Iranian football chief Taj faces increasing challenges

Tehran-Mehdi Taj was re-elected on Saturday as head of the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) as head of the Football Association of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) to get 72 votes from the FFIRI Congress. This resounding victory underlines the continuing dominance of Taj in Iranian football administration.

In his remarks after the elections, Taj admitted the strong mandate and explained: “If almost 90 percent of the congress votes for them, this means that they liked the previous programs and the opinion of which the remaining tasks should be done.” He emphasized how important it is to implement mandatory women's teams for all Iranian football -League clubs, a policy that comes into force from next season.

However, Taj is offset by a number of big challenges in his new term. One of the most urgent problems is the complete implementation of the VAR technology (Video Assistant Referee) in the games of the Iranian league. The currently inconsistent application of VAR has led to widespread protests, with many teams claiming discriminatory treatment through the Federation. Taj went to the technical defects and promised to acquire six other Var devices and work with the Irib to improve connectivity and visual ads.

Another point of dispute is the lack of transparency about the Var communication with the publication of audio recordings between arbitrators and the VAR room. Taj recognized the need for better coordination with the Irib to ensure a precise display of the offside and the finish line.

With regard to the national team, Taj expressed optimism for her qualification campaign for world championships and confirmed his support for head coach Amir Ghalenoei. However, his earlier decision to replace Dragan Skocic by Carlos Queiroz just a few months before the 2022 World Cup has aroused doubts about his long -term commitment for coaches.

The Taj agenda also includes bridging the gap between Iranian and regional club football, improving the quality of the domestic league and increasing the Iranian quota in the AFC Champions League. The Iranian fans have high expectations of the national team and strive for a strong performance at the 2026 World Cup and a historical promotion to the KO stage.

The next four years will present a discouraging task for Taj, which may be more difficult than his earlier conditions because he tries to control the complex landscape of Iranian football and to fulfill the efforts of a passionate fan base.