Tag: Nelo Vingada

Vingda “I accept all the blame , I apologize but will not resign”

Nelo Vingada , the Portuguese head coach of Iran’s Olympic (U-23) team, accepted all the blame for his team’s disastrous performances and said “It is no one’s fault but mine. I accept all the blame , I apologize . I know that this is the worst result of Iran in the history of the Asian Games , but I will not resign!”

Vingada was talking to the Iranian news agency reporter ISNA  in Incheon after what seems to be a certain exit by Iran’s Football team from the Asian Games. Iran has one point from a draw against Kyrgyzstan and a humiliating 4-1 defeat by Vietnam. Iran’s only hope is for Vietnam to beat  Kyrgyzstan by a 4 goal margin.

When asked by the reporter about the shortfalls of the team, the head coach provided no better answer other than to say that “These things happen in football. This football is the only sport that such unexpected results can occur!”

Vingada , who according to his compatriot Carlos Queiroz statement after the heavy loss against Vietnam, “knows his  job very well” , mentioned nothing about his team’s diabolical defending , lack of teamwork and team spirit , poor finishing by star players , selfish player’s attitude who were playing for themselves rather than the team and loads of other factors that were so vividly lacking in this team.

“I have picked this squad myself. I was under the impression that we will be working with the U-21 team “ Vingada said. Since 1996 only 23 years old players with three over-23 players were allowed per squad in the Olympic Games and subsequently followed in the Asian Games as of after 1998 games . It is not clear how Vingada got this idea of the U21 team or whether it was intentional.

“I know that a lot of people are very upset by the team results , it was so clear from the reaction that we heard. I am quite shocked myself by these bad results. At least I can tell you that there are some good players in the squad who have a good future and people should be proud of them (…)!”

Asked to comment about the ugly scene at the end of the Vietnam match involving defender Khanzadeh after he was awarded the 2nd yellow card and a dismissal, Vingada’s response was   “I was so shocked by his attitude and had a long talk with him. He regretted his action. It is easy to talk about it outside the game, but when you are losing by such a margin and you hear the opposition ( a Vietnamese player) swear at you , one would lose his temper and do such things.”

This is the icing on the cake for this supposedly experienced coach. Instead of condemning that shameful act by Khanzadeh , he is justifying it. There is no remorse detected in his statement either!

Zolfaghar-nasab” Team Melli U23 defat was a true tragedy “

Bizan Zolfaghar-nasab , ex-Team Melli defender and former coach said that the defeat against Vietnam in the Asian Games 2014 was a tragedy and a serious warning for Iran’s football.

“This defeat is very bitter and completely unacceptable. If we played against Korea, Japan or KSA and we lost with such margin, we could always find a justification in the fact that the opposition have a higher standard of football, more organized , resourceful and better managed. However, when a team like Vietnam which is a third or even fourth tier footballing nation in Asia defeats us like that with such ease, then this is tragic.”

“This is a clear indication of the weakness of the coaching staff and team management.  The lack of understanding of Iranian players capabilities, the lack of analysis of the other teams, the poor management control of the team and poor welfare are the main reasons behind this defeat in my opinion.”

“This defeat is not a freak accident. Almost all the players play in the top league in Iran, some with top teams and have played for Team Melli as well. So , it is not as we have new players or rookies representing Iran. They were simply not in shape and frankly embarrassing at times against Vietnam. They were not ready.”

Bizan Zolfaghar-nasab concluded: “Vingada has been appointed based on a recommendation from Carlos Queiroz, however, so far he has not been anywhere near successful. All we can hope for at this stage is for the team to recover from this shameful defeat. This team is capable of reaching the final, on paper.”  

Queiroz “Vingada knows what he is doing !”

Carlos Queiroz arrived in Tehran as promised this morning to complete the formalities of signing the contract extension. The 4 year contract will take the Portuguese coach all the way to the next World Cup in Russia.

On arrival at the airport , Carlos Queiroz  had a brief interaction with the media . He said “We have a long difficult road ahead, but I seek success”

“Of course, like some people, I do not give promises , I simply do not like to provide some wonderful assurances. All I can say is that I will do my best in order to achieve success.” 

Carlos Queiroz  commented on yesterday’s Iran Olympic teams heavy & embarrassing defeat against Vietnam U23 in the Asian Games , Team Melli head coach said ” Vingada knows what he is doing , let’s see how it works out the future. I am sure he will win and achieve success in the next game.”

From what we understand of the brief statements, Queiroz is not obliged to deliver anything for Team Melli beyond coaching the team, like any other coach. He also does not give promises himself and dislikes doing it, but he is quite happy giving promises on behalf of others, mainly his compatriot, Nelo Vingada!

 

Iran is given a lesson in football by Vietnam.

Iran’s U-23 team was humiliated by its Vietnamese counterpart in the opening group game of the 17th Asian games Incheon.

Vietnam defeated Iran 4-1 , the first half ended 2-0.

From the onset of the match , it was apparent that this team is a group of individual players who lacked teamwork was assembled for these Asian games. The team lacked cohesion and sometimes even the ABC of basic football.

It was not much of a shock when Vietnam took the lead early in the match, but the expectation was that Iran with so many quality names can quickly return into the game. That was not to be, because the Vietnamese stunned everyone by scoring the second in the 28th minute.

Both the Vietnamese goals scored in similar style, the first one was a diagonal ball sent from the winger after he skillfully dribbled the left back. While the ball was sent into the box , there was only one defender in the box and two Vietnamese players. The second player, the furthest,  slammed the ball into the net with keeper Sadeghi ball watching

The second goal a few minutes later was again from Iran’s left , but this time the Vietnamese player dribbled 3 Iranian defenders with embarrassing ease before he slotted from an angle passed Sadeghi.

The Japanese’s coach observed the weakness of Iran’s left side and directed most of the offenses on the right flank of his team.

 Vingada realized , perhaps a bit late , that his team is suffering and introduced Yaghoub Karimi instead of Ali Karimi,

Yaghoub Karimi turned out to be the best player of the team despite his late introduction.

The half ended 2-0 , however Iran really bounced back in the second half with a series of offensive moves but really awful finishing.

53′ Kaveh Rezaei wastes another golden opportunity when he receives the ball from right, dribbles past the keeper but could not control the ball int0 the empty net.

54′ Mehdi Sharifi dribbles past his last marker , had only the keeper in front of him to beat from just inside the penalty box , but he shoots skywards!

55′ Mehdi Sharifi  has forgotten his shooting boot, his final touch after some brilliant work on the right flank by Yaghoub Karimi was comical , to say the least. He completely miskicked the ball!

Iran could have easily been 4-2 ahead by minute 57

64′ a beautiful quality through pass from Mohsen Moslaman to Sharifi , was met by a wild tackle by the on rushing Vietnam keeper denying Sharifi a scoring chance. A classic red card offense. The referee called a Penalty for Iran but awarded the keeper a yellow card instead of red

65 Mosalman scores.

While Iran was on a good run despite missing so many scoring chances, Vietnam once again stunned the Iranians with the 3rd goal scored on the 69th minute.

Mojammedreza Khanzadeh , who was in the World Cup squad was quite poor in the central defense.

 

73′ Kaveh Rezaei bests the Viet goalkeeper but his shot is deflected out hitting the lower post. Even luck has abandoned Iran.

 

81′ Iran goalkeeper Sadeghi handles a back pass a few meters from his goal. A very strange act and a disastrous basic mistake, The ensuing free kick is scored by Vietnam again with quite poor Iranian defense! .

As to put the icing on the kick , Iran not only lost the match result but the sportsmanship as well. A visibilyy frustrated Mojammedreza Khanzadeh was shown the second yellow card after a foul on Vietnam keeper , shoves a Vitneamese player in the face in what looks like an unsportmanship behavior, and plunges him on the ground. Khanzadeh should expect a severe punishment and that might be his un ceremonial farewell to the Asian Games.

Players like him. Who cannot control their temper after a bitter loss,  should never represent Iran at any level. Their action affects the whole team.

Khanzadeh not only was poor as a player , he lost his manner and composure and will face a long suspension from AFC.

It was a bitter end for a sorry team. Even if the team recovers in the final group match , it will take a major work to make it tick for the rest of the competition.

Team Melli U-23 draws with Armenia.

Iran’s Olympic football team played a goalless draw against Armenia in Yerevan on Wednesday.

Team Melli Under 23 Football Team reached Yerevan on the 2nd of August and entered camp in Avan Academy Facilities to prepare for the two friendly games against the Armenian counterparts on Monday and Wedneasday.

On arraival and after a short rest ,  the squad started training in Avan Football Academy. Armenian  National Team manager Bernard Challandes was  on hand at the Academy. He welcomed the Iranian team and came to pitch and had chat with coaching staff. 

The Armenia trip is a part of the preparation for the upcoming Asian Games 2014 in Incheon , South Korea.

In the first match played on Monday 4th August , Armenia’s Taron Voskanyan U23 , scored an injury time winnere on the 90+2nd minute from a header after a cross by Aram Loretsyan. Armenia won 1:0. 

Nelo Vingada was not able to take the full squad with him for the usual reasons. Some players had Visa issues while a few were injured.

The squad will be flying back to Tehran today and the players will be joining their clubs for the league. The last part of the long-term preparation of the Olympic team will be carried out in China 10 days before the Asian Games starts in South Korea. The team will play several friendly games in China before heading directly to Incheon.

Human Afazeli , said “We are trying to arrange a couple of friendly games for the squad before flying to China for the training camp. That will be a good practise for the lads ” Armenia U23 vs Iran U23 action

Navid Nasseri joins Birmingham City FC

Birmingham City have signed promising teenager Navid Nasseri.

The young Iranian attacking midfielder, who turned 18 two days ago, was a scholar with Bury last season.

Nasseri has signed a one year contract with a 12-month option and will primarily be a part of Blues’ under-21 development squad.

Manchester-born, Nasseri was called up by Iran under-21s last season.

Before joining Bury he was at Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers.

Last season Bury signed just one of their final year Academy scholars by April, but Nasseri was kept on by manager David Flitcroft for ‘an extended trial’ and trained with his first team squad.

Birmingham City plays in the championship in England. Nasseri has already featured for Ali Doustimehr U19 team and impressed. However, being based in England , Nasseri will have a difficult time getting released by his club if he makes the full team list. Nasseri can also represent Iran at the U-23 Olympic team which is currently being coached by Vingada..

Team Melli U-23 resumes training

FFIRI has announced the resumption of the U23 team training. As per the FFIRI website, the team under the coaching of the Portuguese Nelo Vengada, will start a training camp from first day of July. This camp will be held for four days in the national teams training center . The players invited to camp are as follows:

Ahmad Noorallahei, Mohammad Nasiri, Mohammad Hossein Moradmand, Ali Karimi, Ehasan Pahlavan, Muhammad Amin Jehan Kord, Yusuf Vkya, Walid Mashaeizadeh, Mohammad Daneshgar, Ali Mardani, Ehsan Sokhandan, Mohammad Ali Framarzi, Farshid Ismaili, Aram Abbasi, Hojat Sedghi, Rozbeh Chashmi, Arsalan Motahari, Ali Mohsenzadeh, Arash Rezavand, Milad Kamandany, Farshad Ghasemi, Mohammad Hossein Kanani Zadegan, Morteza Agha Jan, Vahid Haydarieh, Behnam Barazy , Mehdi Mehdi Pour, Mohammadreza  Akhbari, Alireza Naqizadeh, Shahin Saghebi, Hojat Haghverdi.

Sardar Azmoun , who was invited for this team several times , is not included in the list for unknown reason.

Team Melli U-23 is preparing for the Asian Games 2014 and further up the road , for the Olympic games 2016 in Rio.

Olympic team coach start delayed due to legal complications.

Nelo Vingada, the Olympic team head coach was supposed to have started work with the Olympics squad preparing for the competitions ahead especially the Asian Games 2014 Incheon. However , the Portuguese coach has hit a snag.

Explaining the delay in Vingada’s commencement of work with the Olympics team, the Deputy head of the FFIRI , Seyed Hadi Ayttollahei said ” Because of Vingada’s previous stint as the head coach of Persepolis , there is some outstanding taxes that have not been paid. When we reviews the contract between the two parties, it clearly stipulates that Vingada had a two year contract with Persepolis and all taxes for the two years period should have been paid to the government on signing the contract by the club. Therefore Persepolis should have respected this clause and paid its due. This did not happen. Vingada only stayed 5 months with Persepolis and left. The Managers of Persepolis failed to clear the taxes issues and did not contact the appropriate authorities to resolve the issue. Now, the liabilities are even greater, because there is a penalty for non-payment and delays which will cost the club dearly. Persepolis have been very lax  and complacent and this has resulted in issues with Vingada’s current work permit and legal status”

“Unless Persepolis resolves this tax issue with the authorities, Vingada cannot commence his work in Iran. We urge Persepolis to act fast as delays will affect our preparation for the Asian Games.”

Currently , the squad is training under Human Afazeli who is working as a caretaker until the arrival of Vingada.

As if Persepolis does not have enough financial problems , this one regarding Vingada’s tax non-payment , is  added on the rest the club’s complex and crippling financial issues.  Persepolis, one of the most popular teams in Iran , has been struggling to pay it debts , wages , hotel bills and many outstanding bills accumulated through the years. Persepolis has up to today to pay Ajman club for Khalatbary’s remaining transfer fee, else the UAE club will file a suit with FIFA, and finally the tax man in Iran is in hot pursuit of the club for non-payment of many taxes.

 

Kaffashian on Team Melli

Ali Kaffashian was interviewed by ISNA regarding the latest developments and various issues concerning football and at the top of it , the concerns about Team Melli preparation, appointment of Vingada as head coach of the Olympics team , his intention to resign and other issues

Team Melli coach Queiroz with FFIRI President Ali Kaffashian
Team Melli coach Queiroz with FFIRI President Ali Kaffashian

ISNA: We keep hearing different stories within the federation itself about the South African training camp. What is the final verdict and how true that it is cancelled?

KAFFASHIAN : The arguments in favor of cancellation of the Training camp in South Africa are not solely based on the financial issues. I believe that the Ministry of youth and sport will support us in this respect. The main reason is the absence of several key players from the camp and that has convinced Queiroz to think that any camp is useless without these key players. It is true that we are facing financial difficulties, but if the coach Queiroz wants to arrange a training camp in South Africa, then we will oblige by any means possible.

ISNA. Have you told Queiroz that he may leave after his contract expires after the World Cup?

KAFFASHIAN: No, that is not true. Our intention has always been to extend the contract with Carlos Queiroz. However, it is obvious that if we cannot reach a settlement on the wages and other financial perks , then he will not stay in Iran and will look for other jobs abroad. Personally, I am trying to secure regular financial resources in order to afford keeping Queiroz. What is the use of extending the contract and when it comes to payments, we face the same old problems?

ISNA: How much budget have you allocated for Team Melli preparation programs?

Ali Kaffashaian & Nelo Vingada

KAFFASHIAN: We need approximately 20 Billion Toman ( official exchange rate = US$ 7.984 million) to conduct our program. Of course some of this amount is to repay some outstanding bills.

ISNA. Have you suggested any Iranian coaches such as Majeed Saleh to Queiroz?

KAFFASHIAN: Queiroz has indicated that he intends to recruit an Iranian coach into work next to him, however, this has not materialized yet and he has not informed us of any name. We have not suggested anyone in particular and we do not interfere in technical matters at all.

ISNA: What is the progress on TV broadcast rights?

KAFFASHIAN: We are pursuing the matter while we continue negotiation with IRIB on that matter. If we do not come to a settlement, we will not allow the TV cameras into the stadium and will follow international standards in such situations. We have researched the matter further and discussed with Majlis (The Parliament) the possibility of giving TV right to a sport channel which will pay for the rights of broadcasting football matches. This is an option we are seriously considering.

ISNA: What is the situation with Vingada?

KAFFASHIAN: We have looked at all options available and decided that Nelo Ningada is the most suitable coach for the job of coaching the Olympics / U23 team. We have signed an agreement worth US$ 360,000 that will be remunerated in 4 payments. We have also agreed terms with his assistant coaches. If the team qualifies for the next Olympics, then a special bonus will be awarded to the coaches.

ISNA: You have threatened to resign if the financial problems are not ironed out , how serious are you?

KAFFASHIAN: Oh, that was a joke I had with some of your colleagues (…)!

Hossein Faraki offered U-23 coaching job.

The head coach of Foolad Khuzestan and ex-Team Melli player was quoted by ISNA as saying that the Iranian Football Federation has verbally offered him the job of coaching the Olympic or the U-23 team . Faraki whose team is leading the Persian Gulf League table said that a representative from the FFIRI has spoken to Foolad Khuzestan chairman about the job offer, but no one has approached him personalty. Faraki said he came to know about this offer from his club CEO Mr. Dehkerdi.

This development comes in the aftermath of the negotiation between the FFIRI and Nelo Vingada , the Portuguese coach who was approached for the same job. It is clear that Vingada, hand picked by Carlos Queiroz , has not reached an agreement with the federation hence the approach towards Faraki. During the pre-match conference with Guinea , Ali Kaffashian was asked about the job offer to Vingada. The head of FFIRI confirmed that no final agreement has been reached with the Portuguese coach who is a close friend of Team Melli coach Carlos Queiroz.

In response to the verbal job offer, Hossein Faraki said that all his focus now is on Foolad Khuzestan and the championship title challenge with 3 rounds of the league remaining.