Team Melli scored a famous win in Azadi despite being down to 10 men , when they defeated the group leader Korea Republic 1-0 from a strike by Javad Nekounam in the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 Qualifying match of the Asian Zone. Azadi stadium was full to the brim with over 110,000 fans hours before the kickoff for this match. The surprise of Carlos Queiroz line up was starting with Reza Ghoochanejad , who made his debut and the benching of Ali Karimi , else the Team Melli was playing with full strength.

 The match first real threat came in the 12^th minute when Nouri missed a setter but was called offside anyway.

In the first  quarter of an hour of the lively game with a great atmosphere. On the 19′ Iran having most of the play and possession and debutant Reza Ghoochannejhad  stings the hands of the Korean Goalkeeper  JUNG Sungryong  with a shot from the edge of the box which the keeper does well to turn away for a corner.

23’ first shoot by Korean from 30 meters easily saved by Rahmati.

30′ Brave goalkeeping from Seyed Mehdi RAHMATI  denies Korea Republic the opening goal. KIM Bokyung (KOR) hits the underside of the bar with a header – and hits the rebound towards goal, but Rahmati gets his body in the way!

38′ PARK Jongwoo (KOR) is cautioned.

45+3 Corner Koreans hit the bar from strong header.

 The South Koreans were clearly the more threatening of the two teams. Rahamati saved at least two goals while the woodwork deprived the Koreans on two occasions.

With the begining of the second half , Team Melli received two quick yellow cards card shojaei (47′) and then Mehrdad  Pooladi (52′)

 55′ a reckless uncalled for foul by the visibly frustrated Shojaei results in his secondThe card was awarded for a late challenge on OH Beom Seok (KOR), which left Shojaei with little cause for complaint. Iran playing with 10 men for the next 35 mints. It was drama in Azadi as Iran, needing a win are reduced to ten men following a dismissal for Masoud SOLEIMANI SHOJAEI . The Osasuna midfielder leaves the pitch in tears.

59′ Iran go close with a spectacular overhead kick from Reza Ghoochannejhad . The ten men are showing great spirit against the Group A leaders.

 74′ Azadi explodes as Captain Javad Nekounam scores with a fine half-volley from 14 yards which left JUNG Sungryong (KOR) with absolutely no chance. The Azadi has gone wild.

81′ Iran coach Carlos Queiroz has been sent to the stands for repeated protests  as his team hang on. The home fans are tense, while the visitors are looking on

Nervous minutes pass and Iran holds up to the final whistle as Team Melli scores a very crucial win.

Freedom of press and expression, highly cherished by the western governments, will deprive Iranian fans in Europe from watching their National football team matches. Millions of Iranian expatriates living in Europe will be unable to watch Iranian TV after the European satellite provider Eutelsat SA stopped the broadcast of all Iranian satellite channels following an order by the European Commission..

The company ordered media services company, Arqiva, to take the Iranian satellite channels off one of its Hot Bird frequencies on Monday. Arqiva said that the decision was made by the EU Council.

“We terminated the contracts because it was the order of the European Commission. We have to follow it,” Karen Badalov, area management of Eutelsat SA told Press TV.

Meanwhile, Head of Public Relations of Arqiva, Gary Follows, told Press TV that as a result of reinforced EU Council sanctions and repeated requests by France’s broadcasting authority for the permanent switch-off of Sahar 1, which is broadcast in the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) multiplex, the IRIB broadcasts through Eutelsat Hot Bird have been terminated.

The Iranian channels being taken off the air include Press TV, al-Alam, Jam-e-Jam 1 and 2, which broadcasts football matches and other Iranian sport events.

The decision follows months of jamming of Iranian channels by European satellite companies.

The politically motivated move to block Iran’s TV is part of American and British lead effort to isolate Iran as a result of claims that the Islamic Republic is developing nuclear weapon. While the British Foreign Minister, commenting to the BBC Persian Service on the latest European sanctions ,  claims that all sanctions against Iran is targeted at the government , it is really difficult to believe how depriving Iranian expatriates from watching events such as televised Football match can hurt the Iranian government and influence the policies , while not harming the ordinary Iranian abroad!

While freedom of expression and the freedom of Press is vehemently practiced and promoted by the west and forms a fundamental pillar of democracy in those countries , to the extent that they pour their wrath on foreign governments who do not respect these rights , it is ironic that the same western government block the opposing Iranian views.

The end result of this political game is Millions of very disappointed Iranians expatriates in Europe. The Iranians ate well known for their great passion towards football and particularly Team Melli.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran’s  passionate football fan, has paid a visit to Team Melli camp a day before the match against Korea Republic. This is the third visit that the Iranian President had paid to Team Melli training camps since his election to office. Ahmadinejad’s visit follows yesterday’s visit by Speaker of the Parliament , Ali Larijani , which signifies the importance of this match for the people of Iran and the significance that the official are putting on a win for Team Melli.

With the current discontent amongst many Iranians about the worsening economic condition as a result of the Iranian currency devaluation against the US dollar, the politicians are counting on a good result in tomorrow’s match to relieve some pressure.  However, Ahmadinejad is well known for his passion towards football irrespective to the political and social impacts.

The president addressed the players and the coaching staff and emphasized on them the self-belief “If you believe in yourself and your ability, if you believe that your level and place is in the international arena at the highest level, than this will go a long way in achieving your desire and objectives. If you think that you are only good enough for Asia, then that is what you will be and will remain. It is all about self-belief and confidence in your ability.“ The Iranian president said to the players.

“It is my firm opinion that Iran belongs to the world class elite as we have the talents and skills to be there” Ahmadinejad added.

The President then mentioned the various Iranian teams that have managed some great strides for the country. He particularly focused on Iran’s volleyball team that has recently won the Asian title for the first time in its history and then subsequently managed to win a place amongst the World elites by gaining promotion to the World Volleyball league. Ahmadinejad said ”Football is much more older and popular than these sport. We have all noticed how our athletes in these other sport had the self-belief and the determination to succeed. By utilizing the best resources we could offer them they have succeeded and did the nation pride. You should also have this self-belief and there is no doubt in my mind that you will succeed.”

The President talked to each and every player before he concluded his courtesy visit. Ahmadinejad, who is also known for his light-hearted comments, said to the players to ignore the media! It is not known whether this was meant as a joke or if he was serious about the issue.

Meanwhile, Carlos Queiroz commented on the visit when he talked to the reporters today. He was very grateful to the Iranian President for such visit that will go a long way in boosting the players morale. In a short press conference, he refuted any claims that he has promised a win against Korea, “Let me be very clear with you on this issue. Anyone, any coach who promises a win , is an ignorant person” Queiroz said in a response to one journalist question who quizzed him about his promise to beat Korea Republic. “What I can promise is that my players will do their utmost best and display their best standard.”

The match in Azadi stadium is expected to be a full house.

 

Total Number of matches played = 25

Iran wins = 9 Drawn Matches= 7 Korea Rep wins= 9

Goals scored  Iran : 28 Korea Rep 32

Total attendance = 813,753

Average attendance per match = 32,550

Iran Scorers:

4 Goals

Ali Daei

3 Goals

Ali Karimi  

2 Goals
Karim Bagheri . Gholamhossein Mazloomi , Own Goals , Hassan Rowshan, Masoud Shojae- Soleimani.

1 Goal

Khodadad Azizi, Hossein Badamaki, Karim Bavi, Hamid Derakhshan, Reza Enayati,  Sirous Ghayeghran, Vahid Hashemian, Ali Jabbari, Hossein Kalani, Alireza Khorsheedi, Javad Nekounam    

Highest number of matches:  Javad Nekounam    9 matches

 Ali Karimi   8 matches ; Mohammad  Nosrati & Andranik  Teymourian  7; Vahid Hashemian  6 matches

 

 LIST OF ALL MATCHES

 

No.	Date	Comp.	H / A / N	Final score	Stadium	Attendance
1	22-Jan-2011	Asian Cup / 1/4Finals	N	0 – 1	Qatar FC Stadium – Doha	7,111
2	07-Sep-2010	Friendly	A	1 – 0	World Cup Stadium – Seoul	38,642
3	17-Jun-2009	WCQ	A	1 – 1	World Cup Stadium – Seoul	28,000
4	12-Feb-2009	WCQ	H	1 – 1	Azadi – Tehran	80,000
5	22-Jul-2007	Asian Cup / 1/4Finals	N	0 – 0	National Stadium Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur	8,000
6	15-Nov-2006	ACQ			zadi – Tehran	45,000
7	02-Sep-2006	ACQ	A	1 – 1	World Cup Stadium -Seoul	60,000
8	12-Oct-2005	Friendly	A	0 – 2	World Cup stadium ,Seoul	62,000
9	31-Jul-2004	Asian Cup / 1/4Finals	N	4 – 3	Shandong Sports Centre ,Jinan	50,000
10	24-Apr-2001	Others / LG CUP	N	0 – 1	National Stadium , Cairo	8,000
11	23-Oct-2000	Asian Cup / Quarter Finals	N	1 – 2	International Olympic Stadium, Tripoli	10,000
12	16-Dec-1996	Asian Cup / 1/4Finals	N	6 – 2	Al-Maktoum Stadium , Dubai	10,000
13	16-Oct-1993	WCQ	N	0 – 3	Al Khalifa Stadium , Doha	10,000
14	03-Oct-1990	Asian Games / 1/2Final	N	1 – 0	Workers Stadium , Beijing	65,000
15	11-Dec-1988	Asian Cup	N	0 – 3	Al-Ahly Stadium ,Doha	5,000
16	01-Oct-1986	Asian Games / 1/4Finals	A	1 – 1	Goodeok Stadium , Busan	30,000
17	23-Nov-1982	Asian Games	N	1 – 0	Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium , New Delhi	40,000
18	11-Nov-1977	WCQr	H	2 – 2	Azadi – Tehran	80,000
19	03-Jul-1977	WCQ	A	0 – 0	Gudeok Stadium , Busan	30,000
20	11-Sep-1974	Asian Games / 1/4Finals	H	2 – 0	Azadi – Tehran	50,000
21	19-May-1972	Asian Cup / Final	N	2 – 1	Suphachalasai Stadium, Bangkok	15,000
22	12-Sep-1971	Friendly	A	2 – 0	Municipal stadium , Seoul	35,000
23	10-Sep-1971	Friendly	A	0 – 2	Municipal stadium , Seoul	35,000
24	11-Dec-1970	Asian Games	N	0 – 1	Suphachalasai Stadium – Bangkok	5,000
25	28-May-1958	Asian Games	N	0 – 5	Tokyo , Japan	7,000

 

The Portuguese coach of Team Melli , said that “I guarantee that we can defeat the Korea Republic team provided we have the support of 100,000 supporters and the administrators & officials”. The comment came during the visit of Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament to Team Melli camp , a visit that Larijani initiated to  offer moral support of the parliamentarians and people representatives ahead of the vital clash on Tuesday against Korea Republic.

During the short visit ,  Larijani met with the players and the coaching staff after the conclusion of a practice session. On the occasion of the visit , Carlos Queiroz said that “ Our team is quite ready for the clash on Tuesday and all our concentration is on taking all the three points out of that match.” Then he went on addressing Larijani , the veteran politician who was the top negotiator on issues of national security, including Iran’s nuclear program and a renowned philosopher in his own right “ I can guarantee and promise that we can defeat Korea Republic with the backing of 100,000 fans in Azadi and the support of officials like you.”

Queiroz praised the presence of Larijani by saying “ Your presence in our camp to observe the players practice session is a morale boosting act and highly appreciated. When a busy person such as yourself who has huge responsibilities and very important issues to deal with in the country , makes time to pay us a visit , it is a sign of how much this nation values football and how vital is the team is for the people.”

Larijani expressed his delight to be in the Team Melli camp and said “ I am glad to see the team in a such an enthusiastic mood and very spirited and in training , all ready for the upcoming challenge.”  He acknowledged that the team has been the target of much criticism recently especially in the press, and added “ some of the criticisms were even quite harsh, however,  I believe that those comments were because of the sincere desire of the people to see a winning Iran , hence they are quite protective of their team and sensitive to its fortunes. People like to see a winning team that brings pride to the nation. We consider you as national asset and in my capacity as a representative of the people , I wish you all the best and dearly hope that you are victorious against Korea Republic team. I also like to convey the good wishes and best regards of the all members of the parliament”

Ali Larijani paid a similar courtesy visit of the camp of Iran’s Futsal team which is preparing for the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2012 t0 be held in Thailand .

This is the highest ranking  Iranian official visit to Team Melli camps since President Ahmadinejad visited on May 30th , 2008.

Despite the relatively disappointing performance and results in the recent matches played by Team Melli under Carlos Queiroz and specially that historic loss to Lebanon in Beirut , the fans in Iran have shown a great desire to support their team in Azadi stadium next Tuesday against Korea Republic.

 The match, which is a crucial one for Team Melli , sitting in second place with 4 points, just behind the leaders Korea Republic, is anticipated to fill the 100,000 stadium to its capacity. Azadi , is one of the world most famous and daunting of venues. The match will be held in an intimidating atmosphere for the Koreans who have never managed to win in Iran. The battle cries have already been sounded in Iran with Team Melli getting an unusually full hearted support from every corner, even from those who were highly critical of Carlos Queiroz players. Apart from the usual fans , some of whom travel for hundreds of miles to watch a match in Azadi , many of the Iran Olympic heroes , ex-footballers, club coaches , club owners and dignitaries have announced their full support while the majority of them promised to be present in Azadi stadium.

One such supporter is Greco-Roman Wrestler Hamid Sourian , the 2012 Olympics Champion and Gold medal winner, who has urged his countrymen to stand behind their football team in order to defeat the Koreans. Sourian , an avid football fan and the most decorated wrestler of modern time with   five-time world championship titles in his bag in Greco-Roman wrestling, stated that the support for Team Melli on Tuesday 16^th October , is a national duty. “Everyone should forget whatever setbacks that have occurred to Team Melli and instead the fans should wholeheartedly support the team.” Sourian said in an interview. He hoped that Team Melli players give their best and bring honors to the football loving nation.

There seems to be a common belief by the football critics and in particular the hyper critical Iranian sport media , that the time is not right for inquests against Carlos Queiroz now. With two crucial matches, the upcoming Korea Republic match, and the next one against Uzbekistan in Azadi, the focus should be on the support and preparing a good atmosphere for the players to achieve the maximum points in those two matches, was declared editorials in various Iranian sport press .

Hossein Faraki , ex-Team Melli player who was the team member in the first ever World Cup in 1978 in Argentina, said that the only way to achieve victory against Korea and Uzbekistan is for everyone to be united and work together.

Kaebi “Korean have always been a difficult opponent for us.“

Another ex-Team Melli player , Hossein Kaebi , who has played against Korea Republic 5 times , echoed the sentiment of the rest and demanded the full support of the media and the fans on Tuesday. However, Kaebi was under no illusion and said “that Korean have always been a difficult opponent for us. Their football has progressed tremendously and their qualifications to the consecutive World Cup tournaments are evidence of this country’s strength in depth.” Kaebi who currently plays for Rah Ahn and has been selected for Team Melli under Queiroz ,  said that “we cannot just win based on wishful thinking and talk , the team needs to be at its best to match the Koreans.” He also pointed out the necessity to neutralize their best player with tight marking.

Mohammad Mayeli-Kohan , the controversial former Team Melli coach , emphasized the importance of fan support in Azadi and believed that the fans should not be despondent with any initial setbacks but need to support the team until the final whistle is blown. Mayeli-Kohan has been highly critical of many aspects of football in Iran and has questioned the Iranian football federation’s recruitment of foreign coaches for Team Melli. However , his presence at Team Melli practice sessions was a token of support as he urged the rest of the fans to follow suit and back the team. He cautioned against fan’s discontent if the team did not score in the initial period of the match.

The organizing committee of the AFC Asian Championship 2015 which is scheduled to be held in Australia , has announced the schedule of the competition qualifying matches that will start from February 2013.

Iran is grouped with Kuwait , Lebanon and Thailand. Team Melli will play its first match against Lebanon on the 5th February in Azadi stadium.

The rest of the schedule:

Iran        vs.  Lebanon   Wed. 5th Feb 2013
Kuwait    vs.  Iran         Fri.  22nd Mar 2013
Iran       vs.  Thailand   Tue. 15th Oct 2013
Thailand vs. Iran          Fri 15th Nov 2013
Lebanon vs. Iran         Tue. 19th Nov 2013
Iran       vs. Kuwait     Wed. 5th Mar 2014

Tehran.

Team Melli began its training sessions in earnest this Tuesday morning under the supervision of Carlos Queiroz at No. 2 Training Ground of Azadi Sports Complex. The practice sessions, which was mainly focused on the physical fitness was attended by all the 24 players.  Ashkan Dejagah , Reza Ghoochanejad, Omid Nazari, Andranik Teymourian and Masoud Shojaei , the 5 legionnaire players have joined the camp and were after arriving from outside the country.

After the completion of the training session , In statements to the press in regards to the upcoming match next week against Korea Republic , Ali Kaffashian has said that “It is not much use for Team Melli to qualify for the World Cup while playing weak games and struggling to make the finals. We need to show our grit and play a high standard of football to makes us proud.” The Head of the Iranian football federation admitted that the team could have played much better football in the last three months and if that was achieved , they would not have been in such a precarious position right now  where a win against South Korea is really vital for the Team Melli. However , Kaffashian stressed that “we should not lose hope or be despondent about what has occurred in the past and we must support Team Melli without any reservations”

He also defended the coaching staff of Team Melli and stressed that regardless to the result of the match against Korea Republic, Carlos Queiroz will remain at the helm of Iran’s national team until his contracts expires .

In a separate statement to the press, Masoud Shojaei , the Osasuna player has stressed that “We must beat both Korea Republic and Uzbekistan in order for us to have a good chance of qualifying to the World Cup.” Shojaei , who has a suffered many injuries since the Asian Cup 2011 in Qatar and has been out of football action for a whole season as result of operations, said that the conditions at the team camp is ideal and hoped that by the time they face Korea Republic in six days time, the fitness and physical conditions of all the players reaches the optimum level.

Commenting on his club status, Shojaei said that he has not played for his club, which is lingering at the bottom of the league, this season. He admitted that he lost a good friend when Javad Nekounam left Osasuna to join Esteghlal back home. Shojaei, who played against Lebanon but was not effective in the match, said that the presence of the foreign based Team Melli players gives the other players some great motivation; otherwise the standards between all the players are close. He praised the way that Nazari and Ghoochanejad have been received by the rest of the players despite the duo being new to Team Melli and living outside of Iran for almost their entire lives.

Shojaei refused to predict the result of the coming match but said “it is always going to be difficult to play against the Koreans and we really need to beat them and Uzbekistan in order to have a fair shot at qualifying to the World Cup. We must not lose any points at home from now on.”

Mohammad Nosrati , who has been added to Queiroz list after being away from Team Melli for some times, also emphasized the importance of a victory against Korea Republic and declared that it will be the catalyst for qualifying to the World Cup. He said “I believe that this match against Korea Republic is the most important match of the whole campaign. I truly hope that everyone realizes that. We are hoping for 100.000 fans supporting us in Azadi “

“The game against Korea Republic is a decider for us. If we beat them, it will go a long way in our quest for qualifying. Of course if we have beaten Qatar at home and Lebanon, we would have been at a much comfortable position now.” Nosrati added.

Asked about Ghoochanejad and Nazri , the two Europe based players , Nosrati said the he believes that there are many players who are  capable in playing for Team Melli. It was the coach decision to include  players with European experience in the team.

Melbourne: Renewal of rivalries will be the main feature of the AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015™ qualifiers after the preliminary draw for Asia’s flagship national team tournament was held here on Tuesday.

In another renewal of rivalry, Iran who beat Kuwait in the 1976 final to emerge as the champions have again been put together with the Al Azraq in Group B where they face off against Lebanon and 2007 co-hosts and group stage contestants Thailand.

Team Melli has faced Kuwait in record number of 35 times since their first meeting in 1972, while they have had an immaculate record against Lebanon until the recent shock defeat in Beirut in the Qualifying rounds of the FIFA World Cup 2014 Brazil. The fourth team , Thailand has faced Iran on 12 occasions but has failed to record any wins since the first meeting in Bangkok in 1972 , where Iran won the Asian Cup for the second time in a row.

The twenty teams were divided into five groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group and the best third-placed team among all the groups will qualify for the tournament proper to be held in Australia in 2015.

AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011™ champions Japan, hosts and runners-up Australia, third-placed Korea Republic, AFC Challenge Cup 2012 winners DPR Korea and the champions of the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup will get direct berths in the final competition.

Syria were together with Jordan in Group B of the last edition in Doha 2011 but the former crashed out while the Al Nashama advanced to the quarter-finals after finishing second in the group behind eventual champions Japan. This time, the Syrian Eagles, Jordan, Oman, and Singapore who last appeared in 1994, complete Group A.

Iraq are to shake hands with Saudi Arabia again in Group C, having emerged champions in 2007 after defeating the Green Falcons. China PR, who were runners-up in 2004, and 2007 co-hosts Indonesia will keep them company.

In Group E, Central Asians Uzbekistan will meet Hong Kong, the hosts and third place winners of the inaugural edition in 1956. The section is rounded off by 2007 quarter-finalists Vietnam and 1996 runners-up the UAE.

Group D is home to 2011 hosts and quarter-finalists Qatar, who have appeared in the AFC Asian Cup seven times, their neighbours Bahrain, Yemen, and 2007 co-hosts and group stage contestants Malaysia.

The qualifiers will commence in February 2013.

The Groupings:

Group A
Jordan
Syria
Oman
Singapore

Group B
Iran
Kuwait
Thailand
Lebanon

Group C
Iraq
China
Saudi Arabia
Indonesia

Group D
Qatar
Bahrain
Yemen
Malaysia

Group E
Uzbekistan
UAE
Vietnam
Hong Kong

Reza Ghoocanejad has been finally cleared to play for Iran after all the documents were scrutinized and approved by FIFA. Carlos Queiroz who has invited the Dutch-Iranian player for the summer camp in Hungary , was disappointed when he heard that Ghoochanejad would not be available for the Lebanon match as his papers were not cleared in time.

With Ghoochanejad being available, Queiroz finally completed the jigsaw of European based players that he was seeking from the beginning of his reign with Team Melli. Both , Omid Nazari and Ashkan Dejagah are also included in the 24 man squad.

Ali Karimi , who is an outcast with his club and has been fired from Perspolis , is included in the squad , despite the fact that Perspolis captain has not played competitively or trained with his team for over two weeks.

The other new player for the squad , is Mes Kerman player . Iran based Ahmad Hassanzadeh, else Queiroz has selected his strongest squad with Andranik “Ando” Teymourian once again being available after he was suspended for the Lebanon game. Hadi Aghili is the only player who is not available due to injury.

The 24 players list

 

1	Rahman AHMADI	G
2	Mehdi RAHMATI	G
3	Sousha Makani	G
4	Ehsan HAJSAFY	D
5	Khosrow HEYDARI	D
6	Jalal HOSSEINI	D
7	Hossein MAHINI,	D
8	Maziar ZARE	D
9	Mohammad NOSRATI	D
10	Pejman MONTAZERI	D
11	Mehrdad POOLADI	D
12	Ashkan DEJAGAH	M
13	Ali KARIMI	M
14	Omid NAZARI	M
15	Javad NEKOUNAM,	M
16	Mohammad NOURI	M
17	Pejman NOURI	M
18	Andranik TEYMOURIAN	M
19	Karim ANSARIFARD	F
20	MohamadReza KHALATBARY	F
21	Mohammad Ghazi NAJAFABADI	F
22	Reza GHOOCHANEJAD	F
23	Masoud SHOJAEI	F
24	Ahmad HASSANZADEH	F