Professional or Amateur? Iran’s Divergence from FIFA's Player Status Rules

The FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP) stands as a fundamental text in lex sportive (the body of sports law), establishing a mandatory global framework for player employment and movement worldwide. Within this document, Article 2 is arguably one of the most crucial provisions, for it dictates the fundamental dichotomy in organized football: the legal status of a player as either an amateur or a professional. This classification is not merely semantic; it is considered the cornerstone that triggers the application of key financial mechanisms (Training Compensation and Solidarity Mechanism) and the stringent rules of contractual stability, including sporting sanctions.

The Islamic Republic of Iran Football Federation (FFIRI), through its domestic regulations is mandated to incorporate the principles of the RSTP. However, a detailed comparative analysis reveals subtle but profound deviations in the FFIRI’s rendering of Article 2, creating – in the author’s view - a dangerous legal fault line for players, clubs, and legal practitioners operating in the Iranian football ecosystem.

This brief article examines the distinctions between the FIFA and FFIRI definitions of “professional” player status.

• The FIFA Cornerstone: Article 2 RSTP and the Financial Threshold Test
  • The Principle of Substance Over Form in CAS Jurisprudence
• The Iranian Divergence: Analysis of FFIRI’s Legal Deviations
  • The Contractual Labelling Requirement
  • The unnecessary shift to "Living Expenses" test
  • Conflicting Interpretations and the Supremacy of CAS
  • The hypotetical CAS finding
• Conclusion