there are any evidences of such claims and whether it has been verified by a law force, Police or the judicial system, the Ministry of sports official responded that they have enough evidence against him although he was not prosecuted nor accused of any wrongdoing by a law force!

This public accusation in front of millions of viewers carried out without giving the accused person the right to defend himself , which is a basic human right,  amount to defamation and invasions of privacy. It is also a prosecution and public trial by the Ministry official who has neither legal authority nor the jurisdictions to conduct a trial.

What makes the matter even worse and certainly shameful, is that the Ministry of Youth and Sport has been asking for calm and serenity while advising the media and sport personalities not to engage in public quarrels and accusations, at the time when both the Minister and his deputy , and now this official is doing exactly the opposite of what they preach and claim.

  In some civil law jurisdictions, defamation is treated as a crime rather than a civil wrongdoing.  Recently , Mayeli-Kohan was jailed for such violations and slanders , which was a strong message to anyone who dares to wrongly accuse others without evidence. Will this official be put on trial or will the government use its veto to cover his wrongdoing?

 How long will the pragmatic and progressive President Rouhani , tolerate the Minster of Youth and Sports and his men, notorious for their meddling, agitations and public hostility with the football federation,  is another question that is beginning to be asked by many observers.

A president who was elected on a campaign that promised free expression , respect for people privacy and  letter of law must surely be embarrassed and concerned by the antics of the Ministry of Youth and Sport which has put the name of football in Iran in disrepute, according to Mehr News agency.