By: Majeed Panahi
Iran’s qualification for its first World Cup Finals, on second attempt, was a grand occasion after narrowly failing to make it for 1974 edition, but little was known about how it was crises-laden and near crashes. The qualification was not a great surprise as the Persians was dominating Asian football for a decade by then. Winning the Asian Cup in 1968, Iran successfully defended the title four years later in 1972 and completed the hat trick of championships in 1976 when they lifted the Asian Cup for the third time in Arayamehr (Azadi) Stadium. Iran managed to remain unbeaten in Asian Cup since 1968.
The king of Asian football, as expected, dominated the qualifications rounds of the FIFA World Cup Argentina 1978 and comfortably qualified with a match to spare in the days that Asia had one place only in the finals of the World Cup out of 16 places.
The Iranian government provided all the support to ensure a smooth progress for the team. After all, the team was the pride of the Kingdom and Monarchy. However, despite Team Melli dispensing with one team after another in Asia, near the end of the campaign, it turned into a turbulent ride and the reason was nothing to do with football. Iran was in political turmoil, the deteriorating political situation in the country leading to riots destabilized life in the country. Peaceful marches turned into violent protests after the security forces used brute force and live ammunitions against the protesters. That led to chain reaction and even more protests across the country. Iran was on the brink of a revolution. The atmosphere was tense everywhere in the country.
Team Melli which had a lengthy structured training program for the World Cup was not immune from these events, as the tense situations affected the squad with concerns cropping up on daily basis. This occurred despite the authorities’ effort to isolate the squad from these unpleasant public events. Something easily said than done.
The revolution was at its beginning, the league was disrupted, players feared for theirs and their families’ lives after alleged threats against them by radicals and religious extremists. Team Melli at the time, was a symbol of the Shah’s regime, the very establishment that people were revolting against. That was the view that the radicals tried to impose in the streets. The Shah and his son Reza, were patrons of Team Melli and supported it with full force in terms of resources and logistics. Much of the expenses came directly from the palace and there was no limit on how much funds that was allocated for the team to ensure Iran is well represented in front of the World.
In truth, those unlimited funds did not ease the worries of the players. One of the major issues that spread in the camp at the time was whether a person is loyal Monarchist or pro Khomeini. A partisan atmosphere prevailed in the country, which also affected footballers and Team Melli players. The major victim of this politics was none other than Parviz Ghleechkhani.
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Iran’s best player and arguably one of the greatest footballers in the country’s history, Ghleechkhani has achieved everything a player can dream of bar playing the World Cup. He lifted the Asian Cup 3 times, a record which has not been matched yet. Played in two Olympics Games football competitions (1964 & 1972) and won Gold Medal of the Asian Games (1974). Ghleechkhani, however, was a political activist with Marxist and Leftist views. He was a member of a banned group.
Ghleechkhani has been arrested several times and released. Being a household name footballer and Captain of Team Melli, had helped him get out of jail, in spite of being an opponent of the regime. He has never engaged in violent acts, but the regime was intolerant to any sort of opposition.
In 1972, Ghleechkhani was shown on live TV, admit to several accusations and committing criminal acts. He then went on to announce his remorse and repentance! That was an orchestrated charade by the ‘Savak” and commonly used act those days for extorting opponents and dissidents. Ghleechkhani, however, never abandoned the cause, while the notorious secret police “Savak” never let him out of their radar either. He was still a threat, and as the political unrest was rising towards the end of 1977, he was never going to make it to Argentine to represent Iran.
While fully fit, at the peak of his career and rearing to go, Ghleechkhani’s name was absent from the final squad list to World Cup 1978. Team Melli lost a large chunk of its power. There simply was no one in his skill, experience level and class in the team. He was irreplaceable and a victim of politics. Team Melli also lost a great leader, much needed in Argentina.
As if Ghleechkhani’s exclusion wasn’t bad enough, the news that winger Mohammadreza Adelkhani (17 caps, 0 goals) and hotshot Gholamhossein Mazloomi (42 Caps , 19 goals) would not make it to Argentine, sent shock waves in Iran’s football circles. Both of the players were on the injury list and could not recover in time for the World Cup. With Hassan Rowshan, the rising star of Iran’s football, still not fully recovered from his long injury, Team Melli would have lost its entire forward line. However, the Taj Club winger, eventually made the list despite questions about his fitness and not being in optimum physical condition.
Iran’s thin and stretched squad traveled to Argentina under unsettled surroundings.
It was not the best of atmosphere for the camp itself. With emotions and psychological issues playing an unsettling role in the minds there was the added pressure of trust between the players themselves. The Savak was notorious for planting agents and collaborators in groups and gatherings. The players didn’t know whom to trust and fearful of speaking about the situation back home. It was anybody’s guess which one of them worked for the Savak.
Decades later, when players started to speak up and be more open about that Argentina World Cup campaign, it was only then that the public realized the degree of fear, anxiety and nervousness the squad was experiencing during the World Cup 1978 campaign, despite their brave efforts to put a cheerful face in public.
Simply put, Iran’s admission to the World Cup history was far from ideal before even kicking a ball.
Standing L2R: Hossein Kazerani, Nasser Hejazi, Ghafoor Jahani, Nassrollah Abdollahi, Mohammadreza Adelkhani
Sitting: Hassan Nazari, Hassan Rowshan, Ali Parvin, Mohammad Sadeghi, Andranik Eskandarian, Ebrahim Ghasimpour[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Page 3″ tab_id=”1560168876308-0b8b251d-c487″][vc_column_text h1_css=”{.vc_customizer_1560190705662}” h2_css=”{.vc_customizer_1560190705662}” h3_css=”{.vc_customizer_1560190705663}” h4_css=”{.vc_customizer_1560190705663}” h5_css=”{.vc_customizer_1560190705664}” h6_css=”{.vc_customizer_1560190705664}” p_css=”{.vc_customizer_1560190705665}” link_css=”{.vc_customizer_1560190705665}” list_css=”{.vc_customizer_1560190705666}”]
So , facing strikers crisis before their opening match, Heshmat Mohajerani had to field his substitute forwards. Ghaffor Jahani ((27 caps , 7 goals) and Hossein Faraki, (3 caps, 0 goals)
There was very little doubt in Mojhajerani’s mind about the quality of the Dutch team. He was confident that his players can compete with the arrogant Dutch players, however, this sentiment was did not stream to the players, some of whom had cold feet even before the kick off. The situation was getting bad when in the dressing room , Team Melli players starting how famous and strong each Dutch players is. One player, Hassan Kazerani, frustrated with the attitude of his teammates, protested loudly and demanded they all straighten up and focus on the game rather than praising the opponents. “they are human and footballers like us, they are not magicians. All of them have a couple of legs like you do….Come one and shape up now.” Kazerani’s battle cry was perhaps effective for a good forty minutes of the game, but at the end, the Iranian players lacked the mental toughness that is required in big games. They don’t come bigger than the World Cup and against the finalist of the last tournament.
Surprising though, Iran could have been 2 goals up in the first quarter of the game. The arrogance of the Dutch team nearly cost them dearly. A deflected ball from Faraki was saved at the goal line by Dutch keeper Jongbloed and few minutes later, Ghfoor Jahani’s run followed by a diagonal shot from just inside the box, cleared the post by inches.
It took a bad foul by Abdollahei for the Dutch to take a lead from the ensuing penalty scored by Rensenbrink. Half time 1-0.
15 minutes into the second half, Rensenbrink scored again from a corner that he headed home.
The Dutch star completed his hat-trick with another penalty in the 78th minute. It ended 3-0 for Holland and in a sad day out for Team Melli. It wasn’t the start that fans and the players hoped for, but there were some positive outcomes. According to one player, years later, “our players realized that the Europeans are as human as them. What they need to do is to have much more self-belief.”
The second match would be even tougher for Iran, as the so-called mighty Scotland under Ally MacLeod’s is looking for vengeance against the Minnows from the Middle East to compensate the loss against Peru in their opening match. It was mainly the Scottish media that was belittling the Iranian team.
The facts were quite different. Scotland, not even an independent state, was smaller than most of the Iranian provinces with a population of less than Tehran. In football, Scotland Trophy Cabinet was empty (unless one can really call the 4 team tournament between the British teams, a real championship). Iran’s Cabinet was full of continental trophies at full team and youth team levels. Yet, one particular journalist had the audacity of calling Iran a second class football nation and mere infant of the game ….Yes Infants!!
Perhaps the Scots had no clue that this Iranian team played a competitive match versus Argentina in March 1977 in Santiago Bernabu stadium as part of Real Madrid’s 75th Anniversary. The match ended in 1-1 draw, Iran lost on a penalty shoot-out. This is the same Argentina that won the World Cup a year later. That could have been a warning not to take Iran lightly.
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It was probably more like the Scottish press lack of knowledge about football world, that has resulted in grandiose claims. In contrast to the Scots, the English despite the absence of their National Team, made an effort to study the newcomers to the World Cup. The celebrated match commentator John Motson, on behest of the BBC, traveled to Iran to research and write about its football before the World Cup. He was accompanied by former Iran coach, Irishman Frank O’Farrell.
On the pitch, it was a different story all together. The star-studded team from the British Isles huffed and puffed, but it was an Iranian player, Andranik Eskandarian who gifted them with an own goal in a comical fashion just before half time!
Not perturbed by the goal, the Iranians were determined to put a good fight this time. On the hour, the Late Iraj Daneifard, received the ball from a loose clearance by the Scottish defense. He was immediately pressed and closely marked by Archei Gemmill. Danaeifard, with a clever shimmy, wrong footed Gemmill to escape past him and bullet a great drive into the near post of Alan Rough’s goal in an acute angle. Iran scored the equalizer.
Only a few minutes later, Ebrahim Ghassimpour should have scored the second for Team Melli. The midfielder found himself clear of the goal with the Scottish defenders caught out after a long ball. Rough desperately raced out to meet the midfielder. Ghassimpour had plenty of time to decide on the right option, either flick the ball over or dribble past the fast advancing Rough. He took too much time and was too slow to react. Rough saves his team’s blushes and managed to clear the ball.
Perhaps 1-1 draw was not a bad result for the infants of football, but that meant that Iran was eliminated from the World Cup. The last match was meaningless; however the fans expected much better performance from Mohajerani’s men. Hassan Rowshan started the match for the first time and despite not being fully fit, he managed to score a nice goal. Peru like the Dutch, won two penalties in this match for their star player Cubillas to help himself to a hat –trick. Iran lost 4-1 in their last match.
Team Melli returned to Tehran unceremoniously. The nation had much more priority than football. The usual crowd that used to go to Mehrabad Airport to greet every Team Melli v=campaign was not there. Some players did not even return back to Iran with the squad for one reason or another but mainly out of concern or fear.
The World Cup was an end of an era for Team Melli. The majority of this great generation of the 70’s footballers hanged their boots after the World Cup. Danaeifard, Eskandarian and Ghleechkhani went to USA to play in the NASL. Rowshan and Nazari chose United Arab Emirates league and made quite a name for themselves. Mazloomi , Jahani , Sadeghi , Nayebagha , Kazerani and Adelkhani retired.
The younger players, despite the suspension of football activities and a league competition, prevailed until football returned by late 1979 following the success of the Khomeini’s revolution.
It was unfortunate that under the circumstances, Iran’s 1978 World Cup participation was well below the potential of the squad. The successful youth program that was started in early 70’s produced great potentials that made it all the way to Team Melli. In this squad, youngsters such as Hassan Rowshan,
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Behtash Fariba, Habib Khabiri and Majeed Bishkar could have sparkled but never really got a chance apart from Rowshan.
It is very difficult to say how would have fully fit Iranian team playing under ideal condition with no concern about safety and events back home, would have performed in Argentina. The only thing that is certain is that this squad performed under emotionally disturbing circumstances and under imaginary threats which must have been destabilizing for a football team.
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