Short answers, pulled from the story.
Mehdi Taj is an Iranian sports executive who has served as president of the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) since August 2022, in his second and third terms. He has also served as one of five vice presidents of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) since 2019.
Mehdi Taj was first elected president of FFIRI on the 7th of May 2016, winning with 51 votes and succeeding Ali Kafashian. That first term lasted from 2016 to 2019.
Mehdi Taj resigned as FFIRI president in December 2019 because of heart problems, ending his first term.
Mehdi Taj has served as one of five vice presidents of the Asian Football Confederation since 2019. In May 2020, he was also appointed a member of the AFC Emergency Committee.
Mehdi Taj was turned away by Canadian authorities in April 2026 while on his way to the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, because of his ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Mehdi Taj has visited the training camp of the Iranian women's national football team and said all Iranian clubs should try to start a women's section. He has noted that serious economic problems facing Iranian women's football remained as before.