The Ex-Tractorsazi player has announced his retirement from football last season and attempts a few days back by Hamid Derkhshan to bring him back to play for Persepolis at the age of 36 has failed.
The appointment of Ali Karimi , who is not a certified or professionally qualified coach nor attended an approved coaching course, has surprised many especially since the FFIRI was counting on having a strong presence of national coaches at the bench of Team Melli beside the foreigners that Queiroz depends on.
It is not clear what role Karimi will play in Team Melli as his presence cannot add any technical value to a team of coaches that Queiroz has at his disposal. The most probable scenario is that Queiroz and Kaffashian, using Karimi’s popularity, has planned this appointment as a formality to silence the growing critics of Queiroz who has been identified as a person who has little respect for domestic Iranian football.
Last time, FFIRI has forced Queiroz to appoint an Iranian domestic coach, resulted in the ex-Esteghlal coach Majid Saleh to be assigned. In what was a clear maneuver by the Portuguese coach to frustrate Salih , and a show defiance to FFIRI , Queiroz cynically got rid of him by ordering Salih to leave the bench during a friendly match in the Austrian camp and watch the match from the stands! Saleh in protest against such insult refused such intimidating act and preferred to tender his resignation rather than be abused by the coach who simply does not want him.
Appointment of Karimi is yet another of Iranian only football peculiarities the likes of which can only happen in the chaotic football administration. Ali Karimi, a person who always claimed high values and chivalry, must know that his appointment is nothing short of a farce and a facade. Realizing the availability of so many qualified and experienced Iranian coaches as candidates for Team Melli, Karimi stated the following “I apologize for all the Iranian coaches who thought that they will be selected for Team Melli”. Perhaps , that sums Karimi’s attitude and Iran’s football in general.
Although the contribution of Karimi in the technical affairs of terms is highly unlikely, let us hope that his presence on the bench can at least offer a moral support and helps to brings the AFC Asian Cup back to Iran after 40 years, a feat that Ali Karimi could not achieve in 3 attempts as a player.