After almost four decades of professional sports activity, Tabriz Municipality (Shahrdari Tabriz) Cultural and Athletic Club was dissolved by the governorate of the city on Sunday, ending the municipality’s activity in sporting fields including football, futsal, basketball, volleyball and cycling.
According to ISNA, following a meeting between the governor and club managers on Saturday, it was decided to put an end to the 39-year career of the club which has won numerous titles in basketball, volleyball and cycling.
Deputy manager of the club, Bahman Abdi claimed that the Tabriz-based club’s closure was not related to its financial conditions, but due to its funding policy.
The Tabriz Governorate filed a complaint in court against the club for using the municipality funds for its activities.
“The main problem is not with the finance,” said Abdi. “But it is believed that the way the club is funded is against the law.”
He said after repeated warnings had been issued by the governorate, the club had cut its spending. A case in point was that the 130 billion rials budget in the last fiscal had declined to 80 billion rials in the current year.
The dismantling of the club is seen as a major blow to sports in the East Azarbaijan Province. Women athletes in the city will suffer more as the club was the only one of its kind in Tabriz active in the field of women’s sports.
Founded in 1979 as Tabriz Firefighters Sports Club, its name changed to Tabriz Municipality Cultural and Athletic Club in 1986.
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