Taremi's Passionate Rant: A Damning Condemnation of Football in Iran… But Was He Correct?

Considering Iran's recent qualification for next year's World Cup, where they sauntered to a table-topping 23 points from 10 games, you'd think spirits would be high.

Instead, the discourse around the state of Iranian football is anything but positive, and it all came to a head during the recently concluded international break.

Following Iran's 0-0 friendly draw against Uzbekistan, which ultimately finished in a 4-3 penalty defeat, the scenes on the field and the subsequent post-match interview went a long way to confirming that negativity.

Mehdi Taremi's Full-Time Outburst

The post-match media duties consisted of an interview with prolific veteran striker Mehdi Taremi, who was tasked with facing up to the vultures after a disappointing result.

And boy did he do just that.

The minute a question was asked, Taremi jumped at the opportunity to release his verbal venom at the expense of Iranian football.

"In the past 2-3 years, from up above, from wherever you can think of, they are ruining football."

Taremi's incredulous comments came as an outburst of condemnation against the way Iranian football is being run from the top down.

Despite Iran having its own recognised footballing federation, the government and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have a heavy hand in the infrastructure and inner workings of football in the country.

The majority of Iranian clubs are state-owned; the majority of stadiums are owned by Iran's ministry of sport and youth, and the sport is often used as a vehicle for soft power in the nation.

😠 “From the top, they’re trying to ruin football in Iran. They simply don’t want 100,000 people gathering in one place. What’s your motive? You’re trying to stop Iranians from coming together - and your motives have nothing to do with football.” - Mehdi Taremi pic.twitter.com/RvT0mbzVA8

— Persian Soccer (@prznsoccer) November 18, 2025

"How is it possible only 2,000 people go to the Zob Ahan-Sepahan derby? Azadi Stadium not finished for 4 years? Esteghlal Persepolis have to go play in Shahrestani Qods.

"Is it possible that Tractor's field is always ruined? Our 4, 5 big teams have ruined pitches always, so what? So people don't gather?"

There has been some recent investment, albeit not enough, and as Taremi mentions, some of the biggest clubs in Iran have been left with underfunding and a lack of facilities, which doesn't befit that of a country's top clubs.

And when there has been investment, it either hasn't been carried out in a professional manner, or those in charge haven't even had the decency to finish what they started.

This has led to, in Taremi's expressive opinion, what can only be considered as a mass neglect of football on the whole. Iran is miles behind where it should be, and Taremi is standing for it no longer.

His points were a passionate defence of the sport he loves, with his people at the heart of his concerns.

But not all of them have received his comments well.

Some fans across social media have been quick to rubbish Taremi's comments, suggesting he should be more focused on helping the national team to improve rather than complaining about things out of his control.

Many complained about Taremi not taking a penalty in the shootout, something which Taremi justified by saying he "wanted to give others a chance to take penalties while the stakes are low" so they get used to the pressure.

From the perspective of those who haven't taken his side, it doesn't appear to make much sense given admissions of concern aren't just present in the local infrastructure.

They are beginning to infiltrate into the process of the national team as well.

Qualification, But At What Cost?

Amir Ghalenoei was appointed manager of Iran's national team in 2023, and despite his relative success when it comes to qualifying for major tournaments, including a CAFA Nations Cup win in his first summer as boss, his reign hasn't exactly gone down with the unwavering positivity you may expect.

In fact, fans have been on his back for his failure to implement the style of play he promised.

And not only is the backing of the fans hanging on by a thread, but it now appears the players are beginning to falter in their confidence toward Ghalenoei too.

Following the final whistle against Uzbekistan, the Iranian players trudged off the pitch disheartened.

Their manager was waiting for them on the sideline and seemingly questioned them as to what had happened.

Iran qualified for the World Cup in America??? pic.twitter.com/O5y38BJmtu

— omeo 𖤐 (@ihyomeo) June 22, 2025

The players looked to remonstrate on the field with their boss, clearly unhappy with what transpired on the pitch. But it seemed to reach deeper than that.

In fact, it came out post-match that the manager wasn't even clued in on who would be taking Iran's 5th and final penalty… A bit strange, isn't it?

Now, it is unclear exactly what is going on behind the scenes with Iran's national team, but whatever it is, it clearly isn't good – especially heading into a World Cup year.

Taremi's comments alongside the fallout from the Uzbekistan game have made it clear that change is needed within Iranian football.

Whether that change arises in the near future is yet to be seen, but with legends such as Taremi making their feelings known in a big way, it could be a lot closer than it seems.