According to “Varzesh3,” Saket Elhami, the resigned head coach of Nassaji Mazandaran, decided to step down after the team’s survival in the Iranian Premier League became difficult and fan dissatisfaction peaked. Following this, statements attributed to him circulated on social media, prompting him to clarify. After expressing condolences for the martyrdom of Bahman Salehnia, the former Malavan Bandar Anzali player, he began his explanation:

“Recently, there have been claims on social media that I made statements against Mr. Khatir. If they have any issues, they should resolve them themselves. Maybe I could criticize Mr. Khatir now, but what has been attributed to me is completely untrue. Any issues regarding Mr. Khatir and Esteghlal should be resolved by them.”

When asked about the exact statements attributed to him, he responded:
“It has been claimed on social media that I said Mr. Khatir ‘revealed Esteghlal’s lineup to us and also bought referees for Esteghlal.’ With all due respect to referees, in response to the rumor-mongers, I must say if Mr. Khatir could buy referees, it would have been very beneficial for us. I apologize for saying this, but not a single throw-in was given in my favor during my coaching tenure.”

Elhami continued:
“This is just mischief and has no truth to it. My only request is that they don’t drag us into their game. I never made any such statements. I don’t even know which match they are referring to—this season or last season. There was never any such thing.”

The former Nassaji coach concluded:
“We played against Esteghlal under Nekounam in Week 28, and there was no need for them to give me Esteghlal’s lineup. Moreover, I had no contact with Mr. Khatir at that time. He is not so small as to reveal Esteghlal’s lineup, and I am not so weak as to need to know their lineup before the match. These statements about Mr. Khatir are unfair.”