Players and coaches scathing attack on Blazevic.

Deenmohamadi: "Blazevic was cowardly"

Now that the Iranian National team has failed to qualify for the World Cup, the hitherto unheard of grumbles and discontentment are coming to light.

Some of the disillusioned who had been silent are now voicing their criticisms. In general, when a team meets a severe setback caution is thrown to the wind by the critics.

Deenmohamadi is no exception to the rule. He speaks revealingly for the first time, now that the National Team has been brought to a full halt on the doorstep to the world Cup.

Q: The National Team didn't do so great. So now there are only club matches to think of?

A: All that is history now. This is what you get from a team where nobody gets what they deserve. This is what you should expect when you don't give people their dues.

Q: Are you one of those people?

A: What do you think? Why don't I ask the questions and you answer: Why did I become a substitute after the UAE game? Didn't I score for us then?

Q: Maybe the coach saw fit that you shouldn't play after the Thailand game?

A: Really? Everyone played badly in that game, but only Nekoonam and I became substitutes. If you set your store by that game then half the team should have been substituted. Ciro expected me to score or make a goal opportunity in the 5 minutes I played.

Q: You mean you think Ciro didn't treat you fairly?

A: Exactly. There were players who knew they were fixed beforehand. They weren't changed even if they played badly. If all was fair such things wouldn't have happened.

Q: Do you think Blazevic was to blame?

A: He was cowardly.

Q: How about in the Saudi game?

A: Please don't ask about that game.

Q: Why? You are also a National Team player and must comment on Iran's failure to qualify.

A: We drew with Bahrain in Tehran. When the match ended as a draw, I told some of my teammates going to the world Cup would be impossible when we couldn't manage to score against Bahrain at home. Ciro did not make any changes because he was scared.

Q: Who was he afraid of?

A: He was under the influence of some players and took their advice. A coach is no good when he listens to the players. His first great fault was that he didn't decide for himself.

Q: You mean the players didn't play according to their merit?

A: If it had been otherwise we would have qualified. The 'names' played in the National team not their merit.

Q: The National team was full of famous players. Who do you mean?

A: You know better yourself. The guys Ciro called, "my sons". The same boys also hampered the National team and brought about our defeat.

Q: He himself said that all players were equal for him many times?

A: He never treated us fairly. His treatment of us had made the substitutes lose their spirit. He did not care about the subs.

Q: Why did he do this?

A: I don't know. He gave all his attention to the fixed players. When a fixed player and a substitute were injured together, Ciro directed the fixed player's treatment and he didn't care about the substitute.

Q: Why didn't you ever speak to him?

A: What should I have talked about? When he had no will, what could I say? When he said that Deenmohamadi had entered football from the rear entrance, what could I answer? This guy didn't know I had put 42 National Team matches behind me. There were other players who had entered football from the rear entrance and now had everything.

Q: What do you mean?

A: Forget it. Ciro's behavior showed that he was being led from somewhere. He didn't have the will to make any changes himself.

Q: How do you see the future?

A: I don't know. I only know that as long as we are going down this road in football, it will never get any better than this.
 

Mayeli-Kohan views on Blazevic

In the game of Iran v Ireland there was a need for fresh players, but due to the fear of taking a risk the coach did not make any changes and this led to the aggregate defeat of Iran by Ireland. The Iranian National Team players stepped onto the pitch with fear and did not have the spirit or determination to defeat Ireland.

The result therefore was to be expected and could be guessed from the start. Ciro used a specific team formation throughout the World cup Qualifiers, as he did not have enough knowledge of the players. He did not consider the players' mental and physical condition and therefore did not make the necessary substitutions.


Ciro started his job in Iran by boasting and talking of greatness and ignored the fact that among the National Team players there were those who could make the difference in the hard days ahead. We could not find our way to the World Cup because of our mistakes despite the enormous amount spent and the efforts gone into the qualification program by the Football Federation which by the way sets a new precedent in football history.

It has been our mistake to think that coaches other than Iranians possess an up-to-date knowledge of the game and the ability to train players according to modern methods and this is clearly observed in the weak game presented by the National Team and the basic (as opposed to advanced) training the team had been given.

With the nonappearance of sturdy teams like South Korea and Japan in the qualifiers and the fine games played by the team in the preliminary stage of the games, the conditions for qualification were better than ever. If the team had made use of an Iranian coach, we would have effortlessly glided into the World Cup.

And now we must miss the 2002 World Cup and bear the disappointment. We must once again begin an orderly, organized program right now to face the future challenges more resolutely and better than before.

Ivancovic, 'Our small errors, your top headlines!'

When there is an interview, Ciro is preferred not only because he is the Head coach but also because he is an expert orator. In other words he knows the secret of how to speak. That is also why Ivanicovic is always the second choice.

In reality Ivanicovic was the think tank of the team away from the commotion and uproars, the man who planned the team tactics and handed them to Ciro.

Q: People would like to know where we stand now. Considering all the problems off the pitch, in the league and in football which have their own roots and are irrelevant here. The National Team had no tactical problems this time round, so what was the real problem?

A: This team was nothing like the one that played in Lebanon. There were many changes with an almost new formation. The players played wonderfully, especially on Thursday night. Yahya's goal was late in the coming. There were only 2-3 minutes left to the final whistle. We showed ourselves to be better than Ireland in both our matches, especially in the last third of the matches. Football is unpredictable. You will never know exactly what will happen. We were unlucky against Bahrain both at home and away. If the referee had given us the penalty in the away game in Bahrain, things would have been different today.

Q: But the Iranians are not dissatisfied with the game against Ireland. They say that it shouldn't have come to this. The defeat against Bahrain is still unjustified?

A: It wasn't a normal game. But our team showed their strength in other games. Gaining 4 points from Saudi Arabia, 6 from Iraq and another 6 from UAE showed our power. We were good even against Ireland.

Q: But except Bahrain we showed weakness also against Thailand?

A: Such things are natural in 8 consecutive games.

Q: But in one round of games, especially after the change of their coach Saudi Arabia showed that they had balance and poise and none of the ups and downs of Iran?

A: We drew against the same team in Jeddah and did not allow them to better us. Saudi Arabia may have off the pitch strengths too. The Saudi 4-1 defeat of Thailand and their defeats of Bahrain were not ordinary either. I think Iran was unlucky.

Q: What were your mistakes this time?

A: Each game is different to the others. I haven't done a general analysis yet, but I am sure we made slight mistakes.

Q: Little mistakes that lead to great defeats?

A: Of course, criticism after a game is easy. I still say our mistakes were small. Though our small mistakes usually become your top headlines, for me they are still small.

Q: After your analysis. Will you announce the results to the Federation and the people?

A: We will give the Federation a full report with all the details. If Mr. Farahani would like to, he can make it public.

Q: Is the condition of your continuation with the National Team based on this report?

A: No. Our contract has finished. We tried hard all the time here. We are expecting a meeting with the National Federation after we return and the decision will be made then.

Q: Who makes the final decision?

A: The Football Federation of course. They have the last word, not I.

Q: What will you suggest to Farahani in the meeting tomorrow?

A: Nothing. We will give him our written analysis. The rest is up to him until we come back.


According to the latest reports, the Croatian coaches will not give any further interviews to the media or press at this time. Upon their return from their leave to Croatia, they will apparently hold a full press conference with Officials of the Football Federation present and there they will speak about the National Team and the missed chance to qualify for the World Cup.

It is interesting to note that their contracts are valid until January and the future of the three coaches is still unclear.

However, an official of the football Federation privately said that the dismissal of the three Croatian coaches is probable citing the disagreements with a number of the former 'out of favor' National players.