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Star player missing from Togo Line up

Togo internationals Emmanuel Adebayor and Floyd Ayité are set to miss the Sparrow Hawks’ encounter against Iran.

The two sides will lock horns in an international friendly match at the Azadi Stadium in Tehrān, Iran on 5 October 2017.

The Togolese Football Federation (FTF) has since announced that Adebayor and Ayite have both been withdrawn from the squad due to injuries.

“Injured in their respective clubs, Emmanuel Adebayor (Basaksehir) and Floyd Ayité (Fulham) have declared forfeit,” a statement read.

Adebayor, the Togo captain and striker, who is playing for İstanbul Başakşehir in the Turkish Super Lig, has been out nursing an injury.

Togo midfielder Ayite plies his trade in the English Championship for Fulham and he was substituted in the 42nd minute against Middlesbrough last weekend due to injury.

It remains to be seen whether the FTF will call up replacements before the match.

Biranvand dipping form, a worry for Team Melli.

Just as most Team Melli fan breathed a sigh of relief for having a strong and reliable goalkeeper between the post of Team Melli goal line, Alireza Biranvand has hit his lowest form since joining Iran’s squad.

After years of unceratinity and problems in the goalkeeping post with several changes of goalkeepers, it was apparent that the young Biranvand has displayed the form that augurs well for the future of Team Melli. His reflexes, Aerial command and body frame is a source of confidence for the coaches and defenders alike. It seems all is settled at the back and the guardian of Team Melli during the world cup 2018 would be none other than Alireza Biranvand.

Biranvand kept 17 clean sheets in the FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifiers including 12 consecutive clean sheets lasting 1108 minutes. This is a statistic of the highest caliber.

And then, the Syria match!

For the first and last time in Round 3, Iran concedes a goal, in fact two goals against Syria. On both of the goals, Birnavand was the culprit and weak. The second Syrian goal in the added time of the match, was particularly embarrassing as mild shot by Syria’s Omar Al Souma passed between Biranvands wide open legs into the net.

This was the start of a spiral dive in form by Biranvand as Persepolis look exposed with Birnavand in goal. Almost all the goals conceded had a hallmark of bad goalkeeping. The Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal scored 4 goals passed him in the semifinal first leg of the AFC Champions League. In the Persian Gulf League, Biranvand was not doing well either as he was a culprit in several of the goals conceded that resulted in Persepolis dropping from the top spot of the league table.

Branko Ivankovic had enough of the long spell of bad performance by Biranvand and has benched him for the next Persepolis league match; however, the concern remains if Queiroz has still confidence in him. If the last 5 or 6 matches are to go by, Team Melli cannot rely on Biranvand and must find a suitable replacement. Haghighi, who is playing in Sweden now, has been called again. He is the most natural replacement if Birnavand does not improve vastly. In all cases, goalkeeping is once again becoming a worry.

Yes Minister !!

Masoud Soltanifar was spot on when he issued instructions to Mehdi Taj and ordered FFIRI to investigate the management calamity that has led to a heavy fine and sanctions by FIFA imposed on Persepolis club that might approach the 800,000 Euro including legal cost.

The Minister of youth and sports was even more judicious and decisive when he demanded, in no uncertain terms, that the football administrators get their act together and start learning the skills of the trade by attending courses or workshop in order to improve their knowledge in international law and football management.

On the surface of things, the reaction of the minister is praiseworthy. Mr. Soltanifar, is more than concerned about the repeated failures of Iranian football management and poor decision making leading to wastage of public funds. Virtually all clubs, but most significantly the two top popular ones, Esteghlal and Persepolis, are run by the government in some form or another. As such this control has cost the public coffers tens of millions of dollars in expenditure and wastage. There is another motive for issuing the order by Mr. Soltanifar. He is, no doubt bracing himself for questioning in the Majlis (the Parliament) by members who will question his authority and criticize his role in this humiliation.

Indeed, humiliation is the right phrase used by no other than Carlos Queiroz to describe this whole affair.

However, on close scrutiny of this event and the subsequent reaction by the Minister, it seems that this is a clear case of self-incrimination.

The individuals who are running Persepolis are appointees of the Ministry in the first place. The Youth & Sports Minister approves the Chief Executive, board member and major posts in the club, and hence he is directly accountable for the actions by the club. It is him that has failed to appoint a competent team of administrators and it is appropriate that he is questioned and held accountable for this fiasco.

Those who run football in Iran, particularly Esteghlal and Persepolis clubs, from directors to key administration personnel, are mostly political appointees. Rather than competency or merit based appointments, the candidates for the posts are either ex revolutionary guards’ commanders, military,  police or government employees who have served the regime and in returned are rewarded for their loyalties. This might work if those people are competent and experienced in this field. There is no place for entrepreneurs, businessmen or professionally trained and experienced executives in the boards of Persepolis and Esteghlal.  It is more important to be a pious man who does not miss his prayer rather than being a capable manager with knowledge in marketing, financing, legal affairs and public relations talents. There is a distinct lack of personnel who can run clubs as corporate entities.

It is not surprising that fiascos such as this can be committed by the likes of Mehdi Taj, Ali Kaffashian and Ali Akbar Taheri. A person such as Mohammad Rouyanian, led Persepolis to the verge of bankruptcy while at the helm of the club a few years back. The affairs in the other popular club , Esteghlal, is not much better.  The Minster and the government must shoulder the responsibility especially since the concern is wastage of public funds that can be used in much needed areas of football development (such as having a decent training ground for Team Melli)

The lack of accountability is quite rife in Iran’s football. It is indeed rare for a coach, Chairman or an accountable manager to accept responsibility for a failure and resign his post.  All those aforementioned have one undeniable skill and that is bargaining! The word Chaneh, meaning bargaining or lack of a better term, maneuvering, dodging and evading an issue by the use of justification, excuses and pleas. This is instilled in the Iranian culture and accepted in the bazzar when buying a commodity but it is also widely used in business and administration process. It is a trait that takes those who excel in it to great heights in the hierarchy. With maneuvering and use of words and terms, these people get away with murder. Fortunately, in international law, there is no place for such maneuvering and that is where Iran football gets caught. The suspension of Iran by FIFA post Word Cup 2006 is still fresh in the memory.

It is not that Iran lacks managerial and administration skills to run a successful football club or football federation.

When the country has the likes of Mohammad Javad Zarif and his team of negotiators on the nuclear deal who have done the nation pride by their skills, professionalism, knowledge and proficiency that has gained the respect of the whole world, it is pity that such skills are nowhere to be seen in football administration which is now a global multibillion dollar business and not just purely a sport.

The government has no business running football in Iran, not in any other country for that matter. By owning and running sports clubs, there is a great responsibility that has to be accomplished in a successful manner. The reality is that the government has a vivid lack of vision, tools and competency in doing so. Their priorities are focused on security and fear of expression of discontent leading to mass revolt. It might be a legitimate right for the regime to protect itself, but by controlling football clubs and federation, it is exposing itself too . The government should have much more important functions and priorities other than running Esteghlal and Persepolis. 

Yes Minister. You are correct in your demands for answers. But it is a step too late. In corporate terms, this is a reactive measure rather than proactive. Even if there is partial success in reducing the penalties, it only serves as a cover for the real perennial problem in Iran’s football…incompetent management.

Sports Minister demands investigation and answers to Persepolis fiasco.

In a letter to the head of the Football Federation, the Minister of Youth and Sports, called for a thorough and comprehensive investigation into the FIFA sanction & fine against Persepolis Club.

According to Mehr News Agency, in the letter that the Minister Masoud Soltanifar sent to the Head of FFIRI Mehdi Taj, he said: “Following the discussions, in spite of the significant successes of recent months by the national teams of different age groups of the country and qualification of teams to the World Cups , In particular the Team Melli’s progress and qualification to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, in addition to the achievements and titles of the Futsal, Beach Soccer and Women’s Futsal events, unfortunately over the past year we witnessed punitive actions and penalties from the International Football Federation (FIFA) against some of the biggest and most popular clubs in the country. Such sanctions are detrimental to and harmful to the reputation of the country, the authorities and the vast basis Football fans. “

“In the context of FIFA’s recent ruling on Persepolis resulting in significant financial penalties and fines for this team, it is necessary to analyzed and investigate these failures and find the precise root causes of such violations that lead to FIFA ruling. It is vital to find out the factors, events and reasons behind the clubs management poor decisions and the conduct of players, managers or coaches that lead to the issuance of sanctions and penalties against these clubs. You must submit a detailed and comprehensive review of the decision making processes of these clubs and various sections of the federation, and submit it to the Ministry for review.”

“In addition, and in coordination with the executives and managers of Persepolis Club, it is necessary to use all legal and lawful capacities of the Federation and the Club to turn and abolish the sanctions issued utilizing expertise of  International Sporting Lawyers, in order to prevent these problems and possible future offenses. The Football Federation shall conduct comprehensive reviews by using the knowledge and experiences of skilled personnel and subject matter experts to redefine the mechanism of international football transfer system of Iran and, if necessary, conduct courses in various fields including legal, organizational, financial, and … for managers and officials of these clubs and related department heads to explain the required international regulations and compliance with international laws.”

Iran U-17 , a true contender at FIFA U-17

Team Mellu U17 will meet the African side Guinea on 5th October in its first match in the FIFA U-17 World Cup at Goa India. 

This is the same venue that Iran’s U-17 played in during the AFC U-16 championship which qualified Iran to the World Cup after finishing runners-up to Iraq on penalty kicks.

Iran’s first appearance at the Under-17 World Cup finals was in 2001 in Trinidad and Tobago and ended in three straight defeats. Since then, they have participated in two more editions – 2009 and 2013 – but fell at the last-16 stage both times.

But they have a fair amount of history and pedigree in Asia and that was evident in the way Iran took apart India last year, two goals from penalties notwithstanding. They lost in the final of the 2016 AFC U-16 Championship to Iraq in the shootout to secure their place in the world finals. Since then they have played numerous friendlies, mostly against European sides, to prep-up for the October event.

Abbas Chamanian has done a wonderful job of the group of players at his disposal. The team have been in camp for a long time and are currently just completed the final part of their preparation in Malaga, Spain.

During the training camp in Malaga, Iran played two friendly match and scored a remarkable result in both. In the first match , Iran U-17 defeated the European Side France 4-0 , while in the second match they played against Mexico they scored 3 goal without reply. Both France and Mexico teams will be taking part in the FIFA U-17 competition in India.

Mohammad Sharifi (Iran)

Iran’s finishing runners-up in AFC U-16 Championship last year means they return to India for FIFA U-17 World Cup. Clubbed alongside relatively easy opponents Costa Rica and Guinea and Germany, Iran may end up being the most successful Asian team in the tournament. However, head coach Abbas Chamanian may want his skipper Mohammad Sharifi at his absolute best.

Iran’s a squad that doesn’t rely on a single person for goals, as four players scored three goals in Goa last year, but the Saipa midfielder’s experience and track record – seven goals in 13 appearances for Iran U-17 – mean he carries Iran’s high expectations for success.

 

KNOW THE COACH

Abbas Chamanian: A physical education professor, Chamanian, 53, has been with the team since 2016 and guided them to the final of the AFC Under-16 Championship. Chamanian, who has managed numerous clubs in Iran, was previously in charge of the under-17 team between 2003 and 2004 too.

 

 

PAST PERFORMANCE

  
 

Round of 16: 2009, 2013. Group stage: 2001. Did not qualify: 1985-1999, 2003-07, 2011, 2015.

PASSAGE TO INDIA

Qualified by virtue of being runners-up in the AFC U-16 championships.

Results in AFC U-16

Group Matches:

Bt Saudi Arabia 3-2;

dw V UAE 1-1;

bt India 3-0;

Quarter Finals: def. Vietnam 5-0;

Semi Final :def North Korea 7-6 via penalties (regulation time 1-1);

Final Match : lost 3-4 via penalties to Iraq (regulation time 0-0)

Goalkeeper
1 Ali Gholam Zadeh Gomari 12 Mobin Ashayer 13 Amir Janipour

Defender
2 Ali Satavi 4 Amir Esmaeil Zadeh 6 Taha Shariati
3 Ahmad Jalali 5 Majid Nasiri 14 Ali Davaran

Midfielder
7 Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh 15 Ali Kooshki 20 Sobhan Khaghani
8 Mohammad Sharifi 16 Vahid Namdari 21 Amir Khoda Moradi
10 Mohammad Ghobeishavi 17 Mohammad Ghaderi    

Forward
9 Allahyar Sayyad 18 Saeid Karimi 19 Mohammad Sardari
11 Younes Delfi        

Manager
– Abbas Chamanyan      

Queiroz invites 27 players for Togo & Russia matches.

The official list of 27 players invited to join Team Melli squad for the matches against Togo and Russia have been announced.

Queiroz has picked 4 new members of the squad including the naturalized Iranian Swede, Saman Ghoddos.  Earlieer reports indicated that Ghoddos did not satisfy the requirements to play for Iran, however, there was no official communique from the federation.

Interestingly, the player who is not allowed to participate in any footballing activity after the FIFA sanction , is also picked. Mehdi Taremi is included in the list and it is unclear if he will play or just added for good measure.

Akbar Emani, Ahmad Abdolahzadeh and Mohammad Hossein Kanani-Zadegan are the other new faces. There is a return for Kaveh Rezaei who is now playing in Belgium, while the previous Captain of the team, Masoud Shojaei remains absent.

The squad, already started training in Team Melli training camp in Azadi complex before moving to the Oil Company practise ground for continuation of their training.

Team Melli, which has already qualified for the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018, will be playing several friendlies until the summer of 2018.

 

The Squad

GOALKEEPERS
HAGHIGHI, Alireza AFC Eskilstuna (SWE)
BIRANVAND, Alireza Persepolis
LAK, Hamed Saipa
MAZAHERI, Mohammad Rashid Zob Ahan
DEFENDERS
AGHAEI, Saeed Tractorsazi
CHESHMI, Rouzbeh Esteghlal
GHAFOORI , Vourya Esteghlal
HOSSEINI, Jalal Persepolis
KANANI, Mohammad Hossein  Esteghlal
MOHAMMADI, Milad Grozny (RUS)
POURALIGANJI, Morteza Al Sadd (QAT)
REZAEIAN, Ramin K.V. Oostende (BEL)
MIDFIELD
ABDOLAHZADEH, Ahmad Foolad Khuzestan
DEJAGAH, Ashkan Free Agent
EBRAHIMI, Omid Esteghlal
EMANI, Akbar  Padidah Mashad
EZATOLLAHEI, Saeed FC Amkar Perm (RUS)
HAJSAFY, Ehsan Pananios (GRE)
TORABI, Mehdi  Saipa
FORWARDS
AMIRI, Vahid Persepolis
ANSARIFARD, Karim Olympiakos (GRE)
AZMOUN, Sardar Rubin Kazan (RUS)
GHOOCHANEJAD, Reza Heerneveen (HOL)
GHODDOS, Saman Östersunds FK  (SWE)
JAHANBAKHSH, Alireza A Z Alkaamar (HOL)
REZAEI, Kaveh R. Charleroi S.C (BEL)
TAREMI, Mehdi Persepolis

It is a shameful event ; Queiroz commenting on Taremi’s suspension.

The head coach of Team Melli, referring to the suspension of the Persepolis and Team Melli striker by FIFA, said that one person should at least be brave enough and accept accountability and take responsibility for this shameful event.

Carlos Queiroz told reporters after Friday’s training session that the preparation for the FIFA World Cup has started today and will continue until late April and into May next year.

He added: “We will have a match against Togo and a match against Russia this month, and next month we will have a match with an African team and a European team, and then we will wait for the World Cup draw to be held, so that we can identify our opponents and plan our friendly games accordingly.”

Queiroz continued “In this group that we chose, 37 to 40 players who are among the best in Iranian football. We have to be fair and just by giving young players opportunity. The national team is a home with a window but no door, it is a place for the best Iranian footballers to show their worth based on merits.”

Queiroz added  “In May of the next year, we hope we can reduce the number of players and choose the top 23 players for the national team and the FIFA World Cup.”

Commenting on the selection of other players like Kaveh Rezaie and Soroush Rafiee, he said “As I said, the national team doors are open to the players who deserve to play for the team. The two players you mentioned are currently unable to join the national team, but if they are good enough , then they will definitely be invited. The two players are on our list.”

Commenting on Mehdi Taremi’s suspension , he said: “I just tried to find more details about the whole affair of Mehdi Taremi. Personally, I think it’s a shame for such an act to occur for Mehdi Taremi and particularly for Iran’s football. The international football reputation of Iran has received a huge blow and put into question its creditability.”

He further noted: “I’m sure that this would hurt both Mehdi Tarami and the supporters and the national team.” The effort we make is to be able to keep this player in form for the next few months in order for him to be able to return to football. This is very strange, and one person should take responsibility for this. This is completely shameful.”

Carlos Queiroz continued: “Whatever happens, we should try to keep the player physically and mentally at top. I still emphasize that this should never have happened.”

He also mentioned  Saman Qoddos “ When you talk about the national team, you are talking about your previous feelings and interests. When you talk about joining the squad, it is not like thinking about a proposal from Real Madrid or other teams. You are talking about your culture and identity to know if it’s in your blood or not.”

Carlos Queiroz responded to a journalist question on the reason why the squad list of Team Melli was not published , he said that after Sunday’s European, we will announce the final list on Sunday.

Team Melli in practise for Togo and Russia

Team Melli started its first training session in preparation for the double-header against Togo and Russia.

Queiroz invited 23 players including Mehdi Taremi who is under FIFA suspension for 4 months !!!

The first match will be in Azadi Stadium against the African team , Togo  currently ranked 121 in the FIFA Ranking. The most famous player in the squad is the 31 years old Emmanuel Adebayor currently playing for Turkish first division side,  İstanbul Başakşehir. 

Togo has many foreign based players however they have been on a downhill for any years suffering lack of resources and internal problems within the team.

Team Melli will resume training tomorrow but in a closed session. Another of Queiroz eccentric moves in dealing with media and journalist who will be banned from watching the session. 

The squad is as follows.

  1. Ahmad Abdollahzadeh
  2. Akbar Imani
  3. Ali Golizadeh
  4. Alireza Beyranvand
  5. Ashkan Dejagah
  6. Daniel Mahini
  7. Hamed Lak
  8. Hossein Mahini
  9. Kamal Kamibinya
  10. Mehdi Taremi
  11. Mehdi Torabi
  12. Mohammad Ansari
  13. Mohammad Hossein Kananizadegan
  14. Morteza Tabrizi
  15. Omid Ebrahimi
  16. Omid Noorafkan
  17. Roozbeh Cheshmi
  18. Saeed Aghaei
  19. Sasan Ansari
  20. Seyed Jalal Hosseini
  21. Vahid Amiri.
  22. Vahid Mohammadzadeh
  23. Vouria Ghafouri

Iran Futsal aiming for another Asian Gold

IRAN, UZBEKISTAN TO CLASH FOR SUPREMACY IN ASHGABAT

/ Sep 24 2017 /

Ashgabat: Islamic Republic of Iran showed their attacking prowess as they beat Afghanistan 8-2 in the Ashgabat 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games men’s futsal semi-final on Sunday.

IR Iran will face Uzbekistan – who beat Japan 3-2 on penalties after their semi-final finished 3-3 following extra time – in the final on Tuesday.

The defending champions are on course for a fifth consecutive futsal crown after outplaying Abdul Razaq Momrak’s men early on, firing six goals in the first half.

The intensity was high from the start as IR Iran got their goals from Abolghasem Orouji in the third, Ahmad Esmaeilpour (fourth), Hossein Tayebibidgoli (eighth), Saeid Abbasi (11th), Mahdi Javid (13th) and Hamid Ahmadidazaj (14th).

Afghanistan responded with two of their own through Akbar Kazemi in the 17th – his 10th goal of the tournament  – and Ali Jafari in the 25th to put the score at 6-2 at halftime.

There was no respite for Afghanistan as Shahrzad Mozafar’s men piled on more pressure after the break.

Javid completed his hat-trick with goals in the 36th and 37th – to lead the scoring charts with 11 goals.

“It probably looked like an easy win, but it was not easy. 

We were just very concentrated because yesterday against Thailand, we went down twice in the first minutes and we didn’t want to do that again,” said Iran’s Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Rustam Umarov was the hero for Uzbekistan after saving two penalties in the shootout against Japan to earn their spot in the final.

Japan’s Kasho Tamura opened the scoring eight minutes into the match, with his shot taking Umarov by surprise.

Uzbekistan however, found the equaliser on the stroke of halftime, with Konstantin Sviridov finding the net.

The three-time bronze medallists went ahead three minutes after the restart through Davronjon Abdurakhmonov’s effort.

Kazuya Shimizu leveled the tie with a strike in the 27th minute but his joy proved to be shortlived when he picked up his second yellow card a minute later as Japan were left with a man down.

The 2013 runners-up went ahead through Shinsuke Hara in the 34th but the tie was even again after Uzbekistan found the net a minute later through Davron Choriev to send the match into extra time.

The tie went into penalties as neither side could find a breakthrough after the two periods of extra time.

At 2-1 down in the shootout, Umarov stole the show when he saved Takashi Morimura and Atsuya Uemura’s spot kicks as Uzbekistan’s Davronjon Abdurakhmonov scored the winner for a 3-2 win.

“I think my team deserved the victory. We had chances. Our style was different. They played many long balls and we play with it on the floor. That is the way I prefer,” said Japan coach Bruno Jose Garcia Formoso.

“Uzebekistan lost only by 2-1 to Iran in the last AFC final so it will not be easy for Iran. Uzbekistan can win.

“Iran will be the favourites but they will have a tough match,” he added.

This will be Uzbekistan’s first appearance in the final.

“This final for us is kind of winning the championship already, we feel now like champions. It was our target to reach the final and of course we are not going to stop here,” said Uzbekistan team leader Jahangir Usmanov.

Semi-Finals

Results

Iran 8-2 Afghanistan

Japan 3-3 Uzbekistan

(AET, Uzbekistan win 3-2 on penalties)

Sept 26

3rd-4th playoff:

Afghanistan v Japan 

 

Final:

Iran v  Uzbekistan

Source: ashgabat.com

Mehdi Taremi is suspended by FIFA.

Following a complaint by a Turkish Sporting Club, the World Football governing body (FIFA) ruled in favor of Süper Lig team Çaykur Rizespor and imposed a heavy penalty and fines against Persepolis and Mehdi Taremi.

Both Team Melli striker and his agent Golghi, have been penalized for illegally leaving the Turkish club and required to pay a fine of € 789,500. Both are also suspended  from all football activities for a period of four months.

Persepolis is also banned from any transfer activities for two windows of winter and summer transfers and will not be able to attract new players until the winter of 2018.

Persepolis is facing the most challenging of period  of the club history as they have set camp in Dubai in preparation for the AFC Champ[ions League semi final on against  Al-Hilal of  Saudi Arabia. Taremi , the leading scorer for the club will not be available.

With the demand by Persepolis, Taremi’s change of heart as well as Hossein Hedayati’s encouragement  , Taremi returned from Turkey to Iran despite signing an official contract to play for the Turkish club and as a result , he is faced with unprecedented penalty.

Petiro Espoor announced in March of 2016 that he would sue Taromi, but Persepolis did not take the Turkish club’s threat seriously and announced that they can easily deal with the matter. Persepolis always maintained that Mehdi Taremi is a Persepolis player who has been ill-advised! 

The Iranian media have repeatedly warned of the consequences of Taremi’s law abuses. Persepolis has had many months to negotiate peacefully with the Turkish side, but lack of understanding of law, arrogance and simply poor management skills which the club is famous for, has turned out to be a very expensive affair.

Even after the FIFA  decree, Ali Akbar Taheri, the CEO of Persepolis, announced that if there is no penalty against the club accept the suspension of Taremi !

FIFA is very strict in about players’ commitment and obligations to their clubs and vice versa. Iranian clubs are notorious for breaking rules as both Persepolis and Esteghlal have been found guilty of several rules breaking.  Taremi has been fine for not respecting the terms of the contract and leaving the club without notice and without obtaining a clearance from his employer , Çaykur Rizespor.

Persepolis club has the opportunity to appeal to the High Court of Sports CAS , but if the verdict is reaffirmed, then there is an added heavy costs of the trial proceeding that should be paid.

Çaykur Rizespor’s complaint follows another  Persepolis’ involvement in the case of former coach Manuel José. Than fans are worried about the consequences of that case which might be even a bigger penalty against Persepolis.

One source inside the FFIRI mentioned  that “Despite the denial by Persepolis, the letter of suspension has reached the Football Federation and on Saturday , a session is scheduled to be held in the federation to examine the issue.”

Following the news of Taremi’s suspension, the club coach Branko Ivankovic said that he is extremely concerned with lack of professionalism displayed by the player and ill-advise that Taremi had received following his departure from Persepolis to Turkey and the quick U-Turn.  The Croat coach , however, was defiant and insisted that despite his top scorer absence , he is determined to take the team to its first ever AFC champions League Final.