After being pushed on his views about women’s rights, Iran head coach, Carlos Queiroz, demanded payment before walking out of the World Cup media event, much to the bemusement of the press.
The 69-year-old, who enjoyed a stint as Manchester United’s assistant manager, has a long history with the Middle Eastern nation. He held the reins in both the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, and impressed purists with his tactical approach. In what would’ve been a monumental upset, he nearly guided the team to the last-16, before a late equaliser from Iago Aspas in Spain’s game against Morocco, sent the Iranians packing.
The former Manchester United assistant manager caught the attention of the Egyptians, who offered him the job as their first-team coach. However, after failing to secure qualification to the biggest tournament in the sport, he found himself back with Iran.
This year’s competition has been shrouded in controversy since the moment we found out it was heading to Qatar. As per Amnesty International, abused migrants have had to build state-of-the-art stadiums with zero rewards. And with the state refusing to let them change jobs, many fans have made the tough call to boycott the competition.
And since the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who died in police custody earlier this month, some members of the public have deemed it inappropriate for Iran to play in the competition at all.
Furthermore, their insistence that women wear hijabs, has prompted the media to start asking tough questions, much to the dismay of the gaffer.
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Iran manager demands payment to answer questions on women’s rights
During the media event, a reporter asked: “Are you ok representing a country like Iran at this World Cup that represses the rights of women?”
“To which channel you work?” the coach responded.
“Sky,” answered the journalist.
Queiroz countered: “How much you pay me to answer that question? You are a private company, how much you pay me?
“Talk with your boss and at the end of the World Cup, I can give you the answer if you make me a good offer. Thank you.”
As the 69-year-old started to leave his seat, the reporter questioned: “You say it’s an honour…”
This prompted a furious reaction from the coach, who said: “No, no. I’m saying, to answer to that question, don’t put in my mouth words that I did not say. I’m asking to your company, how much you pay me to answer to that question? Ok. OK, thank you.
“I think you should start to think about what happened with the immigrants in England also. Go think about that.”
Featured Image Credit: Carlos Queiroz
