The former head coach of Team Melli has the Iranian national football team has sued the Iranian Football Federation at FIFA following the termination of his contract while seeking compensation from FFIRI

The Football Federation FFIRI has also filed a  countersuit against the Belgian Marc Wilmots for breach of contract.

The poor showing of Team Melli resulting in two losses against Iraq and Bahrain in the second round of the FIFA World Cup qualifier has raised tension and fan’s displeasure with the Belgian coach. The criticism of the on-vacation coach was even harsher in the Iranian media. Wilmots’ performance and refusal to carry out his duty prompted the federation to negotiate the termination of the coaching contract.

However, Wilmots unilaterally terminated the contract before the game against Iraq citing overdue payments and non-payment of wages by the Football Federation. After a meeting with federation officials in Turkey, the Belgian coach was paid his dues just a few days before meeting Iraq.

Wilmots refused to return to Tehran even after his loss to Bahrain and the doubts started to emerge on the qualification to the next stage. While the Federation has insisted in recent weeks that the process of terminating the contract with Wilmots is continuing and the parties are seeking an amicable way to reach an agreement, the Speaker of the Parliament’s Cultural Commission commented on the news of Wilmots’ complaint to FIFA and similar action.

It is not clear how much compensation is Wilmots demanding as the federation has kept the contract under strict secrecy raising doubts about the clauses and concerns about possible profiteering.