Tag: Zlatko Kranjčar

19/01/2019

Omid Team scores 5 against Kuwait

Iran’s Omid Team (U23) defeated Kuwait 5-0 in the second match of the Round-Ribbon invitational tournament in Qatar. After losing to Tajikistan in the first match, the Iranian team bounced back with a vengeance against Kuwait and ended up scoring five goals without reply.

Kranjcar’s players took control of the game from the very first minutes of the match and managed to open the scoring as early as the 3rd minute through Alireza Arta’s shot. Iran continued to put pressure on the opponent’s goal throughout the match , while Kuwait was content with defending.

In the 40th minute, Sayyad-Manish scored from a rebound after the Kuwait goalkeeper failed to hold on to the ball. First half ended 2-0 with a decisive superiority by Omid Team.

In the second half, again, Iran continued the same with superior control and possession. The third goals was just a matter of time. Younis Delphi scored the third , five minutes after the start of the second half in the 50th minute on a clever ball stealing and accurate shot from an acute angle.

Hosseinzadeh scored the fourth in 54th minute with a precise shot to raise the pressure on the Kuwait team.

Omid Noorafkan was the fifth Iranian player on the score sheet, with a precise free kick in the 72nd minute. After the fifth goal, the humiliated Kuwaitis resorted to rough and aggressive play with some wild tackles flying. As a result , Iranian players retaliated in the absence of proper protection from the referee. In the aftermath of one such intense clashes, two players from each team were shown the red card. Amir Roustaei and Kuwait defender received their marching order in the 80th minute.

In the 90th minute, Hamid Taherkhani was sent off as well , for Omid team to continue with 9 players , however the match ended with an emphatic 5-0 win for Iran’s Omid Team.

Qatar and Iran will play the final match on the 21st of January in Aspire Training field in Doha. Kuwait will meet Tajikistan in their last match.

25/12/2018

Omid team draws against Jordan U-23

Iran’s Omid Team (U-23) played a friendly match against Jordan U-23 team today (Tuesday) at the Medina Al-Riaziya Stadium in Irbid City, Jordan. The match ended in a 1 – 1 draw.

The home team started offensively and in the seventh minute, the Jordanian player Hadi Al-Hurani managed to open the scoring for the host. Following this early goal, Zlatko Kranjcar players took control of the ball and the field looking for a quick response and a change the result. Iran’s offensive midfielder Mehdi Qaedi was blatantly brought down by his opponents in the box , but Jordanian referee Omar al-Ma’ani did not believe in a penalty.

During the match, Mehdi Mahdi Khani and Vahid Namdari both hit the woodwork but none of those shots ended in a goal. Eventually, Namdari the teams striker struck in the 37″ minutes, wagering, and turned the ball from the corner sent into the box and headed the ball into the corner of the opponent scoring the equalizer.

In the second half, the Omid team retained its offensive game plan. In the 48th minute, Namdari was in a one-to-one situation with the opponent’s goalkeeper, and could have easily scored his and the team 2nd goal. The Jordanian goalkeeper gallantly held his position and foiled Namdari.

The two teams’ efforts ultimately failed to score any further goals. Iran’s Omid team in their fourth game in preparation for the Olympics qualifiers ended in a stalemate.

Iran Omid Team Line up:

Shahab Adeli, Omid Noroufkan, Aref Aghasi (Hossein Saki 46′), Mohammad Moslemipour, Alireza Artah (Omid Dareh 75′), Abolfazl Razzaghpour (Hamid Reza Taherkhani 75), Mohammad Khodabandehlo, Mehdi Mehdi Khani, Mehdi Ghaedi (Abolfazl Jalali 67′), Vahid Namdari (Younis Delphi 62) and Amir Roustahi (Mohammad Reza Azadi 65)

Before the match against Jordan, the Iranian team played 3 friendly matches , once against Oman and twice against Syria, in which Omid Team had won all three matches. The qualifying stage games for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics will be held in Iran the first half of April, 2009. The U-23 team will play in the third group against Iraq, Yemen and Turkmenistan.

26/11/2018

Omid Team will face Syria in Kish.

The Manager of the Iran U23 national team, (Omid Team) , announced the forthcoming plan for the team which includes a training camp in which the team will play two friendly matches against the Syrian national U23 team.

in an interview with Hamid Estili published in the official website of the Football Federation, Omid Team Manager said: “The new round of Iranian U23 National Football team training begins on Dec. 15^th. A day later, the squad will fly to Kish Island to play two friendly preparations matches.”

The director of the Omid team also said: “According to the schedule , the first match will be held on 18^th December in Kish, we will face Syria in the first game. Syria is a powerful opponent and can be a very useful game. On December 21^st, we will hold the second game in Kish also against the same team (Syria), and then we will return back to Tehran to conclude the camp.”

Estili added: “It’s very important for us to hold preparation games to compete against the best opponents possible. The coaching & technical staff has emphasized this. Fortunately, we played a very good match against Oman, and the two scheduled matches against Syria should be very useful indeed. Also, luckily, we have had good results in negotiating with some other Asian teams for more matches. The result of these will be announced in dues time after agreeing terms. The ultimate goal is to be prepared for a tough competition by playing valuable matches with different teams to prepare for the preliminary qualifiers for the Asian U23 and the Olympics. We shall achieve our objectives, God willing, with the support of the Federation. To this day, it has been excellent, which I see as prudent to mention that publicly. We are encouraged by the interest and support given to the team’s program and the backing of all parties concerned from the federation executives to the clubs.”

Team Omid (Iran U23) , which is coached by the Croat coach Zlatko Kranjcar, is preparing for the AFC Asian Championship qualifiers and the preliminary Olympics Games football competition qualifiers.

21/11/2018

Iran Omid team defeats Oman 2-1

Iran’s Omid Team (U-23) defeated its host Oman 2-1 in the friendly match played at Sultan Qaboos Stadium, in Muscat Oman.

Zlatko Krancjar started the match with Shahab Adeli, Omid Darreh, Omid Noorafkan, Abolfazl Razzagpour, Mohammad Aghajanpour, Ali Taheran, Mohammad Khodabandelo, Mehdi Ghaedi, Reza Bachari, Mehdi MehdiKhani and Allahyar Sayadmanish.

The first half ended 1-0 for the host after Oman scored on the 40th minute of the match.

Iran’s Omid Team had many good scoring opportunities but the Omani goalkeeper saved them all, at times with heroics.

In the second half, Krancjar sent on Abolfazl Jalali, Amir Roustahi, Hamid Taherkhani, Hassan Saki and Isma’ili to the field. In the 52th minute, Ali Taheran scored the equalizer from a perfect cross by Taherkhani. Two minutes later, Mehdi Ghaedi scored the winner from a set piece.

18/11/2018

Omid Team list for Oman match is announced.

Zlatko Kranjcar has announced the list of 22 players who will join the U23 team for the friendly match against Oman on 20th November. The match will be held in the Omani Capital Muscat and is a part of the preparation for the upcoming challenge at continental level and the qualifying for the Olympics.

the squad

Abol Fazl Jalali (Saipa)

Abolfazl Razzaghpour, (Peykan)

Ali Taheran (Tractoration Tabriz)

Allahyar Sayadmanesh (Esteghlal Tehran)

Amir Roustaei, (Peykan)

Aref Aghasi (Foolad Khouzestan)

Hamid Reza Taherkhani (Persepolis)

Hossein Saki (Sanat Naft Abadan)

Mehdi Ghaedi (Esteghlal Tehran)

Meiraj Ismaili (Zob Ahan)

Mohammad Aghajanpour (Padideh Mashhad)

Mohammad Khodabandehlo (Peykan)

Mohammad Mehdi Mehdikhani (Padideh Mashhad)

Mohammad Reza Azadi (Tractoration Tabriz)

Nader Mohammadi (Peykan)

Omid Darreh (Saipa)

Omid Noorafkan (Chareloi )

Reza Jebeireh (Sanat Naft Abadan)

Reza Karimi (Esteghlal Tehran)

Reza Shakari (Rubin Kazan)

Shahab Adeli (Sepahan),

Sina Zamehran (Padideh Mashhad)

06/07/2018

Iran grouped with North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Myanmar in Asian Games football competition.

Jakarta: Iran will face DPR Korea, the 2014 silver medalists, Saudi Arabia, and Myanmar in Group F of the upcoming Asian Games 2019

Defending champions Korea Republic will have Bahrain, Kyrgyz Republic and Malaysia for company in Group F of men’s football at the 2018 Indonesia Asian Games draw in Jakarta on Thursday. Hosts Indonesia, meanwhile, drew Hong Kong, Laos and Chinese Taipei in Group A.

The U-23 tournament, which allows each country to field three overage players, will see 24 teams vying for honours.

Group B has Thailand, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh and Qatar, while Group C will see 2014 bronze medalists Iraq, China PR, Timor-Leste and Syria.

Japan were the seeded team in Group D and they were drawn with Vietnam, Pakistan and Nepal.

The top two teams in each group along with the four best 3rd placed teams will advance to the Round of 16.

Men’s football will be contested on August 14 to September 1 in Jakarta and Palembang.

Iran failed to qualify from group stage in last tournament in Incheon Games 2014. After winning a record 4 gold medal in football competition, the last of which was in 2002 in Busan, Iran won the bronze in Doha games 2006 and the fourth rank in Guangzhou in 2010. This time, the U23 team is coached by Kranjcar who has a good insight into Iranian football and a good track record with Sepahan Esfahan club.

Sohrab Bakhtiyarizadeh and Reza Shahroudi both ex-Team Melli player assist Kranjcar in training the team whil the Manager is Hamid Estili.

Asian Game Men Football

All time medal winners

Year	Host	Final			Third Place
Year	Host	Gold Medal	Score	Silver Medal	Bronze Medal	Score	Fourth Place
1951 details	New Delhi, India	India	1–0	Iran	Japan	2–0	Afghanistan
1954 details	Manila, Philippines	Republic of China	5–2	South Korea	Burma	5–4	Indonesia
1958 details	Tokyo, Japan	Republic of China	3–2	South Korea	Indonesia	4–1	India
1962 details	Jakarta, Indonesia	India	2–1	South Korea	Malaya	4–1	South Vietnam
1966 details	Bangkok, Thailand	Burma	1–0	Iran	Japan	2–0	Singapore
1970 details	Bangkok, Thailand	Burma South Korea	0–0 aet¹		India	1–0	Japan
1974 details	Tehran, Iran	Iran	1–0	Israel	Malaysia	2–1	North Korea
1978 details	Bangkok, Thailand	North Korea South Korea	0–0 aet		China PR	1–0	Iraq
1982 details	New Delhi, India	Iraq	1–0	Kuwait	Saudi Arabia	2–0²	North Korea
1986 details	Seoul, South Korea	South Korea	2–0	Saudi Arabia	Kuwait	5–0	Indonesia
1990 details	Beijing, China	Iran	0–0 aet (4–1) pen	North Korea	South Korea	1–0	Thailand
1994 details	Hiroshima, Japan	Uzbekistan	4–2	China PR	Kuwait	2–1	South Korea
1998 details	Bangkok, Thailand	Iran	2–0	Kuwait	China PR	3–0	Thailand
2002 details	Busan, South Korea	Iran	2–1	Japan	South Korea	3–0	Thailand
2006 details	Doha, Qatar	Qatar	1–0	Iraq	Iran	1–0 aet	South Korea
2010 details	Guangzhou, China	Japan	1–0	United Arab Emirates	South Korea	4–3	Iran
2014 details	Incheon, South Korea	South Korea	1–0 aet	North Korea	Iraq	1–0	Thailand
2018 details	Jakarta and Palembang,

*Under-23 tournament since 2002.

25/12/2014

“Khakpour is as good as Kranjcar” Kaffashian claims

The head of Iran’s football federation, Ali Kaffashian, much more known for his bizarre and outlandish quotes than his knowledge of football administration, admitted that Habib Kashani knows much better than him in football affairs and Kashani was right when he strongly expressed his concerns about the Omid Team prospects by submitting his resignation. “I have to say that Kashani is quite knowledgeable man in football, much more than I am. We have not accepted his resignation because we needed him although he had valid points about coaching selection” However, controversially Kaffashian said that the appointed Omid Team coach , Mohammad Khakpour , who has virtually no experience at top level football, is as good as the veteran and championship winner Zlatko Kranjcar , who was Habib Kashani’s handpicked choice!

Kaffashian did not offer any rational explanation for his bizarre claim, nor could we explain the conflict between his two statements!

On the Omid Team, Kaffashian also admitted that the results and the performance of the Omid Team were poor and inexcusable. “Without having a proper program, we simply brought in a foreign coach, appointed him and told him to win us the Asian Games gold medal. The result was what you have all seen.” Thus for the umpteen times, Kaffashian unwittingly admits his administration poor management, planning and organizational skills.

Asked about the chances of Iran winning the Asian Cup and lifting the trophy for the first time since 1976, the head of FFIRI in his usual sarcastic tone said “ Our team is very good as you have all seen in the World Cup. What I promise you in Australia is that the players will pass the ball instead of sending the ball high in the sky!!”

In a way, Kaffashian officially joins Queiroz as the two people in Iran that have given Team Melli no hope of winning the Asian Cup. Although the promise of not playing “Ali Asghari“ football might appeal to some fans!

Kaffashian dismissed any notions of resignation from his post if Team Melli fails in the AFC Asian Cup.

“There is no reason for me to resign because of that. I will continue doing my job and prepare for the next stage. I have a 4 years cycle of presidency and plan to serve it. If the general assembly accepts me and finds me suitable, I will carry on for the next 4 years as well.”

The concept of accepting responsibility and resigning due to shortcomings and failures, has not reached Iranian football shores yet. Failures and defeats are quite acceptable to this federation. 2014 was the one of the worst years of failures at all levels for the proud and glorious Iranian football history, all under the administration of the all-smiling and not too serious Ali Kaffashian.

15/12/2014

Sajjadi “We will pursue Queiroz, if evidence is presented!”

Deputy Minister of Youth Sports said “if evidence is presented against Carlos Queiroz violating our values, we will deal with him as we did with others!”

The veiled threat to the Portuguese coach came in the aftermath of the public prosecution of Zlatko Kranjcar, in which the ministry of youth & Sport has accused the Croat coach of consuming alcohol in players’ dressing room!

Nassrollah Sajjadi, like his boss Goudarzi , who has not made any great attempts to conceal his contempt towards football , starting from Kaffashian and his administration to the footballers and coaches in club and Team Melli, has once again wielded the sword of threat. Not only this ministry has said little to praise anyone related to football, it has consistently been hostile and hardly screened their disapproval of Carlos Queirroz and Zlatko Kranjcar.

Sepahan CEO Merhrzad Khalilian with Zlatko Krajncar

The Ministry of Youth & Sports has been widely criticized and ridiculed for their narrow-minded and immoral way they dealt with Kranjcar in which the most basic of human rights has been disregarded by a Ministry. One of the sharpest reaction was that of the Sepahan CEO Mehrzad Khalilian who called the accusation that Kranjcar consumed alcohol in his team’s dressing room as fabricated , fraudulent and uncivilized. Even the government supporting media has been vocal in their criticism of a Ministry that has installed itself as the judge, the jury and executioner of morality cases thereby over-stepping its authority that is the function and responsibility of the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic.

After that episode with Kranjcar, while being reminded about the cultural differences of foreign coaches , the Ministry to be seen as applying their own version of law on everyone, now is in pursuit of Carlos Queiroz for the same reasons as Kranjcar!

As if the never ending problems with Team Melli ahead of the Asian Cup are not enough, now Queiroz has to deal with this side issue and this lot!

09/12/2014

A disgraceful act by the Ministry of sport official.

Humiliation and indignation of a person in public, is considered an offense punishable by law in every country of the world including Iran which has a strict law against such misdemeanor.

Last night on one of the most popular TV shows in Iran , a Ministry of Youth and sport official who was contacted by phone by Adel Ferdowsipour, the presenter of Navad, to explain the reasons behind the rejection of Zlatko Kranjcar as the Head Coach of Omid team , stated that his Ministry has rejected the Croat coach , not based on technical merits but on cultural issues because the Croat is an Alcoholic!

When challenged by the presenter if there are any evidences of such claims and whether it has been verified by a law force, Police or the judicial system, the Ministry of sports official responded that they have enough evidence against him although he was not prosecuted nor accused of any wrongdoing by a law force!

This public accusation in front of millions of viewers carried out without giving the accused person the right to defend himself , which is a basic human right, amount to defamation and invasions of privacy. It is also a prosecution and public trial by the Ministry official who has neither legal authority nor the jurisdictions to conduct a trial.

What makes the matter even worse and certainly shameful, is that the Ministry of Youth and Sport has been asking for calm and serenity while advising the media and sport personalities not to engage in public quarrels and accusations, at the time when both the Minister and his deputy , and now this official is doing exactly the opposite of what they preach and claim.

In some civil law jurisdictions, defamation is treated as a crime rather than a civil wrongdoing. Recently , Mayeli-Kohan was jailed for such violations and slanders , which was a strong message to anyone who dares to wrongly accuse others without evidence. Will this official be put on trial or will the government use its veto to cover his wrongdoing?

How long will the pragmatic and progressive President Rouhani , tolerate the Minster of Youth and Sports and his men, notorious for their meddling, agitations and public hostility with the football federation, is another question that is beginning to be asked by many observers.

A president who was elected on a campaign that promised free expression , respect for people privacy and letter of law must surely be embarrassed and concerned by the antics of the Ministry of Youth and Sport which has put the name of football in Iran in disrepute, according to Mehr News agency.

08/12/201408/12/2014

Habib Kashani quits as Omid Team Manager in protest.

Habib Kashani the former CEO of Persepolis club and the Manager of Omid Team has quit his job.

On his appointment for the highly demanding job after the Asian Games debacle, Kashani was in action quite quickly and managed to secure the services of Zlatko Kranjcar to coach the Omid team with the aim of taking the U23 team for the Olympics in Rio for the first time in 40 years. After completing all selection processes and formalities Ali Kaffashian announced the news to the press that Kranjcar has been selected and approved by the federation’s Football Development & Technical Committee. However, only a day later Kaffashian suddenly had a change of heart. He claimed that there is one more filter to go through before signing the contract.

That filter was none other than the Ministry of Youth and Sports , notorious for interferences in the work of football federation. The Ministry has previously been a strong opponent of Queiroz contract extension and now it appears that Kranjcar is not a suitable coach for the Omid team, according to their own football expertise panel . The Ministry keeps denying direct involvement, but both the Minister Goudarzi and his deputy Sajjadi have been vocal and consistent in their ongoing interferences on the pretext of providing advice, read order, to the football federation. Such interferences are in direct violation of FIFA

Kashani has issued a long emotional public letter on his resignation. He stated that he was not in need of or pursuing a job but was pursued by the federation for such a critical mission. With a 40 years absence being a black mark in Iran football heritage, Kashani had a national mission to answer, according to his letter.

“Although I believe that all the three organizations involved in the Omid Team, the FFIRI , The Ministry of youth and Sport and Iran Olympic Committee IOC, are sincerely and diligently working towards the success of the team top break this 40 years absence, I correspondingly believe that the establishment of a Technical Committee in the Ministry of Youth and Sport that can over-rule the football federation , is a direct violation of the football law and interference in the running of an independent NGO. However , I still respect that committee’s decision if it was based on technicality and/or genuine valid reason.”

“Instead, an international coach with a pedigree and a resume of success in Iran and oversees is rejected based on non-footballing issues. This is totally unacceptable.”

“I still want to be a soldier and a servant for this country and in this respect, I shall resign my job to allow a suitable candidate who is capable of working with the trio of organization to achieve its goal of qualifying to the Rio Olympics Games.”