Karimi Welcomed Back By Steel Azin
Steel Azin’s Ali Karimi has agreed to pay 40,000 USD to his club after he was found guilty of disrespecting his country’s football federation and his supervisor, as well as refusal to fast during a training session on August 12. The Islamic Iranians practice Ramadan for a month by fasting during the day.
There was apparently a political side to Karimi’s expulsion earlier this month. He caught Mostafa Ajorlou’s (Steel Azin’s managing director) ire when he criticised him. Ajorlou was a former commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Karimi allegedly criticized the Iran Pro League code of ethics committee. The newly-formed organization seeks to monitor the league player’s ethical and religious practices on and off the field.
Karimi is one of the more outspoken players in Iran, who is not scared to show his political inclination. He is known as “the controversial player who wore a Green wristband in a World Cup qualifier in support of Iran Green movement protests against a fraudulent Presidential Election.” It wasn’t the first time that Karimi was dismissed from a football team. He was sacked by the national team because he mercilessly criticized the Iranian football federation and said that the team’s formation that year was the “weakest in his ten-year spell in the national team, bringing Iranian football backwards rather than forward.”
Karim was not afraid to unveil the Steel Azin’s barely perfect management. He has been openly critical of Ajorlou; the top scorer thinks that the club is being handled by a management who knows nothing about football. Karimi was quoted saying, “Bringing high profile stars alone does not guarantee club success, a good club manager who provides professional environment would solve the team’s problems. For example, Steel Azin cannot bring fans into the stadium with force or with food incentives. And no other club accepts a free shirt sponsorship as Steel Azin club does.” There were reports of a dispute between Karimi and his club manager because the attacking midfielder was reportedly caught drinking during fasting hours; but speculations have come up that Ajorlou fired Karimi because of the latter’s criticisms.
Karimi was tasked to play defender instead of his usual midfield position in a match against Esteghal soon after he made that statement; it ended in stalemate. Club officials declared the expulsion of Karimi a day after, the reason being the refusal of the midfielder to fast during Ramadan. Ajorlou explained the reason behind the drastic move: “I did not only take charge of the club for football management, but for my personal religious and ethical values. Also, Ali Karimi’s charge is for acting against IFF’s regulation during Ramadan period, for drinking during training.” The midfielder allegedly drank water during a training session. The 31-year old midfielder denied any violation on the Ramadan traditions, claiming that he upholds the values of his religion.
The club manager was widely criticized for his decision. Clubs normally do their best to compromise the training and match schedules to synchronize it with the players’ personal and religious beliefs. In Islamic countries like Iran (except recently), games would be held after sunset. Besides, the Iranian Pro League club officials never enforced fasting on their players even if they are mandatory for all Muslims. This move is an attempt to modernize football in Asia, where citizens still anchor to their religion.
Given that players are not required to fast, the reason behind Karimi’s expulsion may possibly be more than just the fasting violation. Iranian Pro League clubs are managed by revolutionary guards in the government who are very sensitive to criticism and disobedience to Islamic law and politics.
Fans would not allow their star player to be expelled from Steel Azin. Fans exclaimed, "We do not want Steel Azin without Karimi.” How can they not love Karimi? The midfielder is the second most-capped player and the third-highest scorer for the Iranian national team. He was also the team’s top scorer last season.
The news of the expulsion spread throughout the country, which urged fans to hold a protest. The club management could not ignore the disapproval and was forced to hold an emergency meeting to reassess their decision. The meeting resulted in the withdrawal of their earlier decision. Hossein Hedayati, the club’s president, welcomed Karimi and even hailed him as a “national treasure.”
Karimi is more than just a “national treasure” to many of his fans. Not a lot of football players are as courageous and outspoken as the Karimi. He is a standout in a society where freedom of expression and criticisms toward the authority are condemned.
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