"Tractor" faces the threat of leaving the Iranian championship

Tabriz's "Tractor" club may stop participating in the Iranian championship.

Idman.Biz reports that Mohammadreza Zonnuzi-Motlaq, the owner of the "Tractor" club, has released a statement regarding this.

In his statement, he called on Mehdi Taj, the head of the Iranian Football Federation, to intervene in the processes around the club, otherwise to resign. The club owner did not rule out appealing to FIFA.

The text of the statement was published on the club's social media accounts.

"Mr. Taj either has the power to manage Iranian football, or if he does not have this power, he should resign. If this process continues like this, there will be no reason for the "Tractor" club to remain in this league. It is better to stop football altogether if it cannot be managed fairly.

The "Tractor" club does not spend money so that some people can secure their interests through mismanagement, in return for which our fans are targeted by ethnic slogans. These slogans are either met with the federation's silence or sometimes ignored by its institutions. These behaviors are unacceptable.

Everything from the engineering of referees to many plans is done as if it is designed against "Tractor". Some technical issues can be overlooked, but never ethnic insults. Neither I nor the "Tractor" fans will ever forget this issue.

It is regrettable that "Tractor" faces unprecedented penalties for an insult addressed to one person, but last season ethnic insults were voiced against "Tractor", its players, and most importantly Turks in various stadiums, and the federation did not take any serious action. This double standard is a clear example of injustice.

My message is to Mr. Taj and everyone in the Football Federation: They should not think that "Tractor" is a foreign piece in Iranian football. Such mismanagement, whether unintended or deliberate, deepens the division between the peoples of the country. If you do not have the power to correct this situation, hand over responsibility to someone else.

Either this football will be reformed, or the "Tractor" club will withdraw and take legal and international steps, including through FIFA, to restore its rights. The people of this country are tired of ethnic slogans and no longer want to tolerate this situation," the statement said.