Ashkan Dejagah has lost his chance to play for his country against Lebanon and Jordan. The shock news came as Carlos Queiroz announced an immediate replacement for the German based Iran International.

Karim Ansarifard who was dropped in the initial list drawn by Queiroz , was recalled to team Melli to replace injured Dejagah. Meanwhile the Wolfsburg player was involved in transfer activities , as news from London was filtering through that Fulham was interested in the Iran International player.

In London , this Friday , Fulham boss Martin Jol was set to plunder the German Bundesliga again in a bid to bolster a midfield left weakened by the departure of Mousa Dembele to Tottenham Hotspur.

Jol has already brought Croatian striker Mladen Petric from Hamburg and German defender Sascha Riether from Wolfsburg this summer. Now he is ready to pay Wolfsburg £2million for Iran international Ashkan Dejagah.

Riether and attacking midfielder Dejagah were in the same Wolfsburg squad that lost to Fulham in the quarter-finals of the Europa League in the spring of 2010. Now they could link up again, subject to a medical on Dejagah who recently tore a muscle in training.

Should the deal go through, that injury will prevent the 26-year-old from making his debut in tomorrow’s Premier League derby at West Ham.

While in Germany , Wolfsburg boss Felix Magath has revealed Fulham have made an approach for winger Ashkan Dejagah. The 26-year-old has just 12 months remaining on his contract with the Bundesliga side and has risen through the ranks at the club.

“I have asked Ashkan about this (move to Fulham) and he said he would be keen to make the move,” Magath told Kicker-Sportmagazin.

“I have to say I am not happy about him leaving us but we had to consider the whole situation.”

Tehran

No major surprises in Queiroz list.  The Portuguese coach sticks to the old guns.

The eagerly awaited list of Team Melli players who would be traveling to Jordan for a training camp and then to Lebanon for the FIFA Word Cup match vs Lebanon, has been announced by Carlos Queiroz.

The 23-man squad was announced after the conclusion of the round 7 of the Persian Gulf League matches.. The Squad would be based in Amman for a week and the program includes  a friendly match in Amman with the host.
After the conclusion of the camp , Team Melli will be flying to Beirut to meet Lebanon in the third match of the Qualifying group of the World Cup 2012. This match will go a long way in defining the chances of Team Melli in this tightly contested group with includes South Korea , Uzbekistan , Qatar in addition to Iran and Lebanon.

Despite some expectations that Quieroz , after watching 7 rounds of the current league, will be calling some new players , this list is identical to the previous ones with only minor adjustments. The major addition is Spain based Osasuna player Masoud Shojaei, who is yet to be fully fit for his club and was not even on the bench during the last match Osasuna played against Barcelona in the La Liga. Shojaei has not played for Team Melli since the 2011 Asian Cup in which he suffered several injuries which required multiple several surgical operations.  Masoud Shojae started training a few weeks back to prepare himself for the league. He was selected by Quieroz for the Hungary camp but was met by objection of Osasuna club who were very reluctant to release him so early in his recovery.

While most of the legionnaires are included in the list , they are not expected to join the training camp due to the club commitments. These players will be joining the squad at the customary FIFA regulation of 3 days before an official match.

The 3 regular players missing are Khosrow Heydari , Mojtaba Jabbari , as well as the  suspended Andranik Teymourian.  Not surprisingly , Perspolis forward and last years top league striker Karim Ansarifard was dropped as a result of his poor form while his club is struggling at the end of the table.  The  21-year-old Ansarifard , ex-Saipa forward, has not featured in Perspolis starting line up recently.

Almost half of the selected players (10 out of 23 ) are from Esteghlal and Perspolis clubs, despite the two popular Tehran teams faring poorly in the league at the early stages. Perspolis is currently near the foot of the table , while Esteghlal is lingering at the lower mid table.

Ali Sanei , the head coach of Futsal Team Melli , has announced a list of 17 players who are selected to participate in the upcoming training camp. The camp will be in preparation for the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2012 which will be held in Thailand. The competition  will start on November 1th and ends on November 18th. Iran in in group B with, title contender Spain, Morocco and Panama.

Notable absentee from the list is former Captain Vahid Shamsaei.

During the training camp , Futsal Team Melli will play two friendly games against Russia from September 17th.

DATE	TIME	COMPETETION	STAGE	TEAM HOME	TEAM AWAY	VENUE
21-Mar-24	19:00	fifa World Cup 2026 Qualifiers	Round 2 Matchday 3	IRAN	TURKMENISTAN	Azadi Stadium , Tehran
26-Mar-24	18:00	fifa World Cup 2026 Qualifiers	Round 2 Matchday 4	TURKMENISTAN	IRAN	Venue Aşgabat Stadiony , Aşgabat
06-Jun-24		fifa World Cup 2026 Qualifiers	Round 2 Matchday 5	HONG KONG	IRAN	Hong Kong Stadium. Hong Kong
11-Jun-24		fifa World Cup 2026 Qualifiers	Round 2 Matchday 6	IRAN	UZBEKISTAN	Azadi Stadium, Tehran
05-Sep-24		fifa World Cup 2026 Qualifiers	Round 3 Matchday 1
10-Sep-24		fifa World Cup 2026 Qualifiers	Round 3 Matchday 2
10-Oct-24		fifa World Cup 2026 Qualifiers	Round 3 Matchday 3
15-Oct-24		fifa World Cup 2026 Qualifiers	Round 3 Matchday 4
14-Nov-24		fifa World Cup 2026 Qualifiers	Round 3 Matchday 5
19-Nov-24		fifa World Cup 2026 Qualifiers	Round 3 Matchday 6

Carlos Queiroz , the Portuguese coach of Team Melli , discussed the plans for the to the crucial World Cup Qualifying match against Lebanon in Beirut. In an interview , Queiroz also talked about several other issues including the training camp in Hungary . Tunisia match , participation in WAFF and the friendly match with Jordan. In a remarkable quote , he admitted that technical merits are not always the catalyst for player selection in Team Melli but there are administrative issues as well.

Q)    Kindly explain the latest status with Team Melli in preparation for the Lebanon game?

A)    We had laid down the plan for the match against Lebanon including training camps. All the items have been carried out according to that plan. The team will meet up at 17:00 on 29 of August in National Training Academy and 18:00 on that day we will start our training. The next day at 5:00 am we will leave to Jordan and we will train there until September 10. On September 7 we will have our friendly with Jordan and after September 10 we will travel to Lebanon. I have analyzed the league games & players, the Lebanese players as well. I will go also attend the Lebanon vs. Australia to closely gather data and check on the opponent.

Q)    Are you satisfied by your new players? (The ones who played in the Tunisia match)
A)    Yes I am satisfied and I have to say Maziar Zare did exactly what I have expected of him when he played in a new role in the center back position. I have full trust in him to be a reliable option. Omid Nazari played his first game and showed a good confidence and performed reasonably well.

Q)    What about About Goochinejad?

A)    Reza was available for us in the Hungary camp. He was well prepared and applied himself quite well. I was prepared to give him his first test against Tunisia. I must say that I was quite disappointed to find out on the day of the match against Tunisia that his documents were not complete. I am currently pursuing this matter personally and in constant communication with IFF President to sort his issue in order not to repeat such problems in future.

Q)    What was the issues with players that failed to join the camp in Hungary (Mohsen Forouzan and Haghighi) ?
A)    As many fans are aware and has been announced in some websites , unfortunately both players and three other administration and support staff , due to some administration issues , were denied a visa and could not travel with us e camp

 list of players does not fully reflect the technical views of the coaching team.

Q)     Recently , there has been some criticism with the list of invited  players. There were some players who performed quite well in the league but where not given a fair chance , what is your views on such claims?
A)      I think some of the comments are reasonable and fair. But unfortunately sometimes the people need to know the list of players does not fully reflect the technical views of the coaching team. When we were initially asked to name the squad, the league has not started yet! BUT, we had to give such a list two weeks ahead of commencement of the competitions. Everyone knows that we are restricted by and have to consider administrative issues and not totally base our selection on technical merits.This recent Training camp in Hungary was an example. The Hungarian Embassy required a minimum of two week for visa application. What I can assure you of, though , is that  95% of the players that I wanted were actually in the camp.

Q)    Were you satisfied from the camp and the match against Tunisia?
A)     Very satisfied . My only disappointment was the result of the match which did not reflect our form and superiority in that match.  We deserved to win.

Q)   Despite your clarification , there are still criticism that some key players are missing from your squad.

A)   We must respect those viewpoints, because in football there are so many varying opinions. But . some of those criticism were about players that were not able to get a visa on time for the camp, while other viewpoints were not creditable enough to be worthy of a response from us.

Q)   Can you elaborate on your answer ?
A)   More precisely? No , but right to the point , I can tell you that many experts in Iran’s football say things that shocks me. They talk about modern tactics and game plans why themselves do not know the Team Mell players positions. To give you an example, I will explain more about it later for those who don’t understand what I’m saying.

WAFF would be an ideal opportunity for us.

Q)    Have you made any plans for the WAFF tournament yet?
A)    Yes after my discussions with Kaffashian , we came up with a decision to have our strongest lineup for this competition , taking into consideration two main issues: .

1) We will coordinate with the League clubs coaches to ensure minimal disruption to the league program and those teams training plans during this competition.

    2) Despite selecting our strongest squad, we wish to give the opportunity for Team Melli players who have not been able to get much playing time. This would be an ideal opportunity for us.

Q)    What is your opinion about the Hazfi Cup?

A)    The Head of IFF (Kaffashian) has coordinated a meeting between the league commission and Team Melli department at which the issue of League program and Cup competition was discussed . The objective was to minimize the pressure of the matches on Team Mell preparation. The League commission declared that they will not be able to reduce the team numbers , however, and exceptional for one season , it was announced that the Hazfi Cup can be dispensed with. That was my recollection from that

 Q)    What was your personal opinion on this subject?

A)    I don’t like to be quoted in the media on such matters. If I say anything it will probably be misquoted and further misunderstanding will be created.

We can make it to Brazil if we work hard at it

Q)    What is your general opinion about TM since you have been coaching?
A)    Up until now we have had 18 games where 10 games we have won, 6 ties, and 1 loss. 40 goals scored, 10 goals conceded. Based on these results I believe that our performance could have been better. I have to say our performances against Qatar and Tunisia could have been much better but other than that I am satisfied with my team’s performance.

A)     Now that we are in the second round of qualifications what is your view on us qualifying to the world cup?
Q)      Let us not lie to ourselves and pretend that we will easily qualify. Our path to the world cup is a long one and we will experience some difficulties on our way as well as some sweet moments. The others will be facing similar difficulties as us.  I will emphasize though that WE , and I stress on the word “We” meaning a collective effort by the League clubs, coaches, etc. can make it to Brazil if we work hard at it.

Bangkok

Fifa.com

Team Melli was group with the powerful Spain in the Official Draw for the FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012, which took place this Friday 24 August at the St. Regis Hotel in Bangkok, with guests including FIFA Executive Committee member Manilal Fernando and Local Organising Committee Chairman Suwat Lipatapallop.

The Draw was carried out by Jaime Yarza, FIFA’s Senior Manager of Futsal and Beach Soccer Competitions. Helping him were Thai boxer Somluck Kamsing, who won a gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, former Thai football international Kiatisuk ‘Zico’ Senamuang, as well as Natpimol Natthayalack and Warudthaya Wongchayapon  who finished first and third respectively at the Miss Universe Thailand 2012 competition.

This is the seventh hosting of the event and 24 countries are involved this time around, split into six groups. Hosts Thailand are in Group A and will be hoping to overcome Costa Rica, Ukraine and Paraguay to make it through to the Round of 16.

Reigning FIFA Futsal World Cup winners Brazil were the first team drawn in Group C and will face experienced opponents from three different continents in the shape of Japan, Libya and Portugal. Spain meanwhile, who on paper are the team most likely to dent the South American title-holder’s chances of a repeat performance, find themselves in Group B alongside Iran, Panama and Morocco.

Group D looks to be the most balanced of the six, with Argentina, Mexico, Italy and Australia all having the potential to make it through to the knock-out stages.

The tournament begins on 1 November with the final being held in Bangkok on 18 November. The Thai capital has three matchday venues, while Nakhon Ratchasima will also be hosting games.

The 24 participating teams were drawn in six groups of four, with the top two from each group going through to the Round of 16 along with the four best third-placed teams.

Group A: Thailand, Costa Rica, Ukraine, Paraguay
Group B: Spain, Iran, Panama, Morocco
Group C: Brazil, Japan, Libya, Portugal
Group D: Argentina, Mexico, Italy, Australia
Group E: Egypt, Serbia, Czech Republic, Kuwait
Group F: Russia, Solomon Islands, Guatemala, Colombia

The new Futsal World Cup Trophy was also presented during the Official Draw. It has been designed and created by Thomas Fattorini Ltd. in Birmingham, England and comprises five gold and five silver rods which represent two teams of five players each. It is 48 centimetres high, weighs 4.6 kilogrammes and is made up of sterling silver, stainless steel, copper, lead and zinc.

Tickets are already on sale for the FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012, with matches being played in Bangkok (at the Bangkok Futsal Arena, the Indoor Stadium Huamark and the Nimibuth Stadium) and Nakhon Ratchasima (at the Gen. Chatchai Choonhawan Arena Nakornratchasima). For more information, click on the link on the right-hand side of the page.

BANGKOK

The draw for the 2012 Fifa Futsal World Cup in Thailand will be held on Friday.

The tournament will be held from Nov 1-18 in Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima.

The four venues are Bangkok Futsal Arena, Indoor Stadium and Nimibut Stadium in Bangkok and Korat Chatchai Hall in Nakhon Ratchasima.

There will be 24 teams in the tournament and they will be divided into six four-team groups. Iran’s Team Melli was ranked third in this year’s championship held in the UAE.

The top two teams in each group plus four best third placed sides will reach the next round.

The Thai national team will play Spain in two warm-up games at Nimibut Stadium on Friday at 6pm and at Korat Chatchai Hall at 5pm on Sunday.

Tickets starting from 100 baht are available at Thai Ticket Major (www.thaiticketmajor.com).

The 24 participants are:

Europe: Spain, Portugal, Italy, Russia, the Czech Republic, Serbia and Ukraine.

Africa: Morocco, Libya and Egypt.

North and Central America: Mexico, Guatemala, Panama and Costa Rica.

South America: Brazil (champions), Argentina, Paraguay and Colombia

Oceania: Solomon Islands.

Asia: Iran, Japan, Kuwait, Australia and Thailand (hosts).

HO CHI MINH CITY

Iran’s youth team will be taking part in a 4 side AFF U19 TOURNAMENT 2012 which will be played in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from 2 – 8 September 2012.

Under 19-year squad will line up against Australia, Uzbekistan and host Vietnam in the competition as part of their preparations for the AFC U-19 Championship which will be held in the United Arab Emirates in November, which will also serve as the qualifiers for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup to be held in Turkey next June/July.
Iran have been announced as the a replacement for Thailand who announced their withdrawal for the Asean Football Federation Tournament early in August.

Alongside Iran will be hosts Vietnam, Uzbekistan and Australia which will make the tournament this year nothing short of being ultra-competitive.
Akbar Mohammady , the Team Melli U19 Youth Coach, announced the name of 26 players for the tournament. The squad will be training in the National Training Camp in Azadi until their departure to Vietnam for the tournament.

Iran U 19 SQUAD
Roozbeh Chashmi , Ali Mohsenzadeh, Alireza Ramezani  (Moghavamat Tehran)

Vahid Heydarieh (Peykan)

Mohammad Hossein Canaani Zadegan (Perspolis)

Behnam Barzay, Mohammad Borhani (Sanat Naft Abadan )

Yusuf Vakya , Walid Mashaaei zadeh, Reza Ahmadi , Ahmed Abdullah Zadeh, Amin Jehan-Kohan,  Ali Akbar Ahaki,(Foolad Khuzestan)

Sardar Azmoon, Ali Choobani, Mohammad Nasseri ,   Hossein Moradmand, Hossein Fazeli,  (Sepahan Esfahan)

Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Damash Gilan)

Farshid Esmaeili, Mohammad Daneshgar (Fajr Sepasi )

Ehsan Pahlavan (Gostarish Foolad Tabriz)

Ehsan Kiani,  Ahmad Eskandari, , Mohammad Ali Faramarzi, Davoud Bahaduri, Mohammad Hossein Heydari, Hojat Sedghi, Omid Ghorbani

AFF UNDER-19 CHAMPIONSHIP FIXTURES

Date Match No.   Teams                       Time  Venue
———————————————————————
2 Sept 2012  1  Australia vs Uzbekistan      1600  Thong Nhat Stadium
             2  IR Iran vs Vietnam           1830
4 Sept 2012  3  Uzbekistan vs IR Iran        1600  Thong Nhat Stadium
             4  Vietnam vs Australia         1830
6 Sept 2012  5  Australia vs IR Iran         1600  Thong Nhat Stadium
             6  Uzbekistan vs Vietnam        1830
8 Sept 2012  7  3rd Position match           1600  Thong Nhat Stadium
             8  Final match                  1830

Team Melli training camp in Jordan will commence on 1st September in preparation of the crucial game against Lebanon as part of the qualifying match for FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil.

Khosrow. Valyzadeh , the communications manager for the national teams, announced the news to the media. According to the arranged program , the national team will fly to Amman on 31^st August and set up camp in the Jordanian capital. The program includes a friendly international match with the host country on 4th September. The training camp will continue in Amman before traveling to Beirut a couple of days before the match with Lebanon due on the 11^th of September 2012.

Asked whether Team Melli will have any training programs or Mini camps before their travel to Jordan, Valyzadeh responded that currently, there is no such arrangement for a local camp. One of the reasons for holding the national team camp in Jordan is due to the accommodations difficulties during the busy upcoming period and expected full occupancy of hotels during the Non-Aligned Summit conference. That is why the program is arranged as such and the camp to be set up camp in Jordan.

Asked about the status of the Iranian Dutch player Reza Ghoochannejad who joined the Team Melli camp in Hungary but was not eligible to play for Iran, Valyzadeh said that the player’s documents were incomplete and during the camp he managed to produce the required documents, and since we gathered all the required papers and sent it to FIFA. He also added that there is another outstanding issue with Ghoochannejad and that is his Military Service. This has to be resolved by all parties concerned but especially the player himself with the authorities. We hope that this would be resolved soon.

On the issue of Masoud Shojaei , Valyzadeh said that the Osasuna player , who was sidelined for 15 months due to long term injury , was part of the list that was originally submitted by Carlos Queiroz for the Hungary camp. But due to the request by Osasuna Club , he was not invited to join the Team Melli camp to allow Shojaei more time to return back to his form by training with his club and under the supervision of the Osasuna medical staff who are well aware of his condition and could work better with the player in case of any complications.

About the possible availability for Shojaei to be part of the squad to play Lebanon, he said that we are hopeful that Shojaei will be able to make it. However, it all depends on his physical condition and whether he achieves the required form in time for the match.

Team Melli is currently second in the Group behind South Korea with 4 points just ahead of Qatar with also 4 points but inferior goal differences.

Tehran

Team Melli has secured the services of yet another European based Iranian expatriate holding dual nationality. This time , a Dutch player who plays for a Belgian Team. Reza Ghoochannejad , was selected by Carlos Queiroz for Team Melli camp held in Hungary. Ghoochannejad made the trip to Budapest but he was prevented from playing the friendly against Tunisia due to some hold up on the FIFA clearance would would enable him to play for Iran.
The new joiner to the National Team expressed his delight and satisfaction with the team’s camp says that atmosphere in the camp was quite refreshing and is very delighted and honored to join Team Melli and play for Iran. He considers himself an Iranian in and out and very verse with the Persian culture.

The 24 years old player , who currently plays for Sint-Truiden in the Belgian Pro League, made his debut in professional football in April 2006 for SC Heerenveen in a home match against AZ as a replacement for Fernando Derveld. Ghoochannejhad. During an exhibition game at the end of the season he was a seriously injury. Recuperation followed at the Frisian club. During the season he played again at SC Heerenveen, but did was restricted in to the second string side and could not make the first team. The same was true of the first half of the following season 2008-09, but after the winter break, Ghoochannejhad  saw first team action when he was loaned to  FC Emmen.
On June 17, 2011 Reza Ghoochannejhad transferred to Sint-Truiden. The duration of his contract with STVV is for 3 years. His first goal in the Belgian Pro League came against the Belgian powerhouse club, Club Brugge. Despite injury woes that kept him sidelined for several weeks he still managed to net 12 times in 22 appearances for Sint Truidense  , a feat that attracted interest from clubs  in Germany, Netherlands and Belgium.
His team , however , was relegated.
Born in Mashhad, Iran Ghoochannejhad migrated to the Netherlands with his family when he was a child. He has studied Politics at university, and is also known to be musically inclined and talented on the Violin.
His original post is offensive midfielder or right back, but he can also play on the offensive line.
On the possibilities of a transfer to another  club , he said: “It is not clear yet what my new team would be . I heard that several clubs from Belgium, Holland, Germany and Austria are interested. I have to pick up my new team soon, but still  have a chance until September. I also had a proposal from Standard Liege but could not agree terms. I like to play at top level in a respectable league.”
Ghoochannejhad was very motivated to play for Team Melli. He said that the previous coach , Afshin Ghotbi has monitored him and also talked to him about joining Team Melli , but he could not agree with the terms given to him then. Later on , he was told that Carlos Queiroz was in the stadium watching him. He was not aware of that and did not meet Queiroz, who made contact at a later stage. He was quite happy to oblige and show both his love for his roots and his footballing skills to his Iranian compatriots. “

Pampalona

 The Osasuna and Team Melli player who has been on the long term injury list , is on his way to full recovery .

Masoud Shojaei-Soleimani missed nearly a whole season and a half after has suffered an injury that refused to heal and took much longer than anticipated.

The Iranian midfielder whose career was held in balance at Osasuna , declared on Thursday at a press conference in Nakhonar “I am currently in good physical condition. But still not 100% but so much better than before.  In every practice and every game, my confidence & condition are getting better. Fortunately, I do not feel any pain or discomfort in my feet, but I need to take it step by step to reach the ideal conditions.”

He added ” I have lost weight and I am a bit lighter that before my injury , that is normal  after a long injury. I needs to have some time to go back to its ideal physical condition.”

Masoud Shojaei , who was sidelined due to finger fracture in his left foot and was 15 months away from the football, pointed out that “During the time of my recuperation ,  I did not have any thoughts of saying goodbye to football, , but sometimes it was too frustrating,  especially when I was told at San Miguel clinic that I needed to have yet another surgery on my feet. While I was waiting for the medical staff to tell me that I am ready to return to the football fields. That news was devastating”

During his long term injury , Shojaei said that he really felt that the club was supporting him and that feeling was quite valuable to him. At no stage he felt abandoned or forgotten by Osasuna club and his teammates. He said at that time he did not feel homesick because he felt home here in Pampalona.  ” I received all kinds of support. I can only thank everyone.I love them, I do not know how to respond to their kindness.”

Masoud Shojaei commenting on his first game for Osasuna after returning to the field, said he loved it but it was a very slow start. I did play bad because I wanted to do things calmly, but my coach encouraged me and comforted me after that no so good of a display. I am quite excited for a new season at Osasuna in the La Liga to begin and I want to prove myself.