Month: August 2016

30/08/2016

Team Melli in full readiness to face Qatar.

Team Melli continued training for the first match of round three of FIFA’s World Cup 2018 qualifier against Qatar on Thursday first of September.

While Queiroz was masterminding his game plan against the tough Qatari opposition some of his players and many other ex-players were pleading with the fans to fill the stadium to help frighten the Qatari team!!!!
Many seem to believe that it is the fans that will be the major factor in defeat of Qatar rather than the traditional game plan and players competence. Strangely enough , Javad Nekounam who is in the coaching team of Team Melli is one of those who seem to believes more in the fans power than players skill!!!

Indeed it is a strange and uncharacteristic attitude by the veterans like Nekounam , Parvin and Monajati indicative of the fact that these people undermining the ability of Team Melli players who are well capable of beating the Qatari’s on the field even without the vocal support of the fans.
Meanwhile Qatar flew to Tehran on a Chartered flight and will be conducting their only training session on Wednesday afternoon at Azadi stadium. Qatar coach Uruguayan José Daniel Carreño has a full strength team at his disposal.

Carreño believes that his team is well capable of shocking the host or at least getting a point. He denies that he will be looking at a solely defensive game plan, however he has made it clear that the defense of his team will be a major factor in the result.

28/08/2016

IRAN v QATAR – Match preview




AZADI STADIUM , TEHRAN 01st September 2016 Matchday 1
	Iran and Qatar first met in December 1988 in Doha during the AFC Asian Cup 1988. That match resulted in 2 -0 win for Team Melli with Karim Bavi and Farshad Peyous scored Iran goals in Al Ahli Stadium. First win for Qatar came after the fifth attempt when Team Melli under Mayeli-Kohan was going through a turmoil period in their quest to qualify for the World Cup 1998. In Doha, while needing a win to qualify directly to the World Cup , Iran lost to Qatar 2-0. That resulted in dismissal of Mayeli-Kohan as the head coach of Team Melli. The two teams have been meeting regularly in regional and Continental competitions including WAFF, AFC Asian Cup , FIFA World Cup. Qatar has always been a tough opponent for Iran and the results have been close bar a one time 6 -1 drubbing by Team Melli in WAFF competition in 2008. *****************************************************************************
[box title=” NUMBER OF WINS ” style=”soft” box_color=”#c8c8ba” title_color=”#0d0c0c” radius=”5″]Team Melli played Qatar 20 times. From the first official match between the two teams, it took Qatar 9 years to register its first win against Team Melli.[/box]
NUMBER OF GOALS Scored by Team Melli players against Qatar in 20 matches. Average of 1.6 goals per game while conceding 15 goals in total for an average of 0.75 per game.15			Number of losses of Team Melli vs Qatar in Official matches. That loss was in November 1997 in the qualifying rounds of FIFA World Cup 1998. That is 18 years ago and has not been repeated again.


Legionnaires Throughout the years , Qatar leagues has been a popular destination for Iranian players. It was the very first step in professionalism for a lot of them. Even before the rich Qatar Star League was established , players like Hamid Derakhshan , Farshd Peyous , Karim Bavi and later on Ali Daei , Karim Bagheri and Ali Karimi were attracted to play in Qatar. Lucrative contracts , easy life style , large Iranian expatriate community and secured future was the main reasons behind this attraction.		With the introduction of a full-fledged rich professional league in Qatar under the full support of the government, Qatar Star League QSL attracted the best of Iranian footballers many of them preferring it to European league. Ali Karimi transfer from Bayern Munich started the ball rolling. Currently, Ashkan Dejagah, Masoud Shojae, Morteza Pouraliganji, Mohammad Noori, Mehrdad Pooladi, Javad Nekounam, Mojtaba Jabbari and Pejman Montazeri make their living in the QSL

28/08/2016

FIFA proposes two-and-a-half-year ban for Qatar official Al-Mohannadi

A two-and-a-half-year ban and a CHF 20,000 fine have been suggested by FIFA after an investigation into Qatar official Saoud Al-Mohannadi.

FIFA’s Ethics Committee has recommended a two-and-a-half-year ban from football for Qatar Football Association (QFA) vice-president Saoud Al-Mohannadi who is running against Ali Kaffashian as AFC candidate in FIFA’s Executive Committee.

World football’s governing body has investigated the QFA official for an alleged failure to cooperate fully with a separate anti-corruption probe.

“The investigation against Mr Al-Mohannadi concerned his failure to properly cooperate and provide truthful information to the investigatory chamber in the framework of another investigation not related to the awarding of the 2022 FIFA World Cup,” a FIFA statement read.

“In his final report, the chief of the investigation recommends imposing a ban of no less than two years and six months and a fine of no less than CHF 20,000 on Mr Al-Mohannadi for an alleged violation of art. 13 (General rules of conduct), art. 18 (Duty of disclosure, cooperation and reporting) and art. 42 (General obligation to collaborate) of the FIFA Code of Ethics.

“Until a formal decision is taken by the adjudicatory chamber of the Ethics Committee, the accused party is presumed innocent.”

Al-Mohannadi had been the general secretary of the QFA when its bid to host the 2022 World Cup was launched.

He had been approved as a candidate to run for a place on FIFA’s ruling council this month, having last year withdrawn from the race for the Executive Committee claiming he did not want to divide support for West Asian candidates.

Al-Mohannadi is the second Qatari official to be involved in a major corruption scandal involving FIFA. Mohammad Bin Hammam was banned for life for bribing his way to FIFA Presidency election in December 2012. Although FIFA was not forthcoming about the details of Al-Mohannadi’s misdemeanour, it is believed that the Vice President and the strongman of QFA has hidden documents, falsified records and used strong-arm tactics and direct threats against anyone revealing incriminating evidence that would have harmed QATAR hosting of the 2022 World Cup.

27/08/2016

Final Players List for Qatar & China matches announced.

Carlos Queiroz announced the final list of the 24 players who will be available for the two first matches in the FIFA World Cup 2018 Qualifiers against Qatar and China.

The major omission of the list is Reza Ghoochannejad who has just recovered from a long injury and recently been playing regularly for his Dutch club Heerenveen. On Saturday , Ghoochannejad played for 88 minutes in the 1-0 win against PEC Zwolle in the Eredivisie.

Other notable absentee is Khosrow Haidari who also was long-term injured list.

The four European Legionnaires will join the squad after their club matches. Azmoun and Ezzatolahei of FC Rostov will be facing Milad Mohammadi’s Terek Grozny in the Russian Premier League , while Jahanbaksh will also be in action facing his old club NEC in the Dutch league.

Three uncapped players are included. Saeed Aghaei, the 21 years old Tractorsazi left back and his teammate , Goalkeeper Mohammad Reza AKHBARI, while Persepolis Left back Mohammad Ansari is also included in the list.

Team Melli’s first match wuill be in Azadi against Qatar on Thursday 1st September.

1	AGHAEI, Saeed
2	AKHBARI, Mohammad Reza
3	AMIRI, Vahid
4	ANSARI, Mohammad
5	ANSARIFARD, Karim
6	AZMOUN, Sardar
7	BIRANVAND, Alireza
8	DEJAGAH, Ashkan
9	EBRAHIMI, Omid
10	EZZATOLLAHI, Saeid
11	GHAFOORI, Vourya
12	HAGHIGHI, Alireza
13	HAJSAFY, Ehsan
14	HOSSEINI, Jalal
15	JAHANBAKHSH, AliReza
16	MOHAMMADI, Milad
17	MONTAZERI, Pejman
18	POURALIGANJI, Morteza
19	REZAEIAN, Ramin
20	SHOJAEI, Masoud
21	SHOJAEIAN, Dariush
22	TAREMI, Mehdi
23	TEYMOURIAN, Andranik
24	TORABI, Mehdi

25/08/2016

Iran beach soccer wins the Continental Beach Soccer Title

Iran beach soccer won the Continental Beach Soccer Tournament by beating Oman 6-3 in the final.

Iran’s goals were scored by Amir Hossein Akbari (4 goals), Seyed Ali Nazim , and Peyman Hosseini.

This was the first title for the team under coach Mohammad Hossein Mir Shamsi. Peyman Hosseini was as the tournament’s best goalkeeper while Amir Hossein Akbari grabbed the top scorer title.

On Wednesday, Iran booked a place at the Continental Beach Soccer Tournament final after beating Japan 5-1. .

In the group stages, the Iranian team, Bahrain 10-1 in its first match.

China and Thailand played for the bronze medal.

The three-day tournament was held in Ordos, China.

The top eight Asian teams namely, Iran, China, Bahrain, Japan, Vietnam, Oman, Thailand and Lebanon participated in the event.

The Iranian team takes part in the competition as part of its preparation for the 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup qualification.

24/08/2016

Azmoun spearheads Rostov into Champions League

Team Melli’s forward Sardar Azmoun opened the scoring for his team Rostov in a 4-1 drubbing of Ajax Amsterdam at the Stadion Olimp 2 (Rostov-na-Donu) . Rostov qualified for the group stages of the Champions League with 5-2 on aggregate.

The team from the Black Sea region f the Russian Federation thus created a great milestone by its historic qualification to the premiere European club competition. Azmoun goal came from a fine cross by Aexendar Erokhin in the 34th minute for Sardar to majestically rise and head one of his hallmark headers into the far reach of the Ajax keeper. It was a picture perfect goal for the 21 years old Team Melli forward.

While Azmoun played for 73 minutes before he was substituted , the other young Iranian star and Team Melli player Saeid Ezatolahei was subbed in on the 78th minute.

Ezatolahei made history for Rostov by scoring the first ever Rostov goal in the Champions League during the first qualification rounds against Anderlecht.

24/08/201625/08/2016

Iran beach soccer routs Bahrain with 10 goals

The Iran’s national beach soccer team routed the Bahraini outfit at the first edition of the Continental Tournament in China.

On Tuesday morning, the Iranian squad, the seventh in the world and the highest-ranked in Asia, achieved a sweeping victory at the group stage and got off to a strong start at the three-day-long tournament in Ordos city of China’s northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The Iranians demolished Bahrain 10-1 in their opening match.

Forwards Mohammad Ahmadzadeh and Moslem Mesigar in addition to defender Amir Hossein Akbari scored a brace each, while forward Mohammad Ali Mokhtari, Seyyed Ali Nazem, Payman Hosseini and Hamid Behzadpour netted a goal apiece.

The Iran national beach soccer team is scheduled to take on Japan in its second fixture on Wednesday.

The first edition of the Continental Tournament started in Ordos on August 23, and will conclude on August 25.

The tournament serves as a warm-up event for the participating teams prior to the 5th edition of Asian Beach Games, which will open in the south-central Vietnamese city of Da Nang on September 24, and will run until October 3.

21/08/2016

Thailand futsal overpowers Iran

Iran’s Futsal Melli team lost to its nemesis Thailand 7-5 in the four nations tournament in that match played today Sunday in Bangkok.

Iran’s goals were scored by Ahmad Esmaeilpour, Farhad Tavakoli, Mohammadreza Sang-Safidi , Mehdi Javid and Mehran A’lighadr.

On Saturday evening, Team Melli futsal team was held to a 3-3 draw in the first match against Kazakhstan , which serves as a warm-up for the 2016 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Futsal World Cup in Colombia later this month.

“Kazakhstan is among decent futsal teams in the world, so it will be so helpful and advantageous for our players to face such squads. We played a tough game. The opposite side had earlier eliminated Italy national futsal tyeam in Euroean games.

“Kazakhstan national futsal team is in a fairly great form. Although the match ended in 3-3 draw, it was a good litmus test for our futsal players,” Ali Sanei, technical coordinator at the Iran futsal team, said after the match.

The four-nation tournament in Thailand started on August 18, and will conclude on August 23, 2016.

The 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup will be the 8th edition of the FIFA Futsal World Cup. The tournament will be held in Colombia between September 10 and October 1.

Iran has been drawn alongside Azerbaijan, Morocco and Spian in Group F of the forthcoming sports event.

The Colombian hosts, Panama, Portugal and Uzbekistan form Group A, while Cuba, Egypt, Russia and Thailand form Group B.

Guatemala, Italy, Paraguay and Vietnam are put in Group C. Group D consists of Australia, Brazil, Mozambique and Ukraine.

Argentina, Costa Rica, Kazakhstan and the Solomon Islands shape Group E.

19/08/201621/08/2016

Team Melli defeats Spal in a freindly

Team Melli defeated Italian Serie B team Spal 3-0 in a friendly match played earlier today at Stadio Tullo Morgagni, Forlì.

The first half finished 2-0 for Team Melli with goals from Ansari (26′) and Kamyabinia (37′) . The second half saw a lone goat at the 67th minute scored by Bahdor.

Carlos Quireoz used most of his second string team in this match.

It was a strong start of the game by Team Melli and as early as the fifth minute , a shoot from Hajsafy was miraculously saved by Branduani in the goal for Spal. Ten minutes passed and another opportunity for Iran to score was wasted when Kamyabinia hit the side netting after he dribbled passed the defense and placed the ball to the right of Branduani. On the third attempt Team Melli finally took the lead from Ansari striking with a header after being in the receiving end of an immaculate cross from the right sent by Hajsafy.

The second half started with completely a different Team Melli and the usual swirl of substitutions. Iran started to take control early on and managed to hit the post, while the Italian opponents Spal tested Iranian defence with some counter attacks, taking advantage of a few clicks of Finotto. The third Iranian goal was scored by Bahador to finally seal the match result. Despite some good work from the right with exchanges between Strefezza with Finotto , by the Italian side, they failed to get a goal liven their hopes for the new season.

Spal-Iran 0-3

Branduani (Marchegiani); Silvestri (Equizi), Vicari (Gasparetto), Bonifazi (Giani); Ghiglione (Strefezza), Spighi (Schiavon), Pontisso (Castagnetti), fats ( Concas), Beghetto. (Mora), Finotto, Zigoni (fCerri).

Iran: Mazaheri (Haghighi), Shojaeian (Dejagah), Taremi (Montazeri), Pahlavan (Rezaian), Torabi (Bahador), Teymourian (Amiri), Hossini (Ebrahimi), Hajsafy (Sousha), Tayebi (Ghade), Kamyabinia (Ansari), Hossein
Coach: Queiroz.

Referee: Mr. D’Ascanio of Ancona

19/08/2016

Kimia Alizadeh becomes first ever Iranian woman medal winner at Olympic games

TAEKWONDO star Kimia Alizadeh Zenoorin won 57kg bronze to become Iran’s first ever female Olympic medalist.

The teen beat Nikita Glasnovic of Sweden 5-1 after winning her repechage match with Thailand’s Phannapa Harnsujin 14-10. Alizadeh narrowly missed the chance to make it all the way to the final after losing by a singly point margin to the Spanish player. Alizadeh has already won a gold medal in the World Youth Olympics and is detained to have a bright future in the sport of Taekwondo.

*Kimia Alizadeh Zenoorin made history by landing bronze in Rio*

Iranian teen beat Sweden's Nikita Glasnovic to medal — *Iranian teen beat Sweden’s Nikita Glasnovic to medal*

After her historic triumph, 18-year-old Alizadeh said: “I wish I had made history with a gold medal.

“I thank God that I made history with my bronze to pave the way for other Iranian women.

“I am very excited and I want to thank my parents and my coach. They really stand behind me and I am so happy.”

Zenoorin joins champions Jade Jones on the podium — *Kimia Alizadeh joins champion Jade Jones on the podium*

*No Iranian woman has ever won an Olympic medal*

Alizadeh had lost 8-7 in the quarter-finals to Eva Calvo Gomez of Spain but was handed a repechage place once the Spaniard made the final, where she lost to Team GB’s Jade Jones.Welsh wonder Jones came through 16-7 after a thrilling match to defend her London 2012 title.

It’s a strong signifier in favor of gender equality under the flag of a nation notorious for its harsh, discriminatory treatment of women. One small example: Women are not even permitted in the stadiums where all-male athletic events are taking place, a state of affairs highlighted by a protestor at the Olympics earlier this week. Women in Iran are forced by law to cover their hair and all their body, those who disobey are prosecuted . The International Olympic Committee gave tacit approval to a sign that read “Let Iranian Women Enter Their Stadiums” held up by a protestor at volleyball games. Despite Iranian women playing a major role in the society and the high regard they always had throughout the history, the Islamic republic always curtailed their activities and relegated them to the second division of the society.

Iran has already won 2 gold medals in Weightlifting by Rostami and Moradi, and 2 bronze in Greco-Roman wrestling. Alizadeh’s Bronze is the fifth for Iran in the Rio Olympic Games 2016.

AZADI STADIUM , TEHRAN

NUMBER OF WINS

NUMBER OF GOALS

Legionnaires