10/11/2006
Afshin Afshar, lastkick.com

Can someone explain to me what in the world happened with Saipa and their German coach Werner Lorant?

A week or two ago one of the Iranian newspapers reported that Lorant had packed his things in two suitcases and left for Germany. Apparently, the fact that he was observed leaving for the airport with two, and not one, suitcases was an indication that he was not coming back. The reporter claimed that in his previous trips to Deutschland, the German always managed to fit everything in one suitcase!

Anyhow, Saipa front office was quick to deny the “rumors” and claimed that their coach was coming back, but when the news of Lorant signing with some Turkish club was made public, there was no denying it. At that point Saipa’s front office called the man unprofessional for not fulfilling his contract, and that I am sure upset Lorant very much as he was collecting his first paycheck in Turkey!

But doesn’t calling Lorant an unprofessional sound like a classic case of pot calling kettle black?!

I am not going to list 100 reasons or examples for why it is Iranian football that is unprofessional.

I won’t even mention the “unprofessional” way in which Saipa fired their former coach Bijan Zolfagharnasab last year, before the end of the season, and after he had done such a great job keeping the club in the top third of the table all year long.

But, I am dying to know how Lorant could just pack his warm up suits in two suitcases and move across the border to Turkey when he still had a contract with Saipa?! Doesn’t FIFA have very strict rules about honoring contracts? Lorant should not have been able to sign another contract without getting in trouble with FIFA or paying heavy fines to Saipa unless he had a clause in his contract that would allow him to get out of it in an eye blink as he did.

My guess is that Lorant did have an escape clause in his contract, and probably a very easy one at that too. Furthermore, he was probably paid upfront. His salary for the year, or at least a good portion of it was already in his bank account so he did not have to sweat over unpaid bills when he flew out of Tehran. Having collected part or all of his salary from Saipa, he now has a new contract in Turkey.

Coaching in Iranian Professional League can be a profitable venture, wouldn’t you say?

The winner in all of this, besides Lorant, is probably Ali Daei who will get an early chance at coaching. Judging from his paying days, he will probably be coaching well into the next century! Good for him.

As for who is the unprofessional here, I have to look at Saipa front office that was so incompetent to leave such a clause in Lorant’s contract. Of course I could be proven wrong with all of this if Saipa manages to collect damages for breach of contract, but take it from me and don’t hold your breath!