Former Team Melli player, Khodadad Azizi has claimed that individuals from the Ministry or the Minister of Sports have held talks with Carlos Queiroz to take over as the head coach of Iran’s national football team. That claim has resulted in a swift response by the Ministry through its Legal Director-General who announced the right to legally sue Azizi in courts.

According to ISNA, Khodadad Azizi, who was supposed to be part of the FFIRI delegation that was to travel to Canada with Team Melli and who is named as Karim Bagheri’s replacement in the coaching staff, said in response to the recent marginalization of the national football team. “The reliable news is that gentlemen delegated by the Ministry of Sports and Hamid Sajjadi, the Minister of Sports, have held talks with Queiroz. It is interesting to note how we are stepping backward with the return of Queiroz and who is behind that? Do you want to make us a Portuguese football colony again? Let’s all stand hand in hand against this Queiroz again. Do you want this man who would tell us when to take a shower, when to stand up and when to sit down? Have you forgotten?”.

Morteza Fallah, Director-General of Legal Affairs of the Ministry of Sports and Youth, pointed to the statements of  “one of the former Iranian football players” as he put it, and clarified that “these statements were made without any basis or fact. No negotiations were conducted by the Ministry of Sports and Youth with any coach. and the accusations are definitely false and we reserve the right to legally pursue these allegations.”

He added: “While the Ministry of Sports and Youth and the respected spokesperson of the government has explicitly stated that they do not and will not intervene in the technical issues and competence of the Football Federation in any way, some people, disregarding the supervisory duties of the Ministry of Sports and Youth, have made accusations against the government and the ministry that it is devoid of truth and a clear example of spreading lies.”