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Daniel Arzani signed by PL Champions Manchester City

Much like they will probably do in the majority of their Premier League games this season, Man City have struck first – they have confirmed the signing of Daniel Arzani from Melbourne City.

Arzani , an Australian national of Iranian origin, was so close to play for Team Melli after Carlos Queiroz efforts to attract him. However, Australia picked Arzani for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2018, and Arzani responded to the call.

Despite the deal, it is not expected that Arzani would be playing a major role in the star-studded Man City squad lead by Guardiola. It is also possible that Arzani will be loaned to a lower tier club to get more playing tim , rather than be a peripheral  player in Manchester City.

This season English Premier League will have a  lone Team Melli player as well. Alireza Jahanbakhsh  wil be playing for Brighton. The season begins tomorrow when Manchester United host Leicester City.

The Sense of injustice. Mohsen Mosalman & Hossein Kaebi

The crocked FFIRI.

Mohsen Mosalman was considered as one of the brightest young footballers in Iran, destined to stardom in the European leagues in the footpath of Daei , Mahdavikia and Bagheri. Some even regarded him to be a much better talent than Ali Karimi in his senior years

He was the youngest professional players in Iran history at 16 years old in Zob Ahan.  By that time, he has already played for Team Melli U16 and in the following years , he represented his country in all the age group teams all the way to the Omid Team (U23).

Mosalman was and still is , a gifted player and naturally he was picked for Team Melli, but made limited appearances, and scored one goal in his 5 caps.

This player however, had issues on and off the field , enough to irritate the hierarchy and ruffle some feathers. The disciplinary actions against him and some self-inflicted problems, harmed his progress and relegated him from a star in the making to just about, better than average league player.

His misdemeanors varied from being filmed smoking in coffee shops, to attending parties or pictures in social media with girls..

Another wonderkid was Hossein Kaebi. The boy from Khuzestan was an absolute delight to watch as a youngster growing up to become a definite star. He made his debut for Team Melli at 18 years and unlike Mosalman, Hossein Kaebi played for an extended period of time including in the FIFA World Cup Germany 2006. He also played in the Asian Cup 2007.

There was nothing controversial about Kaebi, except for his passion to look good including having Tattoo all over his body or fixing his eyebrows, for which he faced disciplinary action by the ethics and behavior committee of FFIRI

Mosalman conduct is nothing close to controversial, so is Kaebi’s. If it was in Free World, those two would not attract much, if any attention. On field violations would have been dealt with professionally and objectively, as there is no malice, ill intent or violent conducts in their actions. But in a system controlled by religious fundamentalism with absolutely minimal respect to personal freedom and a big brother approach, these two are considered as villains.

A committee for virtue and righteous, has just suspended the two players from all football activities for reasons that are not published and only known to those who penalized the players. There is no appeal. No transparency no rights!.

Hossein kaebi

And if you think that is injustice, have a thought for Mohsen Mosalman who helped Persepolis win the League title last season. In the ceremony by the FFIRI to honor winners and the achievers, in the category of top assists , Mohsen Mosalman was the clear winner with 14 assists for the season. Shockingly, the FFIRI announced that Server Djabarov, the Uzbek player who had a total of 6 assists for Esteghlal, has won the title.!!!

The writing was on the wall to suspend and punish Mosalman.

It is testament to the resolve of the nation that football actually thrives under such injustice.

Masoud Shojaei and Ashkan Dejagah, join Tractorsazi

Both Captains of Team Melli , have joined Tractorsazi Tabriz, in the surprise transfer of the season.

While both have been playing in Europe and could have continued doing so, yet in a strange turn of event, they turned up in Tabriz with a lot of question marks on the motives of the move. Masoud Shojaei and Ashkan Dejagah, two well-known and influential players of the Iranian national team who participated in the 21st World Cup recently in Russia, reached peculiar decision to join Tractorsazi team.

Though it will be very good news for the Tabrizi team, it will raise questions about the reasons for the decision made by Shojaei and Dejagah and wheter it hase been either coordinated or orchestrated, especially since the two players have signed up to a three-year contract with Tractorsazi, which is questionable and ambiguous.

Shojaei and Dejagah have joined a team whose owner has been a tremendous support for Team Melli in recent years and has even provided the squad with a special chartered Jet for the squad travels.

The two captains were expected to join Foreign teams with better prospective after the World Cup. Or, even if they did not do well in the European teams, they could have easily continued to play in the neighboring countries League, in particular Qatar.

The main question is why Massoud Shojaei and Ashkan Dejagah have decided on the domestic league in the year leading up to the Asian Cup? The two joined the Tractorsazi while Queiroz always preferred and emphasized on the presence of players in international teams for greater readiness.

It is not clear if Shojaei and Dejagah, who have a close relationship with Queiroz – as national team captains – have consulted the Portuguese coach for their next season’s team selection?

It seems that reasons other than a simple choice in the transfer of Massoud Shojaee and Ashkan Dejagah have been influential.

Branco Ivankovic, who has won the Premier League for two consecutive seasons and has gained a lot of popularity among Persepolis fans, and even considered as a strong candidate to replace Queiroz  in the national team, now sees his opposition much stronger than before.

What’s clear is that Tractorsazi has built a strong team under John Toshack and will form a challenge to Persepolis and Esteghlal with the recruitment of Shojaei and Dejagah

A new law, threatens even more chaos in Iran football adminstration

The parliament in Iran passed a new law that it has been debating for years preventing those who receive pension from Social Security Organization seeking  paying jobs at other organizations including NGOs.

With the passing of this law, the majority of Iranian Sport Federations managers and heads will need to leave their jobs , including those in the Football Federation, FFIRI where the top administrators, including the President of FFIRI fall under this category.

The initial reaction of Mahdi Taj, an ex-civil servant , on learning that his name is among those who are impacted by this law , like many heads of federations, was rational, with emphasis on compliance.

” surely other football directors would inevitably come along as the result of this new law, but the question is if this law is enforced, and all of these people will be excluded from football management, can the successors of these directors manage and direct football affairs and management in the country?”

It seems now that the Football Federation is a federation is full of old and the frustrated personnel, while football itself always tries to be youthful, energetic and progressive. Unfortunately in Iran, it is the other way round. A group of older men running a youthful game.

It seems that a solution to this problem has to be found so that the implementation of a law will not create the potential  vacuum and future problems.

The FFIRI administrators who are affected by this law are as follow:

Mahdi Taj (President of the Football Federation), Ali Kafashian (vice President), Heydar Bahavand (chairman of the league organization  committee and  second vice-President), Abdul Kazem Taleghani (board member), Mohammad Reza Saket (General Secretary), and Mahmoud Islamiyan (member of the Football Federation Council) are senior managers of the federation who are retired and will be forced to leave their jobs after the new law is implemented.

Asian Games squad announced

On the eve of the farewell ceremony of Iran’s Asian Games teams , Zlatko Kranjcar, spoke about the team preparations and recent developments.

The Asian Games ceremony was held on Tuesday at the Olympic Hotel in Tehran. Kranjcar  remarked that holding such a ceremony is good for all the disciplines. These rituals are motivating.

“Using the youth and the motive that is there, we can do our best to be successful,” he said. “Of course, we want to make these great game experiences because our primary goal is the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The head coach of the football team said: “The situation is very good. We chose 20 players to make sure these high-spirited players go to China, and we’ll go to Indonesia after a match against China to prepare for the tournament.

“All the league clubs cooperated with us, except for Nasiji who refused to release their player,” he said, noting that some teams did not give their players a chance. The resolution that the Board of Governors welcomed was welcomed by all the clubs and caused us no problems.

In the answer to the question from the reporter on the absence of Reza Shakari and Omid Noroufokan in the Omid list, Krancjar said that the lack of two quality players will certainly be a loss to the team, but the players we have chosen have a very high quality and I hope we will be able to compete with the players who have high motivation We shall achieve good results.”

“We had two very good preparations matches against the Iraqi team, which included some senior players,” he told AFP. We played very well in the second game and we are now ready to play Asian games.

The Croat coach, Zlatco  Kranjcar has earlier named 20 players who will be representing Iran in the Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta starting this August. Iran Olympics Football team is actually a mix but mostly consists of  U19 players.  The regulation restricts the age of players to be under 23 with 2 senior players can be included.

Iran Asian Games Squad

  1. Ahmad Reza Ahmadvand
  2. Alireza Orta
  3. Amir ROUSTAEI
  4. Aref AGHASI
  5. Mehdi Amini
  6. Mehdi GHAYEDI
  7. Mehdi Rahimi
  8. Mohamad AGHAJANPOUR
  9. Mohammad Amin Asadi
  10. Mohammad Khodabandeh
  11. Mohammad Mehdi MEHDIKHANI
  12. Mohammad Moslempour
  13. Mohammad Reza Azadi
  14. Mohammad SOLTANIMEHR
  15. Reza Jabireh
  16. Seyyed Abolfazl RAZZAGHPOUR
  17. Shahab ADELI
  18. Shahin Abbasian
  19. Sina Zamehran
  20. YOUNES DELFI

Manchester City track Saman Ghoddos who was voted best striker in Sweden for 2017

By Steve Goodman
The Sun Newspaper – UK
31st July 2018, 8:24 pm

Ostersunds’ attacking midfielder can also play up front and caught the eye in their Europa League run last term

Manchester City are tracking Iran World Cup star Saman Ghoddos.

The attacking midfielder helped Swedish club Ostersunds to the Europa League last 32 and was voted Sweden’s top striker in 2017.  Team Melli star Ghoddos, 24, came off the bench in all three of Iran’s games in Russia last month and is also comfortable playing up front or out wide.

Reports in Sweden say Etihad boss Pep Guardiola had the Malmo-born ace watched last Saturday as he helped Ostersunds beat Elfsborg 1-0. Ostersunds chairman Daniel Kindberg confirmed City’s presence – but was coy about the Premier League champions’ interest in his prize asset.

He said: “Maybe City are watching many players in Europe.

Chinese clubs have made big-money offers to Ostersunds and Iran star Saman Ghoddos but he says he is too young to go there at the moment “Have they contacted us about Ghoddos? You never know.”

Chinese clubs have already made huge contract offers to Ghoddos.

He said: “It is sick money, but I’m not really thinking about going there right now. “I am far too young to move to China just yet.”

Ghoddos has hit ten goals in 20 games for Ostersunds so far this season.

He won two caps for Sweden in friendlies before switching to his parents’ home country last year. The former Syrianska star has since won 11 caps for Carlos Queiroz’s Iran side. Despite a brilliant season , Ghoddos fell victim of Queiroz tight defense game plan and had never been afforded the chance in the World Cup to prove his worth. However, he has attracted much attention throughout Europe for a big club move.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh has already signed for Brighton and Hove Albion and so far is the only Team Melli player in the Premeier League

Saman Ghoddos could soon be celebrating a move to the Premier League

Brighton smash their transfer record for Jahanbakhsh.

BRIGHTON have smashed their transfer record to sign Iranian winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh.

The 24-year-old has joined Albion on a five-year contract after leaving AZ Alkmaar for a fee believed to be in the region of £17million.

Brighton have splashed the cash to land Alireza Jahanbakhsh for £17m

OFFICIALBHAFC / INSTAGRAM
Brighton have splashed the cash to land Alireza Jahanbakhsh for £17m

Boss Chris Hughton said: “We are delighted to welcome Alireza to the club, and we are particularly pleased to get this deal over the line.

“Ali is a player that we have been aware of and monitored for a few years, and his versatility will increase our attacking options within the squad.

“He can play in a wide position or central midfield attacking role and I am now very much looking forward to working with him.”

Jahanbakhsh, who starred for his country at the Russia World Cup, becomes the Seagulls’ eighth major signing this summer.

Ghoochannejhad signs a two years contract at APOEL Nicosia

Team Melli forward Reza Ghoochannejhad signed a 2 years contract with the Cypriot champion APOEL Nicosia which will take him up to mid-2020, the club reports from Cyprus through the official channels.

The deal did not involve any transfer fee as The thirty-year-old striker was a free agent after the end of his contract with SC Heerenveen and has now joined the 27-time champion of Cyprus, which has also the goalkeeper Boy Waterman under contract.

The Team Melli forward, arrived at the club in Cyprus on Sunday to conclude the negotiations and to sign a contract.

The thirty-year-old attacker was present at the World Cup in Russia this summer. Ghoochannejhad, who played total of 44 times for Iran and scored 16 times, was not in the spotlight at the final tournament, as he was benched in all the 3 matches and did not make a single minute appearance in Russia. APOEL Nicosia was nonetheless very interested in the services of the attacker.

Ghoochannejhad, who previously played  for FC Emmen, sc Cambuur, Charlton Athletic and a few clubs from Belgium and the Middle East, joined Heerenveen again in the summer of 2016, after an earlier period in Friesland. Ghoochannejhad scored 29 times while playing for Heerenveen in the past two seasons.

Reza Ghoochannejad has retired from Team Melli after failing to appear in the World Cup.

APOEL Nicosia  has just been eliminated from the UEFA Champions League preliminary rounds by FK Sūduva from Lithuania.

Ghleechkhani’s Unreachable , Unassailable record.

Iran has a legend in Ali Daei whose 109 goals in international games is a record that seems to be incredibly difficult to beat in the near future.

The Shariyar has the World All-time Top scorer record registered under his name; no one is even close to this 109 goals unless you consider the 85 that Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal has scored to be quite near!

Despite of that, Daei is not the first hero of Iran’s illustrious football history. That accolade goes to the great Parviz Ghleechkhani who preceded him in an implausible record that is simply next to impossible to beat in modern day football.

Ghleechkhani has played in 3 AFC Asian Cup tournaments. He won 3 titles in 1968, 1972 and 1976. The utility player who has excelled in every post he played, bar in the goal, has played 12 matches in the three editions of what was called Asian Nations Cup and won them all. No draws, no defeats and absolute 100% record. As such, Ghleechkhani holds 2 Asian records with that feat. 3 consecutive championships title and the 100% undefeated record. No Asian player is close to those records.

Ghleechkhani. who was the Captain of Team Melli ,  added the Asian Games Tehran 1974 Gold Medal to his cabinet too.

Considered by many as Iran’s best ever player, Parviz Ghleechkhani was deprived from the World Cup when Iran first qualified in 1978. His absence was nothing to do with football but much about politics and his expression of leftist leaning views in the era of the Pahlavi dictatorship. Ghleechkhani was arrested by SAVAK in February 1972 for anti-regime activities and viewing or spreading of Marxists literature which was a taboo in Iran. Some months later, Ghleechkhani appeared live on national TV in an orchestrated interview where he expressed his regrets and declared repentance; as a result, he was released from prison a few days later.

Ghleechkhani continued playing football with unrelenting success on the field. He was offered professional contracts by a number of European clubs including Galatasaray S.K, Bayern Munich, Olympiacos. Despite being released, Ghleechlkhani was constantly monitored and kept under surveillance by the regime security apparatus. He was not allowed to leave Iran to play for any of the clubs that offered him contracts. While still at his peak and playing quite well in the North American Soccer League (NASL) with SD Earthquakes, he was ignored in the selection for the squad of Team Melli to Argentine for the first ever appearance in the FIFA World Cup in 1978.

The legendary midfielder played for several clubs starting from Kayan, Taj, Pas , Oghab , Daraei, and Persepolis. In 1977 he moved to the United States where he signed for the San Jose Earthquake.

The success of the Iranian Revolution in 1979 lead by Ayattollah Khomeini was another serious setback for the activist Ghleechkhani. In April 1979 Iran was declared an Islamic republic, while elements within the clergy promptly moved to exclude their former left-wing, nationalist, and intellectual allies from any positions of power in the new regime, and a return to conservative social values was enforced.  Ghleechkhani and his comrades were out of luck.

Ghleechkhani’s success was hindered by his political beliefs and the struggles against the regimes of both The Shah and Ayatollah Khomeini. Ghleechkhani was a great player in all meaning of the word. He never managed to reach his potential despite his skills and abilities, instead he made millions of Iranians fans celebrate the success of Team Melli through his great performances. One of the most memorable of which , was against Australia in the FIFA Qualifiers in 1973 in Tehran Arayamehr Stadium (Azadi) where he scored two goals in less than 30 minutes. His first was a thunderous shoot and the second a penalty.

An exile in Paris now, Ghleechkhani record of 3 consecutive Asian Cup titles and 100% record, seems like being immortal.

Parviz Ghleechkhani

Asian Cup Games Details

 

# Date Competition Venue Opponent Score
1 10-May-68 Asian Cup H Hong Kong 2 – 0
2 13-May-68 Asian Cup H Taiwan 4 – 0
3 16-May-68 Asian Cup H Burma 3 – 1
4 19-May-68 Asian Cup / Final H Israel 2 – 1
5 07-May-72 Asian Cup N Cambodia 2 – 0
6 09-May-72 Asian Cup N Iraq 3 – 0
7 13-May-72 Asian Cup A Thailand 3 – 2
8 17-May-72 Asian Cup N Cambodia 2 – 1
9 19-May-72 Asian Cup / Final N Korea Rep. 2 – 1
10 04-Jun-76 Asian Cup H Iraq 2 – 0
11 05-Jun-76 Asian Cup H China 2 – 0
12 13-Jun-76 Asian Cup / Final H Kuwait 1 – 0

P

 W D L GF GA GD Pts Win %
12 12 0 0 28 6 22 36

100%

Jakarta Asian Games- Football groups to be re-drawn!

According to the Mehr news agency and the  FFIRI website, the UAE and Palestine were not included in the first groups draw.

It is said that the two countries have completed their registration process correctly and in accordance with the rules of the Asian Game.  However, their names were dropped!  To correct this, the organizing committee will arrange the second lot  which will be held with 26 countries.

Based on this, the new draw will be held July 23rd of July in Jakarta.

In the previous draw, Iran U23 team was in Group F along with Saudi Arabia, Myanmar and North Korea. North Korea  is the winner of the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon.

Asian Games Men Football matches are played by teams with under the age of 23. Each team can have up to three players over the age range with Wildcard entering the game.

The Asian Games 2018 will begin on August 27, but the men’s soccer games will begin on August 23rd.