Month: October 2013

European scouts show interest in Iranian young talents.

The corridors of Dubai and Abu Dhabi hotels where the U-17 teams stayed for the FIFA U-17 World Cup was littered with European scouts and talent hunters in a bid to discover the next Messi or Christiano Ronaldo. The scouts, whose covert operation resembles the work of Major spy agencies and their reconnaissance always shrouded with secrecy, have been seen monitoring Iran’s U-17 camp.

Despite the secrecy, it was apparent that one or several Iranian youngsters are under the microscope. Dutch, German and French scouts have been asking questions and attending matches while preparing reports and dossiers about potential player that can be recruited at this age and trained professionally in Europe.

 Despite our best efforts, there was no firm indication on which of the Iranian players has been focused on or raised the interest of the Europeans.    Speculation was rife about one or two players that have attracted the interest of the scouts as potential recruits. The two players are Majid Hosseini  and Saeid Ezzatolahei. In fact , a British TV commentator was confident that the latter player has been approached by scouts , although he did not  disclose the source of his information.

The fact that young Iranians players are on the radar of the European clubs, is quite a motivating factor for the others to excel. Despite the sad loss to a much better team and technically accomplished Nigerian team, and the elimination from the championship, there were some sterling displays by the Iranian players in the 4 matches played. Individual skills, physical strength and some delicate footwork by the Iranian young players, impressed many observers.

Presence of Mehdi Mahdavikia amongst the Technical cadre of Iran’s U-17 team was also an attraction to the German scouts particularly. Mahdavikia a veteran of German football who played in the Bundesliga for the majority of his professional career was a popular star in Hamburg SV while playing for VfL Bochum and Eintracht Frankfurt  as well. Mahdavikia was a grat ambassador for Iranian football in Germany.

Saeid Ezzatolahei who was born in Anzali , is a member of Malavan Anzali club. His father Nader , was one of the senior Malavan players.

Queiroz “No friendly games have been arranged for Team Melli !”

Carlos Queiroz criticized the current situation of Team Melli program towards the World Cup 2014.

After his return from Brazil to inspect the available options for Iran’s training camp and accommodations arrangement, Queiroz once again sounded the alarm and bemoaned the fact that Team Melli has no friendly matches arranged until the New Year.

“The available FIFA days remaining this calendar year is occupied by the 3 matches we play in the AFC Asian Cup 2015 qualifiers which will be against Thailand, Kuwait and Lebanon. We have no friendly matches arranged at all. “

“I will be frank, honest and transparent; these games cannot be considered as preparation matches for our team towards the World Cup. This is laughable”

 What is not very clear or transparent in Queiroz claims, is who is accountable for lack of support and inability to arrange friendly matches?. For information, friendly matches do not have to be held on FIFA days. Jordan, who will play Uruguay in the World Cup intercontinental play-off on November 15 , has played a friendly match against Nigeria a couple of days ago in non-FIFA day and there are many other such matches arranged.

Mahdavikia: “the Nigerians were tremendous, Our team was shocked.”

Iran nigeria FIFA U-17

 

Mehdi Mahdavikia said the Nigerian team was tremendous  while our team was shocked in matter of few minutes .

After the crushing 4-1 defeat of Iran’s U-17 team in the FIFA U17 World Cup by Nigeria . Mahdavikia who was accompanying the team as an advisor admitted that the African team was way stronger than Iran. “in matter of minutes, the way the Nigerians played made our team fell apart. Nigeria had a very strong team. Their No. 11 player managed to run havoc on our defenses, and we had no answer for that. They were very professional and it was a deserving victory for the better team.” Mahdavikia said.

“Our players were not successful in playing a neat passing game and many of their passes fell short or intercepted by the opponents who created swift counterattacks and scored goals. Our players fell victim to their inexperience. We should accept that our opponents played much better than us. Their Height and figures looked like players above 17 years category .”

The former Captain of Team Melli : “I played soccer for many years but I do not know how can some of these Nigerian players can be less than 17 years !. There are a number of crucial factors at this level of football; stress and lack of experience are at the top. In this level, the young age and lack of experience sometimes makes it difficult for players to make the right decisions in time-critical situations.”

Mahdavikia in an interview with ISNA said that “the fact that the players reached the World Cup and qualified from group stage is in itself an achievement that we need to commend them and the coaching staff.  I believe congratulation is due. We need to face reality, our young players do not have a lot to offer and that is probably the most they could achieve at world level. Football in Iran does not pay much attention to the grassroots. Considering this, Doustimeher , his coaching team and his colleagues  did a marvelous and commending job creating this team in such adverse situations , to build a team to the World Cup after hard work lasting for three years “.

“After long consideration, I don’t think that Team Melli U-17 performed badly. We qualified from the group stage but faced a team like Nigeria which has the potential to reach the final. I believe that our team created an achievement under these circumstances. We tried our best to qualify but faced a strong team that we could not beat. Hopefully in the future our grassroots football is taken more seriously so that we can build better national teams. Again though, I believe that the work of the coaching staff to reach that far in the World Cup was a masterwork.”
Iran was eleimnated from the FIFA U17 World Cup in the 1/16 round by losing to Nigeria 4-1 in Al Ain.

Iran bid farewell to the FIFA U-17 World Cup

Iran U-17 bid farewell to the FIFA U-17 World Cup after losing 4-1 to Nigeria in Al Ain today.

The African champions scored 3 times in the first half and added a fourth in the second while Iran scored a consolation late in the second from a beautiful; volley bi Gholozadeh.

The Nigerians began the match very strongly and stamped their authority on the game from the first quarter of the match. It took Iran some time to settle. The consistent attacks by the skillful Nigerians resulted in two quick goals on the 23 and 25th minutes scored by   Samuel OKON (23′) and   Kelechi IHEANACHO (25′)  before   Musa MUHAMMED (42′) put the game beyond Iran’s reach with the third goal.

Iran was hopelessly outclassed in this half with the Nigerians showing some beautiful touches, lethal finishing and surprising stronger physical strength.

The second half started with Iran looking for a quick responses, but the erroneous passes and some route one football failed to make any inroads towards the Nigerian goal. The Africans however , looked like they were satisfied by the result and conserving energy for the next round , preferring to see the Iranians doing the attack.

However , Iran could not score and only one serious chance was created which was saved by the extended arms of the Nigerian keeper. TO make the matters worst for Iran , Musa YAHAYA  score Nigeria’s 4th in the 76 minute.

Iran scored the consolation by Ali GHOLIZADEH (84′) however, it was not enough to threaten the superiority of the Nigerians who were one class above Iran in every department.

 

Iran latest to feel Nigerian heat

© Getty Images

Three-time champions Nigeria had no trouble with Iran at the Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain racking up three goals in the first half en route to a 4-1 scoreline. The result sets up a quarter-final date for the Nigerians with Uruguay, a game in which they will likely be missing two of their best attackers – Kalechi Iheanacho and Success Isaac – through injury.

Nigeria came out all guns blazing in the opening seconds. Iheanacho, who scored four goals in the opener on this very pitch, fired a vicious shot from the corner of the penalty area inside the first minute that only just flew over the bar. It wasn’t long after that Chidiebere Nwakali raced through midfield on the end of an elegant heel flick from Zaharaddeen Bello. His shot from way out, however, also went over the goal.

The pressure was mounting on Iran, who’d been so sturdy up to this point in the competition. Nigeria were attacking up both flanks and crossing dangerously, but the storm subsided and Iran began to get some touches on the ball. And when Nwakali tried to dribble the ball out of defence, he was stripped by Mohammad Bazaj, whose effort from a tight angle after 21 minutes was the Iranian’s first chance of the half.

All that did was make the Nigerians angry. The Eaglets were into the lead just seconds later when Musa Yahaya pulled off an outrageous move to leave his man for dead at the edge of the penalty area. He sent in a low diagonal ball to Samuel Okon, who sliced in from a tight angle. Two minutes later it was 2-0 for the Africans. Taiwo Awoniyi, on for the injured Success Isaac, pulled the ball across the 18-yard line for Iheanacho, who dispatched his fifth goal of the tournament. It would be the impressive No10’s last action, as he pulled his hamstring shortly after and signaled for a substitute.

Captain Musa Muhammed grabbed a third goal for Nigeria five minutes from the interval, taking advantage of some slack marking to burst into the area and score to make it 3-0 at the break.

The second half lacked the total attacking sparkle of the first, but the Nigerians remained in full control. In the 78th minute, Yahaya dropped his shoulder brilliantly again – pulling out his signature move – before firing low into the corner from 25 yards. Iran managed a consolation goal six minutes from time. Substitute Ali Gholizadeh scored from the edge of the box with the Nigerian defenders suffering from a bit of understandable complacency. It was clearly too little too late for Iran though, as Nigeria’s dominant performance will likely send a chill up the spine of Uruguay, who they will meet in the last eight.

Doustimehr “The match against Nigeria is an early final”

Al Ain (UAE)

After leading his team to the last 16 of the FIFA U-17 World Cup , Ali Doustimehr said that the match against Nigeria is an early final for them “We have not come here to this championship to leave empty handed. Our goal is to win and and make it all the way to the finals.”

In the pre-match press conference , Iran U-17 coach said “Nigeria is a strong team from every aspect , be it physical , mental and tactical. They have won several titles at this level and will be aiming to continue their championship trail. We will be facing a tough task , but that does not mean much to us as we have to give it our best regardless to whom we face.”

Asked whether there was any request by Iran to double check the age of the Nigerian players as many reports have indicated the possibility of Nigeria fielding over-aged players, Doustimehr said “That is FIFA’s duty. These championship is held every two years and FIFA has the necessary tools to control the validity of players’ ages. As far as I am concerned , the result of the match is the pitch not in the corridors of power. We will leave FIFA to decide on any outcome in these matters”

Mano Gabra, the Nigerian coach warned his team against complacency against Iran. “If we we make such mistake , we might end up stunned like Argentina found out playing against Iran.”

“Nigeria has won 3 titles and were runners up 3 times. The people of Nigerian are expecting a lot from us and we have to deliver.

Iran and Nigeria will be p[laying in Al Ain today for a place in the quarter finals of the FIFA U-17 Championship. Iran will be wearing their white Jersey while Nigeria is wearing their traditional green outfit.

FIFA has announced that the knock out stages will not have extra time in case of a tie in the regulation time of 90 minutes, a draw will lead to penalty kicks without the extra 30 minutes being played. FIFA attributed this change of rule to the possibility pf physical exhaustion of players at this age level.

Iran’s Hosseini on the defensive

(FIFA.com) Monday 28 October 2013
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Iran’s Hosseini on the defensive

© Getty Images

Iran’s road to the Round of 16 here at the U-17 finals in UAE was paved with defence. Scoring only three times in their three section games, the Persians have a clear tactical scheme. “We do everything we can to make sure we don’t let the opponents in,” captain and centre-back Majid Hosseini told FIFA.com about his side’s stingy stance.

But Hosseini knows better than anyone what awaits him in the first knockout round in Al Ain City: free-scoring Nigeria, a team as obsessed with attacking as the Iranians are with defending. “My attack is blistering,” was what the Golden Eaglets’ coach Manu Garba had to say before even kicking off here in the Emirates. And their 4.6 goals per game average shows he wasn’t just boasting. “We can destroy any team on our day.”

We know that they only need one second to hurt you, to score a goal from nothing.

Iran centre-back and captain Hosseini knows all about Nigeria

Iran undoubtedly have one of the best defenders of the tournament in Hosseini. Tall and quick of mind, the Saipa FC man is the general of a team that keeps it tight at the back and only rarely, at specific and carefully chosen moments, raids forward. He is vocal on the pitch, pivoting nimbly to adjust to situations as they arise, and he inspires his mates with his actions and his bravery in the danger-zone. He plays like a leader and he talks like one too.

But his forehead wrinkles when Nigeria’s 14 goals so far are mentioned. Hosseini’s face turns from that of spotty teenager to a worried and wizened old man when he considers the west Africans, three-time U-17 world champions. “It will be the hardest game so far for us; we can have no illusion about it,” he said of the Nigerians, who are rivalled only by Brazil for their attacking ability and, in Kalechi Iheanacho and Success Isaac, have two of the best strikers in the world for their age.

“Nigeria are a very strong team,” the Iran captain added, looking intently at his translator who turned his Persian into English. “We know about their attack. We know that they only need one second to hurt you, to score a goal from nothing. We know all of this,” he said, before pausing and putting a hand on the translator’s shoulder, looking into his eyes and making a point clearly and slowly: “But we have our strengths too.”

Switching the conversation from Nigeria’s varied attack, their dizzying brand of Total Football that’s been a delight for fans and a nightmare for opposition defenders, the Iran captain speaks of his team as a unit. And while Mostafa Hashemi and Yousef Seyyedi have scored two of the best goals at these these finals, individuals are spurned for the collective in the Iranian cause.

“Everybody in the team acts as a defender and when we do go forward we go forward as one,” said the 17-year-old, who led Iran when they were crowned champions of Asia earlier this year. “This is one of the secrets of our success. Our defenders, all of us, are close friends and we support each,” he added about the esprit de corps in the side. “When we get into trouble, there’s always someone to help out.”

Freedom meets form in desert duel
And while Nigeria’s coach gives his players what he calls “a special freedom,” Iran’s stern-looking boss Al Doustimehr gives his team orders. “We listen to our coach because by listening to him we have arrived here at the World Cup, and now into the knockout rounds,” said Hosseini, his mates waiting for him in a pack near the team bus. “Our coach will look at the Nigeria tapes and he will tell us what to do. And if we’re smart, we’ll listen.”

Few who have seen Group F toppers Nigeria in action will hold out much hope for Iran, who’ve never gone past the last 16 at a U-17 World Cup. But captain Hosseini isn’t bothered by being underdog and his confidence in his own ability – and his team-mates – is strong. His thoughts even go beyond the Nigerians. “Our goal is the last four,” he said. “We outlined this before the tournament started and we can still do it.”

First they will have to find a way to neutralise one of the best attacking teams the U-17 World Cup has ever seen. The captain’s mind turns to his home country for the kind of backing-up he preaches in his team, but on a larger scale. “We’ve felt positive energy coming from home,” he said, his eyes turning glassy with emotion. “We want to make the Iranian people happy and we’ll give everything we have against Nigeria to do it.”

Whether that will be enough for the brave Iranians will be only be known at the Khalifia bin Zayed Stadium on Tuesday night, when two contrasting styles and temperaments collide in the desert.

3rd place for Futsal Team Melli in Brazil’s Grand Prix 2013

Iran won the third place play off against Paraguay in the 2013 Grand Prix. While Brazil won the title after defeating Russia in the final match on penalty kicks. The match ended 2-2 in regular time , and 3-3 in the extra time.

 

Team Melli did not have much problem winning 6-2 against the South Americans who have earlier given Brazil a tough time in the semi finals.

Iran finished the first half comfortably ahead with a 3-0 result.

Ghodrat Bahadori , one of the stars of Iran futsal team in this championship scored 4 goals for Iran , while Farhad Fakhim and Javad Asghari scored the other two.

Richard Mendoza and Gabriel Ayala scored Paraguay goals.

 

 

Grand Prix 201327/10/2013 – 07.00 Local Time
Maringá (Brazil)

Iran Paraguay
6 – 2  (3 – 0)
Match details:

Hall: Ginásio Chico Neto

Queiroz reveals how poorly he thinks of Iran’s football in an interview!

Queiroz uttered some harsh words about Iran’s football to a compatriot journalist.  Antonio Magalhaes , the chief editor of Record-xl website of Portugal, interviewed Carlos Queiroz while in Tehran attending the match between Team Melli and Thailand.

Queiroz seemed to reverse much of what he normally addresses the local fans through Iranian media. He reserved his cruelest of the words for Iranian footballers calling them “Professionals “only when it comes to money they earn. It is not very unusual for foreign coaches to say one thing at home to satisfy the home fans while abroad, there is a change of tone and perhaps closer to reality as they are addressing different clientele. However, some of Queiroz descriptions about Iran were quite crude and some downright inaccurate perhaps bordering insult to some sensitive about such issues.   His claim that Iran is isolated in football world by sanctions lacks accuracy. Queiroz blames the sanctions for Team Melli’s inability to play “meaningful” friendly games. In a nutshell, that statement is far from declaring the full truth. It is that bankrupt football federations fault , which incidentally spends a large chunk of its limited resources on the wages of Queiroz and his team of assistants and advisers, that is the main obstacle in failing to arrange friendlies. Playing big teams requires spending money. Iran played both Brazil and Russia in the UAE , however the expenses were both taken care of by sponsors. Clearly , it is not matter of those imaginary sanctions that Queiroz is talking about , which is preventing Iran from getting the friendlies thy want. The kitty is empty.

The two Portuguese keep talking about the effects of sanctions on Iran. In reality and matter of facts, Iran has been ever present in every regional, continental and international event they qualified for or invited to, not only in football but the rest of the sports. They played Russia and Brazil as well in friendly matches.

While a person is entitled to his opinion,  there is also some moral and ethical obligation to respect the country and the people of that country and it is here that Queiroz has come short. We do agree with some of his assessments, but disagree on its intensity and the exaggeration level of it. Whether Queiroz is trying to send a signal or not is debatable, what we have no doubt about is that Queiroz does not think much of Iranian football, the players, the league and the administration.  He lacks conviction in Iran’s football only highlighting the negatives while brazenly ignoring the achievement of this pride nation in football that is known to the whole world. Achievements such as qualification to the world cup on 4 different occasions with much less resources, winning 3 Asian Cup titles, which are at the top of the pyramid of successes, not to mention other championships titles and victories.

Queiroz words was in sharp contrast to the NBC  interview with Dan Gasper , Team Melli goalkeeping coach , which was published here.

 [divider]

Excerpts from the interview:

Do you think that the qualification to the FIFA World Cup with Iran was your greatest achievement in your career?

The difficulty of this task is compounded if you consider two intersecting lines. If, at any point of the lines cross, it shows the difficulty of the task, however, since our last gasp qualification, we can say that this is one of the most difficult tasks of my career.

Can you elaborate on that statement?

If you want consider the subtle differences in technical and tactical skills or other football matters, one needs to compare Asian football with other parts of the world. In Asia, when you consider the vast distances between countries, logistical problems, accommodation, playing fields, time of practices etc., it becomes a complicated and complex matter

Is the Iranian Federation capable of resolving this complexity?

No. The problem is due to the large size of the continent. Today you play South Korea and 4 days later you have to play in Lebanon! All these plans are out of our control

Tell us about the peculiar situation of Iran against the sanctions?

 

our major problems, is finding suitable teams to play against.

The issues are quite complicated. Compared to Japan, Australia and Korea, the infrastructure of Iran is weak and inferior. The professionalism is lacking. The mentality is lagging behind. The difference in standards of football of Iran to international football is quite large. Do not forget that one of our major problems, is finding suitable teams to play against. Under the circumstances , it is was impossible to do so. We still have problems finding teams to play against for friendly preparation matches. That in itself will make it difficult for Iran in Brazil. Iran never passed the group stages in the World Cup before . My objective is to do that this time.

How are you planning to achieve this goal ?

Using imagination, relaxation, mind-control and creating an atmosphere that makes it possible to train the players to the level of their rivals and make them think on the same level.

 Considering these limitations, should they should expect much from you?

Expectations are usually the same in every country. Level of expectations is always higher than the reality and investments put into the football. There is always a great gap between the expectations of the fans and the reality, except in Iran the gap between these two is even greater than other countries. Their demands are even higher.

 

Their players and coaches don’t realize how weak they are

Is there a big gap between the level of Iran and the rest of the word?

Certainly so.  Since Iran’s football had little contact from the rest of the world (…) they don’t seem to realize the gap between themselves and the rest of the world. Therefore in many angles, they seem to be adrift from reality. Their players and coaches don’t realize how weak they are in technical , tactical , physical and psychological conditioning. I was in Asia (UAE) 15 years ago and from then until now , I hardly seen any progress in these countries football standards. The gap between Asia and Europe has not reduced at all and remains the same wide gap. Only Japan has managed to slightly develop and approach European and Latin American level.

 On your path to the qualifications for the World Cup , you have faced numerous problems , but the end result was sweet.

Yes, we have faced much problems and the conditions were complicated. In Europe , Portugal and France they faced the same sort of problems. Only Latin America was different as they played in one group and there is always a chance for recovery in the next matches. Of course you need to be resilient,  flexible and adapt to changes. In here there is not much of that going on.

This is where fear comes after defeat.

We have lost a match that we should never have against Lebanon. However, we forgot that this team has already beaten South Korea. We said that this loss is not the end of the world.

In respect to the international sanctions, are you worried about your presence in the World Cup?

Of course when it happened, I felt a bit of doubt in my confidence. But something important happened. The President of the republic came to visit the players and promised that everything will be sorted out.!

their footballers are called “professionals” here, but I am working with amateurs!

Do you think it is a miracle that Iran qualified for the World Cup?

In football there is no such thing as miracle. It was a very difficult task. We have achieved this by using a majority of home-based players who earned a lot of money and have no other profession but football. Just because they earn huge amount of money they call them “professional” here. Therefore I was really working with an amateur team calling themselves “professionals”. Logically, we should have no chance to qualify , but we did our work properly and managed to improve the team and climb from ranked no 5 in Asia to be number 2.

With such conditions prevailing, don’t you think that you should prepare the Iranians for failure?

No, that is not my duty. My job is to prepare a team, and lead it to the right path. We need to identify a goal. Iran never passed the group stages and that is our objective. Although qualifying from the group stages is extremely difficult, we are aiming for that.

Is qualifying to the next round possible?

Yes, this is possible but it depends on two factors, one a good draw and second planning and executing a strong preparation program for the team. If we can execute a program without deliberation on the FIFA day , we can do it. But if we stick to FIFA day, then we will be making a big mistake.

What do you mean about the FIFA Day mistake?

I mean this program is prepared for teams such as Brazil, Argentina, France, Germany and Iran. FIFA allows 15 days release for the players before the World Cup. Do you think Iran will reach the standards of these teams in 15 days ? If Iran wants to progress then we need to have our own program and then we can talk rest of the business.

Against Thailand, the whole of the first half was spent for players to know each other

What is the rest of the business?

I have proposed training preparation plans for the team and warned the federation about the risks of ignoring the program. We can’t simply play a competitive match in Asian Cup qualifiers after 4 months of complete inactivity.  In the match against Thailand, the whole of the first half was spent for players to know each other!

Would you be happy to be in the same group with Portugal?

It will be nice to be grouped with the likes of Portugal, France, Brazil or Argentina. As soon as our problems are sorted out, we can face them and compete with them. Frankly though, I prefer to face other less strong teams. If we are to play against Portugal or France, it will be an honor for Iran. This is one of the advantages and privileges of the World Cup, playing against famous teams. We need to proceed with bravery to Brazil.

Futsal Team Melli fails to make it to the final.

Maringá (PR)

Iran’s Futsal Team Melli failed to make it to the final after losing the semi final match against Russia.

In the second semifinal of the Brazil Futsal Grand Prix 2013 , Russia beat Iran by 4-2 and qualified to the final match against host Brazil . The Russians went ahead in the 13th minute of the first half goal from Milovanov after pass from Brazilian-born Russian Cyril . Six minutes later , Shayakhmetov extended Russia’s lead , closing the halftime score at 2-0 .

In the second period , Hassanzadeh played for Iran as line goalkeeper to pressure the Russians and look for a goal to recover the two goals deficit. An  oversight by advancing Iranian goalkeeper allowed  Gustavo kick to find the Iranian empty net at 12th minute to score Russia’s third – the ball has touched the crossbar before entering . At 15th minute , Iran came back into the game when Tayebi  scored to make it 3-1 and the match was on again, however a minute later , Fakhrutdinov scored again for Russia , throwing a bucket of cold water in the reaction of the Iranian players who were looking good. In the final minute , Bahadori scored for Iran to make it 4-2 but it was too late .

Russians celebrating a goals against Iran in the semi-fnal mach of 2013 Futsal Grand Prix.
Russians celebrating a goals against Iran in the semi-fnal mach of 2013 Futsal Grand Prix.

Iran will play Paraguay for the third place against on Sunday at 7pm . On Friday , Argentina and Guatemala competed for  fifth. est The Argentines , won 2-1 . In the match for the seventh place , Serbia beat Japan by 7-4 .

Lineups :
Russia: Gustavo , Romulus , Milovanov , Cyril and Antoshkin . Entered : Pereverzev , Fakhrutdinov , Shayakhmetov , Shisterov , Eder Lima .

Coach: Sergey Skorovich .

Iran : Nasirniae , Vafaie , Hassanzadeh , Tavakoli and Tayebi .

Entered : Bahadori , Hasannejed , Asghari Moghadam , Shafiee , Fakhim , Daneshvar and Kiaei .

Coach: Jesus Candelas .

‘There is no better ambassador than football’: Meet the US soccer coach in Iran

 

By Alexander Smith, NBC News contributor

One American enjoys a unique view of life in Iran – from the sidelines of Tehran’s main soccer stadium typically packed with more than 100,000 screaming fans.

Dan Gaspar, 58, is the assistant coach of the Iranian national soccer team.

“My experience is not one I’ve seen on TV or read in a newspaper. I live here, it’s real life,” said Gaspar.

“It may sound strange to most people, but I’ve worked on four continents and Iran is one of the safest places I’ve worked in,” he said. “When I read and hear and see things through the media and then go out to the balcony of my apartment and look into Tehran that is not what I see.”

‘No negative reactions’ 
Gaspar, who spends all but six weeks of the year living in Tehran, says the typical American representation of Iran as an isolated place does not resemble his experience.

“You would be surprised, it is very multicultural, far more than I had anticipated,” he said. “In the apartment complex I live in you often see lots of other internationals.”

Socially, Gaspar says he spends time with the other staff on the soccer team, cooking meals for each other at home. Although, he did speak highly of Tehran’s restaurant scene.

“I have eaten Mexican food, I have eaten Italian food, French food,” he said. “There are no bars and no night-life, publicly, so going out to restaurants is a big part of the way people socialize. Their restaurants are of a high standard, compared to any other country in the world.”

While conceding that the universally warm reception he has received may have something to do with his involvement in the increasingly successful national team, he said he’s generally had a positive experience.

“Out and about in the city, when people discover that I’m an American they are interested by it,” he said. “It opens up a discussion, in a positive way.  I have had no negative reactions.”

Winding path to Tehran 
Gaspar took a winding path to Tehran. He began coaching in the 1970s in the amateur soccer leagues in Connecticut. From there, he went on to several roles in Portugal — Gaspar has duel Portuguese-American citizenship and is multilingual — before returning in 1996 for a stint on the staff at the New York Metro Stars, where he reached the MLS playoffs.

He has also worked in Japan’s J-League and in South Africa. But it was working under head coach Carlos Queiroz on the Portuguese national team which offered his unusual avenue to Tehran.

Queiroz is something of a legend in coaching circles, having won trophies at Real Madrid and Manchester United. But he was fired as head coach of Portugal in 2010 after allegedly insulting an anti-doping team attempting to take samples at his training ground.

In April 2011 Queiroz was announced as Iran’s new head coach — quite a coup for a relatively small soccer nation — and he asked Gaspar to come with him as his assistant and goalkeeping coach.

“Professionally I felt this was an incredible and interesting challenge. It’s a unique opportunity,” Gaspar said.

While in the U.S., soccer takes a back seat to the pigskin, baseball mitt, and basketball hoop. In his new home, the world’s biggest sport is firmly center stage.

“Iran is a passionate country about football,” said Gasper, using the term for soccer outside the U.S. “There is no doubt that the Iran fans are one of the most passionate fans in the world — they love their football.”

“It’s not uncommon to have 120,000 fans attend our matches at the Azadi stadium, in Tehran. The atmosphere is electric with a sea of green, red, and white flags filling the stadium, along with the most intense noise-levels I’ve ever heard from the crowd, supporting their football heroes,” added Gaspar, who has been in the job as assistant and goalkeeper coach since 2011.

Gaspar claims his “expertise is not politics,” but he has met both the recently elected President Hassan Rouhani and his predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – who he said had an impressive knowledge of soccer.

A moment of ‘national optimism’
Rouhani’s election on June 15 came at a particularly interesting time. It was followed three days later by Gaspar helping guide the Iranian soccer team to victory in Ulsan, South Korea — and with it, to qualification for next year’s World Cup in Brazil.

He said these two events created a “perfect storm” which created an “incredible feeling of national optimism.”

“There was a happiness among the people and you could sense there was this hope that things would improve,” he said.

He described helping Iran to qualify for the World Cup as the happiest moment in his career.

“Imagine this: You have the pressure of 75 million people on your shoulders, with the hopes and aspirations that we qualify their nation to the 2014 Brazil World Cup, and we delivered that mission,” he said.

“The celebration after in the locker room after the South Korean match, when we qualified for the tournament, was very emotional. There were tears of joy, hugs, singing, and plenty of high fives.

But he said even he was surprised when the Iranian ambassador to South Korea brought a ballot box to the team’s hotel where they were staying in the run-up to the qualifier, just so players and staff could vote in the election even though they were out of the country.

“I don’t think anyone from the outside world would believe that kind of thing would take place,” he said.

 

Soccer diplomacy
Gaspar’s role could take on increased significance next year, if U.S. plans bear fruit to host Iran in a World Cup warm-up game on U.S. soil.

“Talks are only at a preliminary stage at the moment, but there appears to be a genuine interest on both sides to make this match to become a reality,” he said.

The two countries have only played twice before. Iran beat the U.S. 2-1 at the 1998 World Cup in a game of historic significance, both in terms of sport and diplomacy. This was followed by a non-competitive game in Pasadena, Calif., 18 months later.

Gaspar realizes the how important playing another match next year could be, coming at a crucial diplomatic stage between the nations.

“For 90 minutes it will be an ideal gesture towards diplomacy,” he said “Who knows, football may be a launching pad towards respectful, honest and peaceful solutions between nations?

“Certainly the world would benefit from such discussions.  History has demonstrated that football has proven to bridge nations. The power and influence of football is amazing. There is no better ambassador than football.”

Both the USSF and U.S. government have refused to confirm or deny they are in talks with Iran about the game.

But U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told a briefing earlier this month: “We’ve always said we were open to direct negotiations and talks with the Iranians, so where a better place than on the soccer field, right?”

 

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At schools, in shops, and on the streets of big cities and small towns, daily life plays out in Iran.