According to "Varzesh 3", Mostafa Motadayen was appointed as the new CEO of Esteghlal by a board of directors resolution and an official decree, bringing an end to Ali Tajarnia's long tenure as caretaker. Motadayen had entered the club's board of directors in July, and just three days after the inauguration ceremony of the new management lineup, he also assumed executive responsibility for Esteghlal. Tajarnia will henceforth continue his activities in the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors, while the day-to-day administration of the club will be in Motadayen's hands.

Prior to joining the club, the new CEO of Esteghlal was not very well-known to football circles. Unlike many of the Blues' previous managers, he lacks a background in managing clubs, federations, or sports organizations, having spent his professional path in industry and project management. Media introductions have cited him as holding a Ph.D. in Business Administration with a specialization in Oil and Gas.

He has over 30 years of experience in management and the execution of various projects, and prior to joining the Persian Gulf Holding complex, he served for about 10 years as the CEO of the Specialized Consulting Engineers Holding of Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters. The scope of this organization's activities related to industry and mining projects, rail lines, dam construction, port construction, oil, refineries, and petrochemicals, and Motadayen worked in the consulting, design, and management of large projects.

One of the prominent periods of Motadayen's public presence relates to the Abadan Metropol disaster in 2021. At that time, as the CEO of the Khatam Consulting Engineers Holding and one of the representatives of the engineering team present at the site, he explained the process of debris removal, structural securing, searching for trapped individuals, and the danger of collapse of remaining sections. In reports from that period, Motadayen's role pertained to post-incident engineering operations.

Motadayen's most important responsibility prior to joining Esteghlal was managing the Petrochemical Industries Development Management Company, or PIDEMCO. In May 2023, he was initially appointed as the caretaker of this company by a decree from the then-CEO of the Persian Gulf Holding, and a few days later officially replaced Safarali Babaei as CEO.

In May 2025, Motadayen announced that PIDEMCO was managing about 25 projects with investments exceeding $11 billion. Hormoz Petrochemical in two phases, Almas Petrochemical, the East Karun flare gas recovery project with 25 sub-projects, and the PDH/PP project of the Persian Gulf Bid Boland Gas Refinery were among the most important projects under this company's supervision. The total investment of the four main projects was announced to be over $8 billion.

The research aspect of Motadayen's resume relates to the publication of a joint article with a faculty member of the Central Tehran Branch of Islamic Azad University. Additionally, the Arghavan Gostar Ilam Petrochemical project received the top project award for innovation at the Petrofan 2025 event, and Motadayen's name was included among the honored individuals as the CEO of the project management company.

Motadayen's entry into Esteghlal began on July 21, 2026, with the issuance of his board membership decree. He replaced Mojtaba Fereydouni. His selection for the CEO position indicates that the club's owner has preferred to entrust the management of Esteghlal to a manager from within its own structure who is familiar with financial, legal, contracting, and corporate governance mechanisms.

However, at Esteghlal, Motadayen faces an environment entirely different from industrial projects. Transfers, domestic and foreign player contracts, FIFA cases, daily team demands, the academy, communication with fans, and technical decisions carry a speed and sensitivity incomparable to the structure of petrochemical projects. The lack of a football background is the biggest question mark surrounding him, and the extent of his success will depend on selecting specialized sports managers and correctly separating economic and football responsibilities.

The new Esteghlal CEO's long tenure in industrial project management, about a decade in the Khatam Consultants Holding, three years managing PIDEMCO, and entry into professional football without prior experience summarize Motadayen's biography. Now, the biggest test of his managerial life begins not in a refinery or petrochemical complex, but in one of Asia's most popular clubs.

Source: Varzesh 3