Mohammad Reza Khalatbary and his club Persepolis are on the brink of suspension after the Club failed to pay the UAE League club Ajman the reminder of the payment for the player’s transfer.
Ajman has given Persepolis one week ( 15th April) to fork out US$ 250,000 outstanding from the player’s transfer deal. Ajman has claimed that the amount is already six month overdue and will not tolerate any further delays by the Iranian club.
Khalatbary signed a 1.5 Million dollar contract with Ajman last year, however before he even played a single match for Ajman, Persepolis came calling for the Team Melli Midfielder and on the assertion of the former CEO Mohammad Rouyanian , they managed to strike a deal with Ajman for his transfer back to Iran.
The deal raised many questions in the football circles, mainly because Persepolis had acute financial difficulties which were well publicized and known among all concerned. Somehow Persepolis managed to pay the transfer fee for Khalatbary , but the club refused to disclose the source of the transfer fee. This transfer occurred at a time when many Persepolis players and staff wages were not paid for several months. The Khalatbary transfer created some discontent in the dressing room.
Now, it has been disclosed that Persepolis has not paid the full transfer fee to Ajman. The balance of US$ 250,000 must be paid within 1 week else Ajman will file a complaint with FIFA. If Persepolis fails to adhere to the clause of the transfer agreement, FIFA can rule to suspend Persepolis from football activities, ban it from transfer market (selling or buying players) , deduct points or impose a heavy fine.
While Persepolis is in a perilous position, Khalatbary may also be suspended if FIFA deems it necessary. That would be a severe blow to Carlos Queiroz who is preparing the squad for the World Cup. The rest of the Persepolis players with Team Melli should not be affected by any FIFA ruling against their club and will be allowed to play for Team Melli.
Zamani, the agent of Khalatbary , shed some light on the transfer details. He said that the agreement between the two clubs required Persepolis to initially pay US$ 500,000 then the second payment of US$300,000. Persepolis paid US$ 400,000 initially and then with a lot of delay, it paid US$ 150,000 , which was half the agreed amount it should pay to Ajman. Eventually , Hossein Hedayti , paid the remaining US$ 150,000 “
“However , there is still US$ 250,000 remaining and an additional US$ 50,000 as interest fees due to delays in payment,”
Zamani said that “FIFA usually makes quick decisions when it is faced with cases of nonpayment of contracts. All evidence and document shows that Ajman Club has the full right and as such Persepolis might face heavy penalties from FIFA and might regret delaying the payment.”