Tag: World Cup 2014

Fans take to streets, social media to protest for Carlos Tevez

It is hard to believe that Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella would exclude fan favorite Carlos Tevez, the leading scorer in Italy’s Serie A, from the World Cup team. But it looks like that is what he is going to do, and fans are so angry they are going to social media and the streets.

On Friday, they held a protest march in Buenos Aires, demanding that their beloved “Carlitos” get a spot on the squad.

Tevez is the leading scorer for first-place Juventus this season with 18 goals, and is tied for the league lead. He previously played at Manchester United and Manchester City, and has always been popular with fans because of his humble beginnings and his tough style of play. He is actually favoured by many fans over Lionel Messi, who is seen as a golden boy who left for Spain at a young age.

But Tevez fell out of favor with Sabella, and has not played for the national team since the 2011 Copa America.

“I’ve got confidence in the strikers that I have. They are all stars at the highest level,” Sabella said after Argentina’s 0-0 tie in a friendly on March 5 against Romania.

It is hard to argue that the Argentina roster is already loaded with Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Aguero, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Angel Di Maria. But Tevez is a world-class player who deserves a shot to make his nation’s World Cup team.

Juventus general manager Beppe Marotta is disappointed Tevez is being left out.

“Clearly Tevez is a man and therefore aspires to wear the jersey of his country, especially at a World Cup,” Marotta told Sky Sport Italia.

“He deserves it for his talents, but the coach makes his decisions. I think it is down to non-football situations we don’t know. As a professional, Tevez accepts this decision with disappointment, but understanding, realizing he can gain satisfaction elsewhere in his career.”

Argentina will be facing Iran , Nigeria and Bosnia-Herzegovina in Group F of the World Cup 2014.

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 (…)!

The most expensive World Cup ever for the fans.

Despite Team Melli success in qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 , it is highly unlikely that many fans from Iran will be making the trip to Brazil comes next June.

Abbas Torabian , a member of the FFIRI and former head of the Futsal committee, said that this World Cup will be the most expensive tournament for fans from Iran to attend. Torabian who was a regular traveler to Brazil during his stint with Team Melli futsal team , was engaged in a study to determine the approximate cost for Iranian fans to make it to Brazil and arrange a package for the fans. He is assisted by some Iran9an expatriates in Brazil and local tour operators to facilitate and support Iranians fans who can afford the long trip.

Torabian said that ” a plane ticket will cost around US$ 2,220 at least and could vary during the World Cup. The match tickets for the 2014 World Cup are the most expensive ever in the history of the competition starting around US$300. ” Torabian also noted that ” Sao Paolo and Rio de Janeiro are two of the most expensive cities on record and the cost of accommodation varies with the class of hotels. Good quality hotels is quite expensive compared to the prices in Iran or Middle East in general”. To make matters worst for Iranian fans, the distances between venues for matches could mean domestic flights of 2 to 3 hours, which is an added expense. “Brazil is a big country and the venue could mean a 2 to 3 hours flight ” Torabian said “It all depends on the draw that Iran will have, but in any case , we will be playing each match in a different city and venue”

“With the help of some Iranians living in Brazil , we are trying to arrange the best possible package for our fans, specifically focusing on accommodations in Brazil” Torabian said. “Considering everything , we expect that the cost of attending the World Cup for fans from Iran to be close to US$ 12,000 each”

With such prices as quoted by Torabian , it is extremely unlikely to see a flock of Iranian fans to Brazil. IThe last World Cup Iran took part was 2006 in Germany. Despite the large and respectable numbers of Iranian supporters in the stadiums, especially in Frankfurt where Iranian fans outnumbered the Portuguese 2 to 1, almost the majority of the fans where Iranian expatriates living mainly in Europe and some from North America. The number of fans from Iran was quite small due to expenses and difficulty in obtaining visas and hard currency.  In Brazil 2014 , the numbers that would probably make it from Iran will even be substantially less than Germany 2006.

The best hope for Team Melli support comes from the Iranians living in North America and to a lessor extent expatriate Iranians in Latin America which is not a big number.

Group D Portugal v Iran - World Cup 2006

Team Melli is nominated for AFC Team of the Year 2013.

 

After 6 continuous official matches victory in 2013 including FIFA World Cup 2014 qualifiers and AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015 qualifying matches, Team Melli is nominated as the AFC Team of the Year 2013 in the AFC annual  Award nominations. Competing with Team Melli is Japan National team and Iraq Youth team (U-29). Iran has several nominees in this year’s list including Team Melli Captain Javad Nekounam who is nominated as AFC Player of the Years.

Team Melli played 8 official matches in 2013 winning 7 and drawing one. In the same period Team Melli played one friendly match only and that ended in a 3-1 loss to Oman. In the process , Team Melli qualified for the finals of the two most prestigious competitions, the FIFA World Cup in Brazil in 2014 and the AFC Asian Cup in Australia i2015.

 

 

Annual Awards 2013 Nominees

AFC ANNUAL AWARDS 2013 NOMINEES

(in alphabetical order; list as of today)        

 

AFC DIAMOND OF ASIA
Dr. Chung Mong-Joon

AFC DREAM ASIA AWARD

AFC FAIR PLAY ASSOCIATION OF THE YEAR

China Football Association

Japan Football Association

Korea Football Association

AFC FUTSAL TEAM OF THE YEAR

Chonburi Bluewave (Thailand)

Sanaye Giti Pasand (Iran)

Nagoya Oceans (Japan)

AFC FUTSAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Hossein Tayebibidgoli (Sanaye Giti Pasand: Iran)

Kaoru Morioka (Nagoya Oceans: Japan)

Suphawut Thueanklang (Chonburi Bluewave: Thailand)

AFC FOREIGN PLAYER OF THE YEAR            

Dario Leonardo Conca (Guangzhou Evergrande; Argentina)

Dejan Damjanovic (FC Seoul; Montenegro)

Luiz Guilherme Da Conceicao Silva (Guangzhou Evergrande; Brazil)

AFC ASIAN INTERNATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Keisuke Honda (Japan; CSKA Moscow)

Son Heung-Min (Korea Republic; Bayer Leverkusen)

Yuto Nagatomo (Japan; Inter Milan)

AFC ASSISTANT REFEREE OF THE YEAR

WOMEN

Flynn Allyson Clare (Australia)

Sarah Ho (Australia)

Teshirogi Naomi (Japan)

MEN

Kamranifar Hassan  (Iran)

Nagi Toshiyuki (Japan)

Sagara Toru (Japan)

AFC REFEREE OF THE YEAR
WOMEN

Kamnueng Pannipar (Thailand)

Rita binti Ghani (Malaysia)

Yamagishi Sachiko (Japan)

MEN

Benjamin Williams (Australia)

Nawaf Abdulla  (Bahrain)

Yuichi Nishimura (Japan)

AFC CLUB OF THE YEAR

FC Seoul (Korea Republic)

Guangzhou Evergrande (China)

Kuwait SC (Kuwait)

AFC MEMBER ASSOCIATION OF THE YEAR

 

AFC MA OF THE YEAR FOR GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL

All India Football Federation

Japan Football Association

Vietnam Football Federation

AFC NATIONAL TEAM OF THE YEAR

WOMEN

DPR Korea U-19 National Team

Japan U-16 National Team

Korea Republic U-19 National Team

MEN

Iraq U-20 National Team

IR Iran National Team

Japan National Team

AFC COACH OF THE YEAR

WOMEN

Asako Takemoto (Japan)

Nuengrutai Srathongvian (Thailand)

Hwang In-Sun (Korea Republic)

MEN

Choi Yong-Soo (Korea Republic)

Hakeem Shakir (Iraq)

Jong Song-Chon (Korea Republic)

AFC YOUTH PLAYER OF THE YEAR

WOMEN

Jang Sel-Gi (Korea Republic)

Wang Shuang (China)

Hina Sugita (Japan)

MEN

Abbosbek Makhstaliev (Uzbekistan)

Ali Adnan Kadhim (Iraq)

Kwon Chang-Hoon (Korea Republic)

 

AFC PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Ha Dae-Sung (FC Seoul: Korea Republic)

Javad Nekonam (Esteghlal: Iran)

Zheng Zhi (Guangzhou Evergrande: China)