5/2/2008
Afshin Afshar, lastkick.com

Alireza Nikbakht-Vahedi, Perspolis FC’s second leading scorer this season with nine goals, was excluded from the eighteen man roster for the upcoming match against Saipa. There were no official explanations by the club, however, it is anticipated that this was a disciplinary decision by Head Coach Afshin Ghotbi.

Nikbakht was involved in a verbal altercation with the head coach during the first half of last week’s match against Shirin Faraz, which Perspolis comfortably won with 5 unanswered goals. During the first half of the game, Ghotbi called Nikbakht to the sidelines to give him some instructions. Nikbakht, however, did not react well to what he heard, and it was all captured on cameras.

Those within earshot report that Ghotbi was not happy with Nikbakht’s failure to spot open teammates, specifically, Mohsen Khalili who leads the league with 14 goals.

At the half Nikbakht was replaced with forward Farhad Khayrkhah, and then to make matters worse refused to come out of the locker room and sit on the bench with his teammates.

This is one in a series of moves by Ghotbi in an attempt to instill discipline into a team that has historically been notorious for lack of it. Earlier this month, defender Shays Rezaei and assistant coach Alireza Marzban were dismissed.

Some suggest that these moves may have come too late in the season, and perhaps Ghotbi and his team would have been better off had Ghtobi imposed his will and discipline on the team before the halfway mark. Perspolis now trail Sepahan FC of Isfahan by four points with four rounds left to play.