Pathology of Football Transfers in Iran

Objective: The goal is to analyze and evaluate the transfers of players from and to football clubs. The decisions made by the club management in this regard have a significant impact on their success or failure. Therefore, it is necessary to be thoroughly examined and then taken into account, given the problems of football transfers in the country, the present research was conducted with the aim of pathology of football transfers in Iran. Methodology: This research is philosophical, interpretive, and exploratory in nature, using the classical or Glaser grounded theory approach. The data collection method was through interviews and coding. The population and sample of this research included 35 transferred players and coaches, agents and official agents in reputable and professional football leagues in Iran, as well as senior managers of the Football Federation and presidents of football associations of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as experts in the field of sports management and marketing, who were interviewed until theoretical saturation was reached. All checklists and semi-structured questionnaires in the interview section were analyzed and approved by 5 experts in sports management and the research team. In the reliability section, the agreement method of coders with a PSKAT of 77.0, which has high reliability, was used. Results: The damages of football transfers in Iran in six dimensions include the media system, club system, contractual and legal system, information system, supervisory system, and cultural and media system, which need to be addressed to eliminate them. Conclusion: The field of transfers in Iranian football has suffered from various damages, which are evident in all football organizations and various leagues. Informal activities of intermediaries, coaches, media owners, and club officials create challenges and multiple issues. Also, lack of transparency, legal issues, problems related to grassroots football players, and lack of sufficient attention exacerbate the existing problems and also endanger the future of the country's football.

Pathology, transfers, football.