Iranian clubs football has been experiencing one of its worst periods in the last decade. With the 4 Iranian representatives in the AFC Champions League all failing to reach the advance rounds of this edition of the championship and with no Iranian clubs winning the trophy since it was changed to the new format and renamed as AFC Champions League, it is hardly unlikely that any progress will be coming soon with the current state of football in Iran.
At age group teams level, the status is the same as Iran has not won any trophies for years while it is quite unlikely to reach the Olympics with the U-23 team in its present shape and form.
The major obstacle to Iranian football progress has always been identified by general consent and that is the poor management and administration. People who have no right to be anywhere near a football club are running the show in Iran and failing miserably. To the government which controls the entire football entity, it not a problem as they have a lot of contingency of loyalists who are content to replace those who are fired. The authority believes it is a blessing in disguise because it allows an opportunity to the maximum number of its proponents to have a job.
However, one major factor that indirectly impacts football development but hardly mentioned, is the Iranian media. Of course, since the media is entirely controlled by the state as well, its power is curbed and restricted which prevents it from being effective, truly critical and a game-changer. Many journalists found out the hard way that there are unwritten laws and a red line that they cannot cross. As recently as a few months back, some journalists that attempted to expose the widespread corruption in Iranian football, suddenly changed course and the subject was abandoned. One can only speculate about the reasons, but such events can only lead to more speculations, rumours and conspiracy theories.
A combination of several factors renders the Iranian sports media ineffective its role. It is a poorly paid job and most of the journalist are juniors. Some media personnel have multiple jobs to make ends meet. Most experienced and veterans have moved on for better prospects or because the environment is not conducive to free journalism.
Today’s Iranian football media is a weak and ineffective tool for addressing major issues. There is no investigative journalist to expose the illness of the system. There are the odd critical articles and coverages which are perhaps shy attempts to emphasise the role that media should play in terms of driving and sustaining football’s growth in the country.
In general, the media hardly addresses core problems and root causes. The media seems more at home filling its pages with news about clashes on or off the fields, disputes between the clubs or opposing coaches, antagonists quotes promoting rivalries and events that can be categorized as soap opera material. Iranian media seems to be happy to provide time and space to every Tom, Dick and Harry who opens his mouth seeking controversy about a football match. Nearly a week after the local derby between Esteghlal and Persepolis, a drab affair that was a bad advertisement for Iranian football, the media still fills its pages about the match with hardly any coverage on technical analysis, accurate and analytical information or any subject directly related to football. Almost the entire coverage is what Iranians call “Hashiye” which is kind of “Controversy”.
In Iran, The Minister of Youth and Sports has the major share of coverage in news articles. In other countries, such a personality is hardly even known amongst the fans and the media.
A change of mentality and mindset in Iranian media is essential to play its role and quite difficult to achieve.
The majority media personnel of this generation are young and newbies who are cheap to employ and easy to control. The seniors and the experienced generation are on the wane. Iranian sports media used to be a leading inspirational voice of sports in Iran. Its role has diminished to the equivalent of controversy seeking tabloids with the journalist preferring not to rock the boat. Even those controversies they cover have to be mild and be careful not to address the fundamentals, else thy will bury it with a blink of an eye due to fear of retribution.