Ali Daei, who holds the record for most international goals in history, was suddenly dismissed on Sept. 10 as the head coach of Persepolis, the most popular soccer club in Iran, by the Persepolis Sports Club board of directors. The general manager of the club, who was against the decision and refused to announce it, was also fired. These dismissals once again brought up the question of whether, and to what degree, the government and the military organizations are interfering in the management of organized sports in general and soccer in particular.

Persepolis is the most popular Iranian soccer club and ranks in popularity even higher than Esteghlal, another popular Tehran club, and boasts supporters not just in Tehran but all over the country. It is considered the most successful Iranian soccer team in history. However, for the past six years, Persepolis has failed to win the championship of the Iran Pro League. This season, Persepolis had a disappointing start and managed to gain only eight points in its first seven matches.

This is the second time that Daei, “the legend of Iranian soccer” in the sports media, has been suddenly dismissed from a position. The first was when he was the head coach of Iran’s national team and it lost the 2010 World Cup qualifier match to Saudi Arabia in Tehran when former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was in office. Daei was fired that same night.

After this recent dismissal, Daei had an interview with the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network (IRINN) in which he claimed that the minister of youth affairs and sports, not the board of directors of Persepolis, was responsible for his dismissal. “It is an honor for me to have been dismissed once by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the other time by the minister of youth affairs and sports,” Daei said.