Title: Persepolis Club Secures Legal Review, Advocates for Judicial Integrity in Football
A Landmark Appeal
In a significant development within Iranian football, Persepolis Athletic and Cultural Club has formally announced a crucial legal victory, compelling a review of a prior disciplinary ruling. The club’s official statement respectfully addressed the judicial bodies of the Football Federation, registering a formal protest that led to the Appeal Committee revising its verdict concerning a match against Tractor Sazi Tabriz.
The Core of the Dispute
The original ruling, issued months ago, had definitively imposed a ban on spectators from both clubs from attending all head-to-head matches for two subsequent seasons, including the Premier League, Hazfi Cup, and Super Cup. However, the Appeal Committee recently issued a new decision, nearly eight months after the initial verdict was finalized, which substantially reduced the scope of the ban for Tractor Sazi fans, limiting it solely to Premier League matches.
Championing Legal Principles
Persepolis’s statement articulates a firm stance grounded in legal doctrine. The club contends that this recent alteration does not constitute a minor correction but represents a fundamental change to a definitive ruling. It argues that such a move oversteps the committee’s jurisdictional authority and undermines the foundational legal principle of “finality of verdicts.” This principle, a cornerstone of judicial integrity in all legal systems—including sports jurisprudence—is vital for maintaining legal order and the credibility of judicial decisions.
A Call for Consistency and Fair Play
While acknowledging that the committee’s intent may have been to foster a more flexible and conciliatory atmosphere between the two clubs, Persepolis asserts that the action has had the opposite effect. The club argues that creating ambiguity around the finality and impartiality of the judicial process ultimately weakens public trust in the integrity of football’s judicial system. Therefore, Persepolis is formally calling for the recent amended verdict to be annulled and for the original, definitive ruling to be implemented in full. This, the club states, is essential to uphold the law, ensure sporting justice, and preserve the dignity and credibility of the Football Federation’s judicial pillars.