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Taj and Wilmots to meet for termination of the contract.

After a lot of speculations and what looked like a covert operation, the FFIRI seems to have reached the decision to terminate the contract of the current head coach of Team Melli, Marc Wilmots.

The president of the Iranian Football Association FFIRI Mehdi Taj who attended the AFC awards ceremony, has left Hong Kong to arrange a meeting with Marc Wilmots or his lawyers in Istanbul with the objective of terminating the Belgian coach contract on mutual consent. It is believed that the groundworks for such termination has been completed and the meeting will be a formality to end what was a bitter and dark period of Team Melli history under the ineffectual Wilmots.

This would be Wilomts third successive sacking from his post after he was dismissed by his country's federation in June 2016, and then came his short tenure with Ivory Coast, where he left his job  in November 2017 "by mutual agreement" where he had only been in the role six months, but paid the price for his failure to guide the Elephants to a fourth successive World Cup 2018.

With Iran , Team Melli is in serious risk of elimination from the World Cup with two successive defeats in the group qualifications rounds. It seems that the World Cup is Marc Wilmots', Achilles Heel.

Branko Ivankovic is the leading candidate as successor , however there is still a major financial settlement that needs to be sorted out by Persepolis club before the Croat will agree to return back to Iran.  The president of that club has admitted that their former coach (Branko Ivankovic) is negotiating with the Iranian Football Association to become the national team coach after Ivankovic emphatically turned down Persepolis club offer to return to his old job.

Ivankovic is still very bitter with Persepolis club specifically his last few months with the club, not just because the club failed to respect the contract and held his wages for several months, but because of all the troubles and the turmoil that was created in the team led by a few players to undermine his authority and hinder his job.

Although Branko, as he is popularly known in Iran amongst the fans, has not signed up yet, it is believed that if FFIRI can guarantee regular payment of his wages, Ivankovic will sign to lead Team Melli for his third time.

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Ivankovic's pre-condition to coach Team Melli.

Branko Ivankovic is claiming 960,000 Euro arrears from Persepolis Club.

While the Croat coach is negotiating the possibility of coaching Team Melli with FFIRI and has met with the Iranian Ambassador in Croatia regarding this matter, he insists on settling the accounts with the Iranian Champions. The former Persepolis and Team Melli coach has given two conditions to the Iranian authorities, one of which is the financial settlement, while the other is the settlement of the contract with current coach Wimots before he can officially negotiates terms & conditions to coach Team Melli. It is an unwritten law between coaches that negotiating a job will not be carried out unless the post is vacant, which is not the case with Team Melli as Wilmots is still in charge, although remotely.

Meanwhile, Perspolis has acknowledged the receipt of an official letter from FIFA legal department reference Ivankovic's claim and ordered to pay the full amount to their former Croatian coach. Failure to pay would result in sanctions on Persepolis and interest accumulation on the amount until it is fully paid.

Meanwhile, in true tradition Persepolis club on the receipt of the warning from FIFA, is seeking a discount from Branko Ivankovic! Persepolis must have thought to pull a quick one by taking advantage of Black Friday!

FFIRI has remained tight-lipped on the negotiations with Ivankovic and the contract with Marc Wilmots, whose future with Team Melli seems to be doubtful after the poor results that threaten Iran's qualification for the FIFA Wolrd Cup 2022.

Iran looses further grounds in FIFA Ranking Nov. 2019

Another setback for Team Melli under Wilmots was registered as Team Melli has lost its leadership of Asian FIFA Ranking that it held for over 4 years. The consecutive defeats against Bahrain and Iraq mean further drop in global ranking too. Iran has lost 6 places in the November 2019 ranking while Japan outset Iran as top Asian team.

 

The new list published today by the world football governing body, Iran is placed at World No 33 with a total of 1489 a loss of 16 points, further to last ranking loss of 17 points, while arch-rivals and AFC Asian Cup finalist Japan remains as world no 28 with two extra points gained at 1500.  Korea RTep is third while Australia and Qatar follow.

With no more games scheduled until March 2020, this ranking will remain for that period. Korea and Australia can pass Iran if they accumulate more points playing friendly games.

FIFA World Ranking

November 28th, 2019

World Rank Team Total Points Previous Points Change in Ranking
31
  NGA   Nigeria
 1493 1481 4
32
  SVK   Slovakia
 1490 1493 -1
33
IRN  IR Iran
 1489 1505 -6
34
   IRL   Ireland
 1486 1480 2
35
  ALG   Algeria
 1482 1469 3
   

AFC ASIAN RANKING 

   
AFC Rank FIFA Team Points previous Change +/-
1 28 JAPAN 1500 1498 0
2 33 IRAN 1489 1505 -6
3 41 KOREA REP 1459 1466 -2
4 42 AUSTRALIA 1457 1450 2
5 55 QATAR 1398 1391 2
6 67 SAUDI ARABIA 1351 1339 2
7 70 IRAQ  1340 1327 4
8 71 UAE 1338 1353 -4
9 75 CHINA 1325 1339 -6
10 79 SYRIA 1314 1292 4
      Source: FIFA.com 24th October 2019

Kanaani-Zadegan, dismisses all rumors of a rift between players and Wilmots.

The Team Melli central defender dismissed talks of a dispute between players and Belgian coach Marc Wilmots as malicious rumours.

Mohammad Hossein Kanaani-Zadegan, was quoted saying that "The players and the coaching staff in Team Melli had a good working realtionship and mutual respect, anything beyond that is just malicious"

"Unfortunately, these talks have been spreading on social media. We respect Wilmots, and any talk or insinuation that the players in Team Melli were against Wilmots, is baseless rumours." When Kanaani-Zadegan was quizzed about Branko Ivankovic impending arrival, he responded "I am unaware of his presence and I just heard it from you" The Persepolis defender said.

About the issue of Masoud Shojaei ,  Kanaani-Zadegan said "It has been mentioned that Shojeai has announced his retirement from Team Melli after the defeat against Iraq but the rest of the Team Melli players unanimously objected to that!  I assure you that this so-called announcement has never happened in the dressing room, and we are not unaware of any such plan".

In respect to the other reports that Wilmots' training style was not to the liking of the players "I don't know where these rumours come from; Wilmots is a great coach, we've conducted the training that he planned for us too " Kanaani said.

"there were some reporters present when we were at the training ground and they have witnessed how both we and Wilmots worked so hard for Team Melli's success."

Asked if the team only practised for two days before meeting Iraq? He said: "Again, this is not true, we did a few days of good and high-intensity training and I do not accept such statements that we only practised for two days. " When he was asked to comment on reports that some Team Melli players called or have contacted Branko Ivankovic when they heard he is taking over Wilmots' post, the former Machine-Sazi defender said, "I am unaware of this, it is best to discuss this with players who have called Branko."

To put the records straight, Team Melli full contingent that includes the Legionnaires practised two days only before the match with Iraq. The rest of the training that Kanaani is probably referring too, was the training sessions for the domestic players only conducted by Hashemianm which is not considered as a full Team Training where gameplans, tactics and other stuff is discussed by the Head Coach.

Also, it has to be noted that reporters are only allowed 15 minutes from the start of training practice and then they asked to leave the pitch. It is not feasible to measure anything of worth in such a short time for reporters and observers.

Is Ivankovic the right choice for Team Melli now?

OPINION

One cannot ignore all the talks about the rift between Marc Wilmots on one side and the FFIRI, Iranian Media and fans on the other.

The Belgian coach has failed to meet expectations and that 14-0 win against Cambodia looks now more a hoax that gave him and his players a serious false impression of superiority and self-esteem that was brought down back to earth in Bahrain.

It is safe to say that Wilmot's team lacks special players in midfield to open the game and feed the forwards but also Wilmots himself does not know his best lineup. There were several other technical shortfalls and the dearth of focus by the players. Wilmots also failed with his players’ selection and substations. He was technically outsmarted by the coaches of Bahrain and Iraq.

Two crucial losses on the trot seem to be good enough justification to relieve the man who was accountable from his duty, but what about the timing? In fact, the timing is perfect as it gives the new coach over three months of plotting and planning. That period will surely be enough for a person like Ivankovic who is very familiar with Iran’s football.

The Professor has many advocates in Iran’s football and if he cannot do the job for Team Melli, it is difficult to imagine any other foreign coach doing it. His familiarity with the players, many of them he coached in Persepolis, his knowledge of the culture, his awareness of the players' discipline and behaviour are great assets to add to his technical awareness and savvy tactics.

It has to be mentioned that Ivankovic is a strict disciplinarian and has no time for petulance, sulkiness and general misconduct that is rife amongst the Iranian players. In his time at Persepolis, he got rid of several players due to disciplinary issues, the most famous of them is the current Team Melli Back Ramin Rezaeian.  Ivankovic could also face problems with other players who are stars in their own rights but not too professionals in attitude and conduct. One such player is Sardar Azmoun.

It is a terrible thing for a person to lose his job, especially in the festive season, but if this unfortunate action has to be carried out, now is the best time for Team Melli but not necessarily for Marc Wilmots.

Marc Wilmots accuses FFIRI of committing a serious breach of contract".

The strained relationship between Marc Wilmots and the Iranian football took a sharp turn to the worst as the Belgian coach has tweeted that his employers, FFIRI have committed a serious breach of contract while the FFIRI has secretly approached Branko Ivankovic to replace Wilmots.

The Belgian coach says that unbearable situation has been created for him and his assistants by the Football Federation. Following the defeat of the Iranian national football team against Iraq, criticism of the Belgian national coach has been on the rise, and the rumours of replacing Wilmots with Branko Ivankovic has gained momentum.  However, the Iranian Football Federation in a bizarre statement about the various rumours surrounding Team Melli coaching, including negotiation with Wilmots on the subject of termination of the contract, said that it (FFIRI) does not confirm or deny anything!! Such peculiar denial has given the media the ammunition to speculate more and confirm to a certain extent that what has been rumoured is, in fact, close to reality and truth and not just rumours.

 And the lame statement by FFIRI, who are trying to be clever, will not alleviate those stories.

Now Marc Wilmots has ended his silence on the subject today and posted on his official Twitter page his thoughts on the "rumours" in the Iranian media: "The reality is that the situation is unbearable for me and my assistants due to a serious breach of contract by the Iranian Football Federation. "The case is being processed by my lawyers and I do not intend to comment any further."

While the breach of contract by FFIRI is quite clear, as Mehdi Taj administration has consistently delayed the payment of the wages of Wilmots and his assistants, which eventually forced the hands of Wilmots to refuse to carry out his duty ( a violation of the contract of its own), the serious concern is hardly about the clauses of the contract but the lacklustre, lethargic , lack of creativity and lack of urgency in the team that is coached by Wilmots and that lead to two consecutive defeats.

Branko Ivankovic : " No intention to coach Team Melli"

Former  Team Melli and Persepolis coach Branko Ivankovic says he has no intention of coaching Iran national football team.

Ivankovic led Persepolis to the Iranian domestic treble last season but left after they failed to pay him his salary, a common practice in Iran in the last few years.

The 65-year-old coach, considered as one of the best foreign coaches of Team Melli, won the gold medal in 2002 Asian Games and led Team Melli to third place in 2004 AFC Asian Cup.

The Croat coached Iran at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, where the Team Melli failed to qualify for the next stage after losing to Mexico and Portugal. while drawing with Angola.

“At the moment, I have a lot of offers from Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Japan and China but have not accepted them so far. In Al Ahli, I was fired after three matches, something I never experienced such a thing before. I believe I worked well for the team as it needed some changes in dressing room but this is football and I accept it,” Ivankovic said.

Asked why he left Persepolis at the end of the last season, Ivankovic said, “I had four fascinating years in Iran and I so much miss the country. However, I was forced to leave Persepolis because they didn’t pay our salaries for about one year. At that time, Al Ahli gave me a good offer and I accepted it,” he added.

Persepolis have lost three times in the last 10 matches but Ivankovic says they are favourites to win the title for the fourth time in a row.

“I think Gabriel Calderon needs time in Persepolis because he is a great coach. Persepolis fans love their team and support their players and coaches. In my opinion, Persepolis and Sepahan are vying for the title in the current season,” Ivankovic stated.

Ivankovic believes that Team Melli had a chance to qualify for the next round at the FIFA 2018 World Cup.

“I think (Carlos) Queiroz preferred to defend in Russia. Iran could have played attacking football against Portugal and Span. After beating Morocco, Team Melli should have taken risks,” said Ivankovic .

"Is there any chance to return to Team Melli if he receives an offer?"

“I would prefer to work at club level. I am not going work as a national team head coach,” Ivankovic concluded.

4 Iranian candidates for AFC Annual Awards 2019

Alireza Beiranvand, Sardar Azmoun, Mehdi Javid and Katayoun (Kat) Khosrowyar have been nominated by Asian Football Confederation as the top three in their categories fo awards 2019.

Persepolis FC and Team Melli goalkeeper Ali Reza Beiranvand, Japan’s versatile defender Tomoaki Makino and AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 star Akram Hassan Afif of Qatar lead the nominees for the AFC Player of the Year – Men’s category at the AFC Annual Awards Hong Kong 2019.

Beiranvand is famously known for saving Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia and he repeated the feat against Oman in the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 to lead Iran to the semi-finals. He has been an inspirational figure in goal for both club and country but outside the pitch, he remains a strong advocate for social responsibility.

Makino’s commanding presence in the heart of the Urawa Red Diamonds have been one of the key reasons in helping his team keep six clean sheets en-route to reaching the 2019 AFC Champions League final. He was also integral in leading the Samurai Blue to their fifth final of the AFC Asian Cup.

Afif is arguably Asia’s brightest prospect and he burst onto the scene at the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 where he produced 10 assists – the most in the tournament’s history. He was also a figure of consistency for club Al Saad where they reached the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League.

Sardar Azmoun , who plays for Zenith St. Petersburg has stormed into the team scoring regularly n the Domestic and European league. The Team Melli centre forward is having one of the best seasons in his career in Russia. Azmoun AFC is nominated as Asian International Player of the Year

Mahdi Javid, arguably one of the best futsal players of this generation is also included in the list. The 32 years old Mes Sungun player has been an inspiration with club and country. He also played in Lebanese league and several other Iranian clubs winning many titles. Javid is nominated as AFC Futsal Player of the Year

Katayoun Khosrowyar, who grew up playing soccer in Oklahoma, is the head coach of Iran’s under-19 national women’s team. The team narrowly missed qualification to the final rounds of AFC U-19 Women's Championship Thailand 2019 by virtue of its lower fair play points. Katayoun has sacrificed her university scholarship and lifestyle aside for the sake of helping Iranian women develop in football. Katayoun is nominated as AFC Coach of the Year (Women)

The star-studded cast of nominees (in alphabetical order of MA) for the AFC Annual Awards Hong Kong 2019 are:

AFC Player of the Year (Men)

Ali Reza Safarbeiranvand (Persepolis F.C. and IRN)

Tomoaki Makino (Urawa Red Diamonds and JPN)

Akram Hassan Afif (Al Saad and QAT)

AFC Player of the Year (Women)

Li Ying (Guangdong Huijun FC and CHN)

Ashalata Devi Loitongbam (Sethu FC and IND)

Saki Kumagai (Olympique Lyonnais and JPN)

AFC Asian International Player of the Year

Sardar Azmoun (IRN)

Makoto Hasebe (JPN)

Son Heung-min (KOR)

AFC Futsal Player of the Year

Mahdi Javid (IRN)

Tomoki Yoshikawa (JPN)

Yushi Sekiguchi (JPN)

AFC Youth Player of the Year (Women)

Karly Roestbakken (AUS)

Wang Linlin (CHN)

Jun Endo (JPN)

AFC Youth Player of the Year (Men)

Hiroki Abe (JPN)

Lee Kang-in (KOR)

Doan Van Hau (VIE)

AFC Coach of the Year (Women)

Katayoun Khosrowyar (IRN)

Asako Takakura (JPN)

Nuengrutai Srathongvian (THA)

AFC Coach of the Year (Men)

Tsuyoshi Otsuki (JPN)

Go Oiwa (JPN)

Chung Jung-yong (KOR)

AFC Member Association of the Year (Inspiring)

Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran

Japan Football Association

Korea Football Association

AFC Member Association of the Year (Developing)

DPR Korea Football Association

The Hong Kong Football Association LTD.

Football Association of Singapore

AFC Member Association of the Year (Aspiring)

Guam Football Association

Mongolian Football Federation

Yemen Football Association

AFC President Recognition Awards for Grassroots Football (Inspiring)

Chinese Football Association

Japan Football Association

Football Association of Malaysia

AFC President Recognition Awards for Grassroots Football (Developing)

The Hong Kong Football Association LTD.

All India Football Federation

Football Association of Singapore

AFC President Recognition Awards for Grassroots Football (Aspiring)

National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam

Guam Football Association

Palestine Football Association

Wilmots need to really improve himself and be realistic.

Football coaches are a unique breed. They seem to know everything about football that others don’t know, they are most stubborn, do not accept defeat easily and blame the earth and the sky for the losses. It is exceptional to find a coach who admits that he screwed up and is to be blamed for bad performances or defeats. They live in denial and it seems that Marc Wilmots is doing just that ... in denial.

“We did not deserve the losses against Bahrain and Iraq," he said in his press conference, forgetting that results of matches are based on a team scoring goals and not willful thinking. Yes, Team Melli never deserves a defeat, after all Iranians are proud and passionate people who do not take lightly for being second best in any competition. So, what is new?

The reason for the two defeats might be a bit foggy for Mr Wilmots but down deep inside a person who has been in football for 30 years should hopefully know the points of failures that lead to the defeats, even if he would not admit to it in public.  Of course, Wilmots is correct not to blame one or two players for such a defeat, but that is an old and worn-out cliché. However, we all know the blame nearly always is on the shoulders of the coach. Is that fair? Perhaps not, but that is the way it is, after all, he picked those players. In these two matches, then, Wilmots is culpable and accountable for the losses no matter how much he blames luck.

There were contributory circumstances before the match that aided these defeats like lack of sufficient training sessions which would lead to a lack of understanding and failures to implement game plans. Only two days of training sessions for a crucial match does not cut it. Coaching and communicating with players are the essence of football training. It is really essential to know your players especially when you are new and there is a steep learning curve in the job. Those inept FFIRI managers who refused to pay his wages leading to a dispute are also culprits.

The role of Wilmots in both defeats is evident.

Against Bahrain in a hot and sticky humid weather when energy conversation and control of the midfield and defence is very essential away from home, Wilmots elects to have 3 forward and leave the midfield quite thin using a defender in Hajsafy, and a rookie player Mohebbi to assist the lone real midfielder Omid Ebrahimi!

The three attackers, Azmoun, Taremi and Ansarifard were stuck in traffic of Bahraini defenders and were even crowding each other upfront. The coach outlook to the game plan was poor and substitution late and ineffective.

The lineup against Iraq was much improved, but what was Shojaei doing there? Against a youthful, energetic and physical team like Iraq, the 36 years old veteran was sticking like a sore thumb, lost and hence became a liability. It is interesting to view Shojaei’s full data in the match, his pass completion rate would have not exceeded 50%, yet Wilmots never saw that and insisted on leaving him in the game until he was red-carded, while the team desperately needed a dynamo in this post! Let us not beat around the bush, it is the coach’s fault and no one else for having an ineffective midfield player in the twilight of his career while Iraq was operating with 5 full midfield players and taking control of the game.

These are just two examples of many that lead to the loss of Team Melli against Bahrain and Iraq. For good measure and ego, everyone can blame luck but the reality is the team did not play well at all. A win or a draw would have covered all the shortfall of the team and falsely showed a capable team while in reality there are many flaws in personnel and tactics.

“Change yourself, and your luck will change.” ~ Portuguese Proverb

Wilmots "We at least deserved a draw, we were unlucky"

The head coach of Iran's Team Melli says his team did not deserve the losses against Bahrain and Iraq!

Marc Wilmots, in the post-match press conference following the loss to Iraq, said  "We had a tough 15 minutes at the start of the game. Then we conceded a goal but soon recovered and took control. We made some mistakes in the second half and we ended up with 10 players. This defeat forces us to get maximum points out of the remaining matches in order to advance to the next round.”

Asked what plans he has to achieve this qualification, Wilmots responded:

 "We are doing our best for home games as well as the one away game against Cambodia,". Commenting on his team's two consecutive World Cup qualifying defeats, The Belgian coach said” We could have at least got two points in the two games against Bahrain and Iraq, but that didn't happen. Perhaps it is better to say that we were unlucky and both matches could have ended in a draw”

Wilmots commenting on the playing conditions and whether the defeat was a consequence of the red card given to Team Melli’s Captain Masoud Shojaei “ I have been in football for 30 years. One should never blame any individual for a defeat. We are all to be blamed for the failure and not just one player. We had some mistakes in this game. We made some mistakes in defensive covering. On top of that, we were short in the last 10 minutes.” Wilmot's claims that some the Iranian media is blaming the failure on the absence of Jahanbakhsh and Saeid Ezatollahei. “ It is not like what it sounds. Jahanbakhsh and Ezatollahei have not played for a while. In addition, we did not have Haji Safi due to injury in the match.”