Tehran Times - Iranian football team, Esteghlal, have been banned from signing new players, ONCE AGAIN A story that has no end.!
Based on the local media reports on Sunday, Esteghlal’s forward Cheick Diabate has lodged a complaint before FIFA against the club he is playing for right now.
The Malian striker has claimed that the Tehran based club have failed to pay him his salary for several months.
FIFA has sent a letter to Esteghlal and informed them about the player’s request. However, the Iranian club did not complete their financial obligations, and now it is confirmed in another letter by FIFA that the club are banned from signing new players.
“We wish to inform the parties that a ban of registering new players internationally has been implemented by FIFA at the beginning of the next registration period. Moreover, the respondent’s member association is requested to implement on the respondent, club Esteghlal FC, at the beginning of the next registration period, a ban from registering new players at the national level,” the letter says.
Meanwhile, Esteghlal Club were already banned from signing new players due to a complaint by Nebojsa Milicic Lekic, Serbian coach who was a former assistant of Farhad Majidi, and the club were not allowed to recruit new players until the coach's claims were paid.
Esteghlal and their archrival, Persepolis, have been handed transfer bans by FIFA several times just in recent years. The reasons behind all the complaints against the Iranian cubs have been their inability to fulfill their financial obligation to their foreign staff. A story that has no end.
In FIFA’s letter to Esteghlal, it is mentioned that the club shall be banned from signing new players up until the due amount is paid and for a maximum duration of three entire and consecutive registration periods.
However, it is emphasized that the ban against the Blues will be lifted immediately and prior to their complete serving once the due amount is paid.
Last year, Esteghlal had been handed the transfer ban by FIFA's Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) over non-payment of dues to former coach Winfried Schaefer. Later the ban was lifted.
Esteghlal also have the same problem with another foreign player, Hrvoje Milic. The Croatian player left Esteghlal after two years of playing for the club and returned to Croatia. Reports claim that he is also considering to fill a complaint before FIFA against the Blues to receive his unpaid salaries.