Year: 2022

Iran Criticized for Slow Preparations for Qatar

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — While Japan and South Korea will start fine-tuning for the World Cup with high-profile warm-ups against Brazil next month, there are concerns in Iran that Asia’s top-ranked team has been slow off the mark with its preparations.

Iran is in Group B with England and the United States at the World Cup, which kicks off Nov. 21 in Qatar. But while there have been reports of a June friendly with New Zealand and talk of a potential match with Canada, so far Iran hasn’t confirmed its warm-up commitments.

“There appears to be no concrete plan,” Afshin Ghotbi, head coach of Iran’s national team from 2009-11, told The Associated Press. “Time is of the essence and preparation is vital to the success of Iran.

“Most teams have already arranged matches and many good opponents are not available anymore. Iran needs to urgently set up appropriate fixtures in the build-up to the World Cup.”

There has been criticism within Iran about the lack of movement so far, with a Tehran Times editorial last month headlined: “Iran wastes golden chance as always.” The editorial hoped for greater urgency when the soccer federation meets to choose a new president on May 10.

Interim president Mirshad Majedi has said no games will be announced until details are finalized.

As the country is under international sanctions, attracting teams to Tehran or traveling overseas can be more complex for Iran than its Asian rivals.

Ghotbi wants to see Iranian players such as Medhi Taremi at FC Porto and Sardar Azmoun, with Bayer Leverkusen of Germany, given every chance possible to succeed in Qatar.

Iran, No. 21 in the FIFA rankings and currently coached by Dragan Skocic, has qualified for five previous World Cups but has never progressed past the first round.

“I faced many of these challenges during my tenure, as did those who came before and after me,” Ghotbi said. “It is frustrating as Iran has a golden generation of players and if they have the best support and preparation then they can reach their true potential on the world stage.”

Carlos Queiroz, Ghotbi’s successor as head coach, complained about the quality of opposition that Iran faced leading up to the 2018 World Cup when it prepared with games against Turkey, Lithuania, Sierra Leone, Algeria, Tunisia, and Uzbekistan.

“If you copy the preparations of the last four World Cups, you don’t go anywhere. It’s a simple conclusion,” Queiroz said in 2017. At the same time, seven Iranian players took to social media to ask that the country to emulate South Korea when it came to preparations.

This time around, South Korea, drawn in Group H along with Portugal, Uruguay, and Ghana, will take on Brazil in Seoul on June 2 and then meet Chile four days later and Paraguay on June 10.

Japan will start preparations for Group E — containing Germany, Spain, and either Costa Rica or New Zealand — by taking on Brazil and Paraguay in the first week of June.

Saudi Arabia has also qualified from Asia and Qatar gets an automatic spot in the tournament as host. Australia and the United Arab Emirates will meet in an Asian playoff for the right to take on the fifth-place team from South America for another place in Qatar.

Dragan Skocic undergoes successful operation

Team Melli head Coach has undergone a successful operation after suffering from a gastrointestinal complication. Dragan Skocic was already under treatment for his ailment before the surgery was mandated.

Skocic , was in his home country Croatia for a vacation, when he underwent the operation. He returned to Croatia after the draw of the national team matches in the World Cup.

Skocic’s recuperation period is only a few days and the head coach will have no problem returning back to his duty. At the moment, there is no indication at all if the FFIRI has managed to engage any team for the friendly matches.

The result of Porto match and Taremi’s hat-trick are under investigation!

In the 30th round of the Portuguese Football League, Porto managed to defeat Portimonense 7-0 a result that solidified the leadership of Porto at the top of the table. In that match, Mehdi Taremi, Team Melli and Porto striker, and Payam Niazmand, the Iranian goalkeeper of Portimonense, faced each other for the first time as bother were in the starting lineups. Taremi scored a hat trick in that match and provided one assist to endure terrible suffering on his Team Melli teammate Niazmand. It was indeed quite a bitter experience for Niazmand in one of the few times that he was picked up as a starter for his team.

 The events of that match, however, raised quite a few questions and concerns with some allegations of complicity, betting, and bribery being mentioned.  The large victory margin and the social media activities on the match prompted the disciplinary committee of the Portuguese Football Federation to act and begin its own investigation into this result, which is questioned even by the media. All the attention on the result of that defeat is being focused on  Paulo Sérgio, the head coach of Portimonense, who did not play many of his fixed players against Porto, and even his substitutions were suspect as he sent players with little experience on to the field some who had only played a handful of games for the club.

Sergio, of course, reacted sharply to the decision to investigate the result of the game with Porto. “What they are doing is insulting me,” he said yesterday. “I have already said everything I should have said about this.” He added: “You can see that our substitution bench (due to the absence of a large number of players) was not even full. With two goalkeepers, there was still room for others on the bench. Just look at the players I had on the bench to see what I had for that match.”

The head coach of Payam Niazmand emphasized: “I have children, I have parents, I have a family and it is a shame for me to see that my name is associated with such trepidations.

Paulo Sérgio Bento Brito coached in Iran and was the head coach of Sanat Naft Abadan between July 2018 and May 2019 when he left for the Saudi club Al Taáwon before returning to Portugal to coach Portimonense in February 2020.

Meanwhile, Portimonense SAD club considers that the investigation process opened by the Disciplinary Board, on suspicion of fielding a weakened team in the game against FC Porto, at Estádio do Dragão, “a fierce, merciless and unfounded attack on the club and recalls that, even this season, Belenenses SAD was allowed to face Benfica with a team of nine players only.”

In a long statement, the SAD of the Algarve club was surprised to have known about the investigation through the media and recalls that the club has “scrupulously” complied with its financial obligations.

Portimonense still considers it “absurdity” to open an investigation for the reasons presented in a season in which a team was already allowed to enter the field with nine players, in allusion to Belenenses vs. Benfica.

Mehdi Taremi scores a hat-trick against Niazmand in a 7-0 win

Mehdi Taremi achieved a special achievement by recording his second hat-trick in the Portuguese league with his team Porto scoring an emphatic win against Portimonense.

In the 30th round of the Portuguese Football League Porto played against Portimonense who had TeamMelli’s reserve keeper Payam Niazmand in goal. Port won  7: 0. Taremi excelled in this match and managed to score a hat-trick with his dazzling performance. He scored in the 19th, 34th, and 47th minutes and also provided an assist.

Hattrick: Mehdi Taremi scored his second hat-trick of the season in this match. Benfica Uruguayan striker Darwin Nunz has the most hat-tricks in the Portuguese league this season three times.

Top scorers chart: The Iranian striker scored 18 goals in the league this season and is currently ranked second in the scorers’ table. Benfica’s Uruguayan striker is still in the lead. Darwin Nunes is the top scorer in the Portuguese league with 24 goals.

Assists: Taremi has the most assists with a goal against Portimonense, reaching a record of 13 assists, and after the Benfica player, Rafa Silva, The Team Melli forward lies in the second place in this category.

Sayyadmanesh Opens his scoring with Hull City.

Team Melli forward, Allahyar Sayyadmanesh has finally opened his scoring account for his championship club side, Hull City.

Hull City ended their run of six successive home defeats thanks to two early goals that proved enough to beat Cardiff City 2-1.

Hull made a dream start with two goals inside 11 minutes as Allahyar Sayyadmanesh was gifted an opener by a terrible Cardiff defensive mix-up.

Lewie Coyle fired home a second within minutes after a fine team move.

Cardiff improved after the break and Aden Flint headed home his sixth goal of the season to set up a tense finale.

The win was important for Hull, who ended their recent home travails.

Hull boss Shota Arveladze made one change to the side that shocked Middlesbrough in midweek with Coyle recalled at right wing-back as the hosts looked to avoid unwanted history.

It is home wins that Hull have been struggling for, having lost six successive Championship games on their ground, one shy of a club record, so the Tigers opted to wear their away kit, hoping it would spark a change in fortunes.

Cardiff paid for their miss and then some, because they were 2-0 down within 10 minutes and very much the architects of their own downfall.

They gifted Hull an opener when Mark McGuinness’ backpass left goalkeeper Dillon Phillips stranded as Iranian forward Sayyadmanesh was able to round him and pass the ball into the net.

Cardiff did not respond well to the setback as they conceded again two minutes later when McGuinness mis-hit an attempted clearance and Cody Drameh could not control the ball, allowing Regan Slater to find Coyle, who found the roof of the net with a fine finish.

Recently, Hull City coach Shota Arveladze praised Allahyar Sayyadmanesh after his first start over the weekend against Middlesbrough.

Hull City has pretty much secured its place in the Championship again for next season after a 1-0 win at the Riverside Stadium thanks to Keane Lewis-Potter’s strike in 74 minutes. Sayyadmanesh started from the off for the first time and was substituted for Tyler Smith in the second half.

Arveladze was impressed with what he saw and praised his Iranian winger. “I think he (Allahyar Sayyadmanesh) did well (against Middlesbrough). It was his first start and he looked good,” the Georgian said.

Hull City signed Sayyadmanesh on a loan deal until the end of the season from Fenerbahce and he has since made eight appearances in all competitions, seven of which have come as cameo substitute appearances.

Statistics

TEAM MELLI

Statistics

The statistic page includes the following:

  1.  Matches vs opponents
  2.  Most capped Players
  3.  Highest Scorers
  4.  World Highest Scorers
  5.  AFC Asian Cup all-time Table
  6.  Miscellaneous Data

 

PARVIZ GHLEECHKHANI

AFC ASIAN CUP
Three-time AFC Asian Cup titleholder with Team Melli : 1968, 1972 and 1976

The Olympic Games
Three times playing in the Olympic Games with Team Melli: 1964, 1972, and 1976.

FFIRI negotiates friendlies with Argentina or Brazil.

The Iranian football federation FFIRI Secretary-General Hassan Kamranifar has declared that his federation is actively planning friendly preparatory games for Team Melli ahead of its participation in the FIFA World Cup Qatar, 2022.

Kamranifar said: “As you know, Brazil and Argentina have a postponed match in the World Cup qualifiers which is scheduled to be held in Qatar. We are negotiating with one of these two teams to agree to play an international friendly against them.

The Secretary-General of the Football Federation added: “4 teams out of 6 possible opponents of Team Melli are among the best and are in the top ranks of the FIFA rankings. Both teams are in the middle ranks, we are going to choose teams whose games are close to our opponents. Therefore, we have negotiated with Peru, New Zealand, and several other countries, which we will announce immediately after it is finalized.”

He continued: “Holding friendly games is difficult due to financial issues. One or two teams have requested to play behind closed doors and without television broadcasting, which is still good “
in discussing the readiness of  Team Melli,  Kamranifar emphasized: “Skocic is also trying on his side to use his contacts to arrange friendly games and we hope this will happen soon so that we can play a friendly match in the first FIFA Day,”

UPCOMING FIFA DAYS 2022

Dates Matches
30 May – 14 June 2022 4
19–27 September 2022 2

Futsal : Iran 8-1 Kyrgyz Republic

Vahid Shamsaei maintained his perfect record as the head coach of Iran’s futsal team with a resounding win on Tuesday against the host The Kyrgyz Republic in Bishkek.
The Kyrgyz Republic stunned the defending champions with Maskat Alimov breaking the deadlock in the 13th minute, but Iran bounced back immediately with Hossein Tayebi and Mortezza Ezzati scoring in the 14th minute.
Alireza Rafiei Pour then put Iran three goals ahead with successive goals in the 30th and 31st minutes, before Mohammadhossein Derakhshani and Hamzeh Kadkhoda etched their names on the scoresheet in the 34th and 36th minutes respectively.

It was all dusted and done when Masoud Abbasi and Masoud Yousef Shavardazi scored in the 37th and 40th minutes respectively to secure an emphatic win.  Futsal Team Melli has already gained qualification after defeating Turkmenistan in the second match of the group following the routing of the Maldives 17-0 in Day 1. Turkmenistan edged The Kyrgyz Republic for the second qualifying spot.
The Finals of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup will be held in Kuwait from 25th September to 20th October with the participation of 16 teams. Iran is the current defending champion

Iran confirms its place in the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Kuwait 2022™

Bishkek: Defending Champion Iran and Uzbekistan have confirmed their places in the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Kuwait 2022™ after securing a top-two finish in their respective groups of the Central and South Zone Qualifiers on Monday.
Iran beat Turkmenistan 3-0 to stay top of the leaderboard in Group A with six points. The Kyrgyz Republic, meanwhile, revived its qualification hopes after beating the Maldives.

Uzbekistan were the first team from the region to qualify for the Finals after their 5-1 win over Afghanistan. The White Wolves are assured of a top two finish regardless of the result in the final match on Tuesday. One point is all Tajikistan needs to secure a second-place finish in Group B.
Group A
Turkmenistan 0-3 Iran
Turkmenistan were Iran’s toughest challenge yet, but that didn’t stop the defending champions from showing their prowess with Hossein Tayebi breaking the deadlock in the 12th minute before Saeid Ahmadabbasi doubled their advantage moments before the halftime break.
Turkmenistan were still very much in the game as they challenged the champions, but Shiri Bayradurdyyev’s own goal in the 38th minute ended their hopes of a comeback.

Vahid Shamsaei used his second-string players in most of the periods while inducting one or more first-choice players as support.
Iran will take on the Kyrgyz Republic on Tuesday, while Turkmenistan faces a must-win match against the Maldives.

Iran Futsal thrashes Maldives 17-0

Iran’s national futsal team defeated the Maldives 17 – 0  in their first match of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup qualifiers.

This was the first official match for the new coach Vahid Shamsaei the holder of the record goals scored at the international level.

Iran got their title defence off to a fantastic start, beating Maldives 17-0 with eight different players finding the back of the net.

Salar Aghapour opened the scoring in the fifth minute and got his second in the 15th minute. Hamzeh Kadkhoda also scored twice – in the 34th and 35th minutes – while Masound Yousef Shavardazi got his brace with back-to-back efforts in the 37th minute.

Mohammadhossein Derakhshani, Mahdi Karimi and Alireza Rafiei Poir also got into the goalscoring action with a goal each in the sixth, 20th and 38th minutes respectively.

Hossein Tayebi secured a hat-trick with goals in the 11th, 25th and 26th minutes, but the most valuable player was surely Saeid Ahmadabbasi with five goals to his name – two in the 20th minute, his hat-trick in the 23rd minute, before adding two more in the 33rd minute.

Iran will look to continue their fine form against Turkmenistan on Monday, while Maldives will have to bounce back against Kyrgyz Republic.
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1  Iran 1 1 0 0 17 0 +17 3
2  Turkmenistan 1 2 0 1 10 9 +2 3
3 Kyrgyz Republic 1 0 0 1 1 3 −2 0
4  Maldives 1 0 0 1 0 17 −17 0