Masoud Soltanifar , the candidate for the Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs in President Rouhani’s cabinet, failed to get the approval of the parliament.

Every Ministerial appointment in the cabinet must be approved by the Iranian parliament before assuming the office. The ministers are nominated by the President who is elected by public voting. There is no prime minister position in Iran so all government functions is carried out by the president of the country.

Football administrators, clubs and the federation had a lot of expectation from Soltanifar to help and support their activity with more budget allocation from the government,  however, Soltanifar did not get the approval of the MP’s as he gained 117 positive votes with 148 votes against his appointment. 48 MP’s abstained.

This news could be critical for Team Melli’s preparation for the World Cup next year. Already strapped out of cash, the FFIRI has cancelled the scheduled camp in Portugal and two friendly matches. Other Asian teams like Japan and South Korea used the FIFA day effectively and played friendly matches, while Team Melli was idle.

Almost all the major clubs in Iran are dependent on the financial support of the government, while many of them are directly run and owned by the state like Esteghlal and Perspolis

There is no indication who is the next in line for the candidacy of Minister of Sport after Soltanifar’s disapproval.