Sepahan wants to sue Istiqlol over Jaloliddin Masharipov - source

Sepahon is considering taking Istiklol to court over the situation involving Jaloliddin Masharipov, a source has said.

Iranian football club Sepahon is preparing a complaint against Istiklol over the registration and fielding of Uzbek player Jaloliddin Masharipov in a home match last season. According to Footballi, Sepahon's management initially planned to resolve the issue through the Disciplinary Committee of the Iranian Football Federation. If the club does not receive a satisfactory response from the local committee, the case may be referred to international sports organizations.

The club's objection focuses on two serious issues. First, Istiklol registered Masharipov at a time when FIFA was banning the club from registering new players. Secondly, despite the player being removed from Istiklol’s roster at the start of the season (while retaining his current contract), he was re-registered with the team before the winter transfer window officially opened. Sepahon representatives claim that Masharipov’s situation does not fall under the special circumstances that allow a player to be re-registered when the transfer window is closed, and they demand clarification on the basis of which FIFA rules this process was carried out.

If this complaint is found to be justified and Istiklol is confirmed to have committed a violation, the Uzbek player’s appearance in the match will be legally re-evaluated. As a result, the match score will be canceled, which will likely lead to significant changes in the overall standings of the Iranian championship. The source noted that the fact that the Sepahon management is raising this issue right now is directly related to the imminent announcement of the winner of last season and the presentation of the championship trophy.