Insufficiently vigilant Iranian soccer official resigns

The fast-track to a wrecked career:

A high-ranking official of the Iranian Football Federation (IFF) has been compelled to resign after a Happy New Year greeting was accidentally sent to the Israel Football Association.

The director of the IFF Foreign Relations Department, Mohammad-Mansour Azimzadeh, stepped down after the message, apparently sent on his behalf, reached Israeli officials — a mistake that should have never taken place.

In a statement quoted by the Fars news agency on Saturday, the Iranian Football Federation has said that messages of congratulations are sent each year to all members of FIFA except the Zionist regime, which is why it was removed from the list of addresses for New Year messages.

The statement added that a FIFA employee named Amir Navan, an Israeli of Iranian origin, forwarded the Iranian greeting message to the Israel Football Association. Following the incident, Azimzadeh submitted his resignation.

Iranian Football Federation President Ali Kafashian expressed deep remorse over the incident.

Iran severed all diplomatic and commercial ties with Israel after the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Tehran does not recognize Israel as a country and refers to it as the Zionist regime and calls the land the occupied Palestinian territories. [...]

Just in case you didn't know. Elsewhere in the Iranian Press we learn that the Middle-Sized Satan was behind the anti-government riots:

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki blasted London's support for the rioters who staged wild demonstrations and disrespected Islamic sanctities in the Iranian capital last Sunday.


"These insults began when the British brought certain people like Salman Rushdi to the scene and draw insulting caricatures and wrote insulting words against Islamic sanctities," Mottaki said in the city of Bandar Gaz in northern Iran on Friday.

Referring to the western countries' interference in the internal affairs of Yemen, Iraq, Pakistan and Iran, he reiterated, "The US can do nothing against the Iranian nation but doesn't understand this and the reason for its unsuccessfulness is the beliefs of the Iranian nation."

The unrests broke out after a number of so-called supporters of Mir-Hossein Mousavi, a defeated candidate of the July presidential election in Iran, took to the streets in Tehran on Ashoura Day last Sunday, a highly revered religious day commemorated by Shiites in Iran and across the world.

Meantime, tens of millions of Iranians were on the streets on the same day to take part in massive processions across the country to mark the anniversary of the martyrdom Imam Hossein (AS), one of Shiite Islam's most beloved leaders and grandson of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

Clashes began after demonstrators started clapping and showing happiness, insulting the mourning people who were also in the streets to commemorate Imam Hossein's martyrdom anniversary.

In related news, we learn at IRIB radio that "The court of the persons accused of violating Islamic revolution ideals will be held in the Tehran’s Islamic revolution court tomorrow." "Violating Islamic revolution ideals"--not the sort of thing you want to be charged with in a country with a Revolutionary Guard Corps. Stay tuned.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad