Mohammad Aliabadi (; born 2 December 1956 in Arak) is former Vice President and Head of Physical Education Organization of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. He was also President of the National Olympic Committee of Islamic Republic of Iran from 2008 to 2014.

Career

Throughout his career, he has held several key positions, including membership in the

Sistan Sistān (), also known as Sakastān (, , current name: Zabol) and Sijistan (), is a historical region in south-eastern Iran and extending across the borders of present-day south-western Afghanistan, and south-western Pakistan. Mostly correspond ...

and Baluchestan Jihad Council, Deputy Minister of Roads and Transportation, Deputy of the Foundation of the Oppressed and Disabled, Deputy Mayor for Urban Development of

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

, Vice President and Head of the Physical Education Organization, and Head of the Fisheries Organization.

Controversies

In an interview with the newspaper '' Shargh'' on October 7, 2016, Mohammad Dadkan claimed that during his tenure, just days before the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, Mohammad Aliabadi ordered him to remove Ali Daei, Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh, and Yahya Golmohammadi from the national team. Dadkan stated: "The Football Federation must be independent. Even the smallest federation should operate independently in terms of execution. The role of the Ministry of Sports should be supervisory and guiding, not interfering. Positive feedback, yes; interference, no. During my time, the then sports official, Mr. Aliabadi, who knew nothing about sports and football, came to me and said, 'Remove Ali Daei, Yahya Golmohammadi, and Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh.' I told him, 'Alright,' but I did not do it."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aliabadi, Mohammad Heads of Physical Education Organization Living people 1956 births People from Arak, Iran