Saeed Akbari (Persian: سعید اکبری; born 1986 in Tehran) is an Iranian sports journalist and television presenter. He began his professional career in sports journalism in the early 2000s and has worked with sports media, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), and football clubs including Esteghlal F.C., Foolad F.C., and Nassaji Mazandaran F.C.. He gained national recognition after appearing on the television program Salam Sobh Bekheir, broadcast on IRIB TV3.

Personal life Akbari was born in 1985 or 1986 in Tehran. He holds a master's degree in sports journalism and a master's degree in communication studies from the University of Tehran.

Professional career

Media work with sports clubs

Nassaji Mazandaran Alongside his media activities, Akbari has worked in media management for football clubs. He worked with Nassaji Mazandaran F.C. during several periods and was involved in the club's media department during Javad Nekounam's tenure there. In December 2018, when Nekounam's collaboration with Nassaji ended, Akbari also stepped down from his position.

Foolad Khuzestan After ending his work at IRIB, Akbari worked at Foolad F.C. from 2022 to 2023. During this period, he served as an adviser to the club's managing director and head coach. Foolad Khuzestan qualified for the AFC Champions League during this period, a competition now held under the name AFC Champions League Elite.

Esteghlal In 2023, when Javad Nekounam was head coach of Esteghlal F.C., Akbari informally joined Nekounam's staff as a media director. He initially worked without an official contract and was introduced as a member of Nekounam's media team. After administrative obstacles were resolved, his work became official, and he appeared alongside Esteghlal's head coach at a formal press conference for the first time.

In February 2024, amid management tensions between Javad Nekounam and club managing director Ali Khatir, Nekounam's media team, including Akbari, were removed from their positions at Esteghlal F.C..

Interviews Akbari has invited figures from Iranian football to his television programs and conducted telephone interviews with them on a range of football-related topics. He has also conducted interviews with figures from sports and cinema in Iran and abroad, including Iman Safa, Roozbeh Hesari, Pirouz Ghorbani, Karim Bagheri, Amir Mehdi Jouleh, Hossein Kaebi, Behrouz Rahbarifard, Simon Kuper, Masoud Soltanifar, Behrang Alavi, and Amirhossein Rostami.

Interview with Mohammad Akhoundi In one of his programs, Akbari interviewed Mohammad Akhoundi, a former spokesperson for Iran's Physical Education Organization, about the dismissal of Ali Daei as head coach of the Iran national football team in 2009. During the interview, Akhoundi stated that the decision to dismiss Daei following the national team's defeat against Saudi Arabia had been made on the orders of then-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The remarks received extensive coverage in Persian-language media and were reported or republished by several domestic and international outlets.

Special program "Dari Roo Be Jam" In 2026, Akbari hosted the sports special Dari Roo Be Jam. The program was produced by Aparat Sport for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and broadcast live on Aparat and Filimo. Akbari and Azadeh Sadiri hosted the program, which covered match analysis, reviews of World Cup events, interviews with sports guests, and discussion of developments surrounding the competition.

Before this program, Akbari also hosted Panjereh-i Roo Be Jam ("A Window onto the World Cup"), which featured former players and members of the Iran national football team's coaching staff recalling Iran's participation in various editions of the FIFA World Cup.

Departure from IRIB In January 2023, Akbari announced that he had ended his collaboration with IRIB. He had hosted sports programs on IRIB TV3 and explained his absence from television in a message published on Instagram. He stated that he was unwilling to make statements against athletes. Some media outlets reported that he had referred to pressure to repeat remarks against athletes when explaining his absence from IRIB programs.

Works YearTitlePlatformRoleProgram typeSource2019Salam Sobh Bekheir, "Se Konj"IRIB TV3HostGeneral2021Salam Sobh Bekheir, sports segmentIRIB TV3HostSports2024NimkatAan Video NetworkHostSports2025Panjereh-i Roo Be JamFilimo and AparatHost2026 FIFA World Cup special2026Dari Roo Be JamFilimo and AparatHost2026 FIFA World Cup special

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