Sports an Issue in Iran's Elections
Iran's sports clubs have become politicized in recent years and are an issue in the presidential contest.
"Should I get elected, my government will transfer the management of sports back to professionals."
This was one of the statements by presidential candidate Ali Akbar Velayati during a televised debate on June 5. This reference to sports is a reflection of a key deficiency in Iran's sports activities during the Ahmadinejad years. In fact, a number of leading sportsmen, head coaches of popular clubs and other stakeholders have complained that in the past few years, a number of sports clubs and affairs have been transferred to political or military organizations. This fact has undermined the performance of Iranian clubs and has led to tensions between professional and political stakeholders.
It is not a secret that sports has been politicized in Post-revolutionary Iran, especially in the past decade. The intersection of politics and sports is not just limited to politicized sports decisions (such as rejecting any competition against Israeli athletes), but includes the growing role of sports personalities in political offices. In fact, a number of popular sports personalities (such as two-time Olympics gold medalist in Taekwandoo Hadi Saee and leading wrestlers Amir Reza Khadem and Alireza Dabir) have entered politics in the Tehran City council. Even more sports personalities have signed up for the upcoming local council elections. Also, the creation of a Ministry of Youth and Sports paved the way for former athletes to enter the government.
However, what Velayati and other candidates are referring to, is a growing concern among key professional stakeholders; i.e., the systematic takeover of leading football clubs by military and intelligence entities in the past few years.
