Letter from the owner of Tractor Club to the FIFA president

Mohammad Reza Zonouzi Motlaq, the owner of Tractor Club, in a letter to Gianni Infantino, while condemning the second Zionist-American military aggression against Iran and the martyrdom of children and students, demanded a decisive reaction from FIFA to the destruction of sports facilities and this brutal aggression by one of the World Cup hosts.

According to Tractor Club's official media, Zonouzi in this letter, pointing out the contradiction between the United States hosting the 2026 World Cup and the attack on the country's sports infrastructure, emphasized that FIFA should not remain indifferent to these crimes.

Copies of this letter have been sent to all football confederations and major clubs in the world, including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Liverpool, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, and Beşiktaş, so that these influential bodies and clubs, being aware of the dimensions of this tragedy, can take a position and react officially regarding the violation of the realm of sport and global peace.

The text of the letter is as follows:

His Excellency Mr. Gianni Infantino

Respected President of FIFA

With greetings and respect,

I, Mohammad Reza Zonouzi Motlagq, owner of the cultural sports club Tractor, champions of the Iranian league last season and one of the tens of millions of football fans in Iran, write this letter to you from the land of Iran — the cradle of the oldest known and enduring human civilization. From a land that has always been the birthplace of knowledge and culture, art and creativity, peace and philanthropy; a platform for the interaction and convergence of Eastern and Western civilizations, the main artery of the flow of goods and trade, and a focal point that connects human beings to one another and, through this, has always inspired the peaceful coexistence of nations and laid the groundwork for the flourishing and development of the region and the world.

I remind you that this is the same eight-thousand-year-old Persian civilization whose king 2,500 years ago, Cyrus the Great — known to the world for his Charter of Human Rights — liberated the Jewish people from captivity.

Dear Mr. President,

As you are well aware, in the last ten months, my country has been subjected to military aggression by the United States and the Zionist regime twice, for no reason or logic whatsoever. The first aggression, a twelve-day assault in May/June, took place. Despite all the resulting losses and damages, our country, in the height of its power and yet in a state of victimhood, based on that same long-standing peace-seeking spirit, accepted the ceasefire proposal from intermediary countries; to prove once again to everyone that Iran has not started any war or aggression in the last several hundred years, but stands firm with all its being in defense of its own territory.

The second aggression began about a month ago, and our dear Iran is now the target of widespread military attacks. Scenes of war crimes are unfolding, some of which are rare even in the history of wars: attacks on residential areas, vital infrastructure, recreational, cultural and sports facilities, and the killing of defenseless women and children. More painful and astonishing than all is the tragedy of the Minab girls' school, which has taken on unprecedented dimensions in the history of warfare. Hardly an hour passes without news of the destruction of a residential home, medical center, or sports complex as a result of this brutal aggression being published on the news wires of global news agencies. As you are aware, according to the four Geneva Conventions, the Additional Protocol, and the Rome Statute, attacks on civilian facilities such as schools, hospitals, and sports centers are prohibited and constitute war crimes. Yet, most astonishingly, at the UN Human Rights Council, Iran is condemned for human rights violations. Do these societies not see the Minab school and other schools and sports centers?

From a sporting perspective, the software and hardware infrastructure of all sports disciplines, especially football, is being destroyed in the course of this aggression. Football schools and academies and the children and teenagers active in them, as well as the companies sponsoring sports clubs and professional teams, have all suffered irreparable damage, which continues to this day.

Dear Mr. Infantino,

The leadership and direction of these aggressions are in the hands of a person who received a Peace Prize from your hands; but you see that in less than a year, two unprovoked and extremely cowardly aggressions have been carried out against my country, and now many Middle Eastern countries have also been drawn into this fray, while they should be lining up against the Zionist regime, not alongside it.

It is worth noting that the President of the United States a few days ago, in official statements, directly threatened Iranian players with a lack of security in the host country. Yet, unfortunately, no reaction has been heard from FIFA — as the supervisory body of the World Cup competitions — regarding this open threat.

FIFA had previously, in the 1980s, at the two World Cups of 1982 and 1986, deprived a worthy and irreplaceable generation of Iranian footballers from participating in the World Cup; a great discrimination against a country that had won the Asian Cup of Nations three consecutive times and had been Asia's sole representative in the previous World Cup (1978). Although this discriminatory practice has now ended, millions of Iranian football fans expected you to defend Iranian players against this unprecedented and explicit threat.

Do not doubt that these actions have pulled the trigger of a Third World War; because the technological conditions and interconnectedness of the world's countries in the current era are in no way comparable to the era of the First and Second World Wars. The effects of this military aggression and its regional consequences are already appearing in all parts of the world and in all political, military, economic, and security dimensions, and few individuals, companies, or countries can be found that have not been affected by this situation. The scope of these consequences will expand exponentially from now on.

Mr. President,

You, as the president of the largest and most important international sports body, are seriously expected not only to protect the sport, art, and industry of football, but also, arising from your exceptional position and influence, to exert maximum effort to contain this crisis and stop it. Utilizing the extraordinary capacity of the World Football Federation and its affiliated structures, employing the influence of clubs and football stars in the media and sports arenas, and acting through regional and international mechanisms, are what is expected of someone in your position.

I am sending this letter simultaneously to my counterparts at the world's and region's largest and most reputable clubs, and to the football federations of renowned countries, to remind them of their historical responsibility and to request their participation in this peace-seeking and humanitarian action, and to ask them to react to this aggression and human rights violation.

Dear Mr. Infantino,

In my opinion, the World Football Federation under your leadership is facing a difficult test on the eve of the World Cup. One of the most difficult of these tests is taking a stance against racism and defending justice and human rights.

Are you not obliged, as the most senior official of this body, to declare FIFA's official position and condemn the perpetrators of these crimes? Is silence in the face of such events permissible? If so, then why did you break this silence and take action during the war in Ukraine?

History has shown that these days and these bitter events will pass; but those who have left a good name behind are those who, instead of being spectators, engaged in effective intervention and stood on the right side of history — those who have been protectors of human rights and have strived to end human suffering and pain.

Furthermore, we expect you to adopt a clear position regarding these events at the upcoming FIFA Congress.

It is hoped that your name and that of the FIFA institution, through responsible, swift, and comprehensive involvement in reducing tensions and helping to establish peace, will be recorded well in history.

With renewed respect,

Mohammad Reza Zonouzi Motlaq

Club

Letter from the owner of Tractor Club to the FIFA president

Related News