Extended Abstract
Background and Purpose
The Iranian Premier Football League has become a notable example of managerial instability, characterized by frequent and costly changes of head coaches. This instability undermines tactical and technical team development, erodes organizational trust, disrupts long-term planning, and diminishes fan confidence. While coaching dismissals are often perceived as short-term tactical adjustments, they emerge from a complex interplay of micro-level dynamics—such as players, fans, and intermediaries—and macro-level influences, including political pressures, media narratives, and cultural norms. This study aims to investigate the determinants behind recurrent head coach changes in the Iranian Premier League by prioritizing the factors across these micro and macro dimensions. The goal is to deepen understanding of the often-hidden rationalities driving coaching instability and to propose practical measures for enhancing governance, stability, and professionalization within Iranian football.
 
Methods
This research adopts a descriptive-survey and field-based design, targeting stakeholders involved in Iranian professional football—managers, coaches, players, referees, medical staff, and sports media professionals. Due to accessibility constraints, a non-random convenience sampling method was employed. Applying Barclay et al.’s (1996) guideline—requiring a minimum of ten respondents per item in the dimension with the highest number of indicators (six items for media)—at least 60 participants were necessary. Ultimately, 212 questionnaires were distributed, with 203 valid responses analyzed. The study utilized a researcher-developed questionnaire comprising 38 items across nine dimensions, rated on a five-point Likert scale. Face and content validity were secured through expert assessment involving professors, doctoral candidates, and professional coaches/players. Reliability testing with 30 respondents yielded Cronbach’s alpha coefficients above 0.70, confirming internal consistency.
Data collection occurred via digital platforms, ensuring broad accessibility among football stakeholders. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) through SPSS v23 validated the construct reliability, while Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests addressed data normality concerns. Subsequent analyses applied Smart PLS v3 due to non-normality of data. Model evaluation considered internal consistency, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. Friedman’s test was employed to rank the relative influence of factors within micro and macro spheres and across expert subgroups. This mixed-method statistical approach ensured both reliability and rich interpretative insight, resulting in robust findings applicable to the governance dynamics of professional football in Iran.
 
Results
Demographics revealed the majority of respondents were males aged 31–40, predominantly holding undergraduate degrees and actively engaged as athletes, with 6–10 years of professional experience. Descriptive analyses identified intermediaries (agents) as the highest scoring dimension across all categories, whereas assistant coaches ranked the lowest. Macro-level analysis highlighted political pressures as most influential, followed by media influence, with cultural norms considered least impactful.
Within the micro-level factors, intermediaries again dominated, succeeded by managers, fans, players, experts, and assistant coaches. EFA confirmed nine valid dimensions explaining 47.74% of variance. Reliability and validity metrics attested to the model’s robustness. Friedman’s test confirmed significant differences among variables, solidifying agents as the foremost micro-level factor, while politics prevailed at the macro level. When aggregated, agents were considered more influential than politics, managers, fans, players, and media.
Distinct expert perspectives emerged: managers emphasized political and organizational pressures; coaches highlighted sports management; players viewed intermediaries as pivotal; media professionals prioritized managerial factors. These findings reveal the multilayered, contested nature of decision-making in Iranian football. Coaching changes rarely stem from objective technical evaluations but rather from power struggles, institutional pressures, and symbolic gestures toward fan and media expectations. Agents function as key brokers in informal networks, wielding considerable influence over player transfers, contracts, and coaching careers. Political actors and media amplify instability, often overriding organizational logic. Collectively, the study illustrates that coaching turnover is a systemic product of intertwined micro and macro elements, reflecting deeper governance deficits within professional football.
 Conclusion
The research demonstrates that head coach instability in the Iranian Premier League originates from both micro and macro-level forces, with intermediaries and political pressures playing dominant roles. Rather than purely resulting from performance shortcomings, coaching changes reflect the convergence of institutional dynamics, political intervention, and media-driven narratives. These insights highlight the necessity for transparent governance, stricter regulation of agents, depoliticization of managerial appointments, and improved communication strategies with fans and media. Strengthening leadership capability and embracing long-term strategic planning within clubs are vital to disrupt the recurrent cycle of instability. Sustainable success in Iranian football depends not on reactive coaching changes but on systemic reforms that realign organizational logic with professional standards. This study contributes a nuanced dual-level framework for understanding coaching instability, offering practical recommendations for governance and organizational resilience.
Article Message
Repeated head coach changes in the Iranian Premier League are symptomatic not just of technical failings but of entrenched systemic challenges. This research reveals that intermediaries, political forces, and media narratives are decisive agents that overshadow meritocratic evaluation and long-term planning. By deploying a dual-level analytical framework, the study elucidates how coaching volatility is embedded within broader institutional, cultural, and political contexts. Addressing these factors through comprehensive regulation, governance reform, and leadership development can convert instability into resilience, fostering organizational trust, continuity, and professionalization. The article calls for proactive, systemic, and multi-tiered governance reforms to stabilize Iranian football.
Ethical Considerations
Participant involvement was fully voluntary, with comprehensive briefing on study objectives, confidentiality assurances, and the right to withdraw at any stage. Data were anonymized and treated solely for research purposes, conforming rigorously to ethical standards governing sports management research.
Authors’ Contributions
Conceptualization: Mohammad Javad Ziya
Data Collection: Roghayeh Taherzadeh Shalmai
Data Analysis: Roghayeh Taherzadeh Shalmai, Mohammad Javad Ziya
Manuscript Writing: Roghayeh Taherzadeh Shalmai, Mohammad Javad Ziya
Review and Editing: Shahram Shafiee
Funding Responsibility: Shahram Shafiee
Literature Review: Shahram Shafiee
Project Management: Shahram Shafiee
Additional Contributions: Roghayeh Taherzadeh Shalmai, Mohammad Javad Ziya
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest related to this study.
 Acknowledgments
The authors sincerely thank the managers, coaches, athletes, referees, medical personnel, and media professionals who generously shared their insights. Special appreciation is extended to academic colleagues and doctoral students who provided invaluable feedback during the validation of research instruments.