When it comes to AFC Asian Cup legends, the Iranian Parviz Ghleechkhani has no match in the long history of this competition which started way back in 1956.
Iran first participation was in the 1960 edition where they narrowly missed qualification to the finals in a group that also included Israel , Pakistan and India.
Iran hosted the 1968 championship in Tehran where they first tasted the honor of lifting the Asian Cup. Among the squad , a young 22 years old player by the name of Parviz Ghleechkhani made a strong impression. The Kian FC midfielder has already represented Iran as a 18 years old player in the football competition of the Olympics Games Tokyo 1964. Selection of a player as such age to represent Iran in one of the major competitions was unprecedented. Ghleechkhani was a unique talent as he continued his progress in the domestic scene becoming a fixed player for Team Melli.
The historic win by Iran was the beginning of the rise of Persian football power in the continent. Iran's Captain Hassan Habibi lifted the Cup in full capacity Amjadiea stadium but very few predicted at the time that Ghleechkhani will repeat this three consecutive times.
Standing L2R: Ghleechkhani, Rashidi , Kargarjam, Haghverdian, Jabbari, Ghurab. Sitting L2R: Kalani, Kashani, Ashtiani , Parvin , Vafakhah
The move that made the biggest difference in Ghleechkhani career was his transfer to Taj Club. Arguably the top club in Tehran and by far the richest in Iran, Ghleechkhani’s career under professional coaching and management took a meteoric rise. By 1972 , Iran was the defending champion in the AFC Asian Cup held in Bangkok, Thailand. Between the two Asian Cups , Ghleechkhani's continued success was evident in another major achievement with his club and a first for Iran’s football. Taj Club, with a youthful, skillful and aspiring squad under a shrewd coaching of the Yugoslav Ryjkov, won Asia’s top club competition. However, Gleechkhani was injured at the time and could not play with the team, nevertheless he was awarded the winner's medal .
By 1972 Asian Cup , Ghleechkhani became a household name in Iran. Team Melli squad at the time had an abundance of quality players enriching the squad like Kalani, Behzadi , Habibi , Ali Jabbari and the rest . However, all these stars where at the twilight of their careers. Ghleechkhani , still young, powerful . motivated and skillful complimented the squad and made the difference. Ghleechkhani added advantage at this stage of his career was his experience as a utility player who operated in all the three lines, as a defender, midfield player and a forward, whenever required.
For the second consecutive time , Iran won the AFC Asian Cup and successfully defended the title by defeating South Korea 2-1 at extra time. The win was emphatic end to the campaign and the first ever success for an Iranian team away from home. Once again Iran won the with ease playing 5 matches and winning them all with a 12 goal haul and only 2 against. Parviz Ghleechkhani was ever present in all the matches and as expected, he was one of the key players of the team
In 1976 , Iran once again hosted the AFC Asian Cup. Ghleechkhani was now 30 years old, but still a star and key player. Some of the off field events , including political activities threatened to end his career prematurely, but the powerful man bounced back and was included in the squad for the 1976 AFC Asian Cup.
For the third time , Iran won the title and for the third consecutive time Parviz Ghleechkhani was a champion of Asia. The only match he missed was because the coach decided to field the reserve team against a weak opposition in 1976. Heshmat Mohajerani fielded the reserves team against South Yemen opting to rest the main players and still came out winners 8-0 .
Iran won the final match against Kuwait 1-0 from Ali Parvin’s goal from a free kick.
Gleechkhani was a strong player who excelled in all the three position, Defense, midfield and Attack. However, Parviz real position that would eventually be the hallmark of his career was the midfield position. His vision, powerful kicks, scoring ability and stamina was ideal for that post. Although fairly short, his aerial skills was remarkable for this utility player.
From 1968 to 1976 , Gleechkhani played in 12 out of 13 matches of Iran’s Team Melli in the AFC Asian Cup. 13 wins out of 13 with 36 goals scored and 8 conceded. Gleechkhani scored 2 goals in the Asian Cup and remains the only Iranian player that has held the Trophy on 3 consecutive occasions.
Iran vs. Israel Asian Cup 1968
Iran secured a record-equaling 13th appearance in the AFC Asian Cup.
An ever-present at the AFC Asian Cup since first hosting the tournament in 1968 Iran claimed their spot in the tournament after winning Group B ahead of Kuwait, Lebanon and Thailand.
Team Melli have plenty of pedigree in the AFC Asian Cup, having won three consecutive titles in 1968, 1972 and 1976.
Iran were then helmed by legendary manager Heshmat Mohajerani who not only took his country to their third AFC Asian Cup in 1976 and in that same year a quarter-final appearance in the Montreal Olympics, but also led the national side to their first ever appearance at the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina.
Since those glory years, Iran proved unable to match the achievements of Mohajerani’s men, crashing out in the AFC Asian Cup semi-finals on five occasions.
It also took two decades before the Middle Eastern giants returned to the World Cup, playing a part in the tournament in 1998, backed by the goals of their Bundesliga star and Iranian icon Ali Daei.
While Iran can also boast an appearance at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, in recent AFC Asian Cup campaigns they have repeatedly come unstuck against fellow Asian powerhouses South Korea.
In four consecutive tournaments since the 2000 AFC Asian Cup in Lebanon, Iran have encountered the Koreans at the first knockout stage and won just the one encounter – in 2004 when they went on to finish third overall.
Now led by former Real Madrid and Portugal national team manager Carlos Queiroz, Iran secured a place in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, topping their qualification group in the process, for their fourth appearance at the finals.
Skippered by evergreen Javad Nekounam who is nearing 150 caps, and with exciting new call-ups to the team that include attacking stars Ashkan Dejagah and Reza Ghoochannejhad who ply their trade in Europe’s top divisions, the AFC Asian Cup’s all-time top-scoring team have the ability to match their former glory and will surely be a side to be feared.
Coach: Carlos Queiroz (Portugal). Queiroz coached his home country through an under-achieving 2010 World Cup, where a 7-0 rout of North Korea masked some major Portuguese failings. They failed to score in three other matches — against Ivory Coast, Brazil and a testy 1-0 second-round loss to eventual champion Spain. Queiroz, the former Real Madrid coach and assistant to Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, was fired once European Championship qualifiers began following the World Cup but he has resurfaced — and flourished — in Tehran. On Queiroz's watch, Iran won its final Asian qualifying group, has advanced to the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia and is currently the top Asian team in FIFA's rankings.
Fast Facts
Population: 76 million
FIFA ranking: 38
Ranking among Asian nations: 1
Year of first attempt: 1968
Previous attempts: 12
Best finish: Champions 1968, 1972, 1976
Qualified: top of Group B
Players to watch: Reza Ghoochannejhad (Standard Liege, Belgium), Ashkan Dejagah (Fulham, England), Andranik Teymourian (Esteghlal, Iran), Javad Nekounam (Esteghlal, Iran)
Carlos Queiroz has cancelled a press conference that was supposed to be held this morning to brief the media about the progress of Team Melli training and the upcoming South African training camp. The Football Federation simply posted a note in their website announcing the cancellation without giving reasons or justifications.
Javad Nekounam , Team Melli Captain who is currently playing for the Kuwaiti side , Al Kuwait Sport Club has informed ISNA , that he very much doubts that his club , involved in several competitions including AFC Cup, will afford to release him for the upcoming Team Melli training camp in South Africa. Kaffashian has pledged to intervene personally with Kuwaiti and Qatari clubs to release the Iranian players for the camp. That is simply a wishful thinking and hardly a step that any professional club will carry out especially if , like the Qatari and Kuwait teams, are involved in competition domestically and regionally. Kuwait SC, lost its last match against Fanja of Oman 2-1 , though the Kuwaiti team set up a tense finish as Nekounam headed home from Waleed Ali’s cross five minutes after the hour mark.
Andranik Teymourian who has suffered injury which prevented him taking part in any football activity , is on the road of recovery. Esteghlal is still involved in the AFC Champion's League but with two consecutive defeats , their chances are slim for qualification. However, if Teymourian is fit enough , he might well travel with the Team Melli squad to South Africa. Final ruling by the medical staff on Teymourian will be given just before Esteghlal's game against Al Jazeera in the AFC Champions League.
Carlos Queiroz said that any names that have been suggested by the media as his assistant coach is pure speculation. In a statement to Fars News Agency , Team Melli coach said " I have not decided on the candidates yet. When the final decision is reached after a careful and meticulous process, then we will officially announce it to all. Anything that is being circulated now is pure speculation and not true." Two assistant coaches left Team Melli camp abruptly. Tony Simoez , the Portuguese assistant coach and long time associate of Queiroz , resigned his post followed by Omid Namazi , the Iranian-American assistant coach. Both have cited family commitments as reason for their resignation, however speculation is rife that there are more to it than the customary family reason specifically 3 months before the World Cup.
Ali Kaffashian stated that his federation has almost secured the service of Carlos Queiroz after his contracts runs out after the World Cup. Kaffashian did not confirm that a contract has been signed with the Portuguese coach but remained hopeful that it will be a formality. On the other hand, Querioz himself remains tight lipped about his future with Team Melli except for saying that he has several offers from outside Iran.
It is not difficult for any fan or expert to mention the strong spots of Argentina national football team.
The FIFA ranked 3 team , has the services of the World greatest footballer in Lionel Messi and two of the world most lethal strikers in Sergio Agüero and Gonzalo Higuaín playing in the forward line. That combination can destroy any defenses at will. However , Argentina, like many teams have weak spots too and nothing is more obvious than their defense line. Despite having the services of several veteran players, none of their defenders are in the same class of their forwards. Recent matches in Europe highlighted some of the Argentine defenders shortfalls including lack of pace and some wild tackles leading to penalties and sending off.
The goalkeeping is one area that Argentina have traditionally fell short of expectation , and this time around, history is repeating itself.
Reuters has report on the current goalkeeper situation in Argentina team:
(Reuters) - Sergio Romero will be Argentina's first-choice goalkeeper at the World Cup in Brazilin June despite spending most of his time at Monaco on the bench, national coach Alejandro Sabella said on Thursday.
The former winners are likely to have one of the strongest attacks at the finals but their defense has come under scrutiny with Romero being criticized for not always commanding his penalty area.
"Romero had a good match and I consider him an excellent goalkeeper who unfortunately is not getting continuity at his club," said Sabella of the keeper's performance in last week's 0-0 draw with Romania in a friendly in Bucharest.
"Apart from the odd injury he has always been in my team ... the position (at the World Cup) is his," the coach told the Radio La Red Argentine station.
Sabella said he had decided on around 90 percent of his 23-man World Cup squad.
Argentina have been drawn in Group F with Bosnia, Iran and Nigeria.
The performance of Iranian clubs in the AFC Champions Leagues is always a good indicator of the standard of Team Melli since almost all the domestic players are from clubs playing in this competition, Persepolis being the exception.
After the second round, Iranian clubs results were mixed, with Esteghlal surprisingly for some, while naturally for others, faring the worst out of the 4 Iranian teams. Esteghlal, the most successful Iranian club in the history of the competition winning it twice and finalist once, is expected to at least qualify for the next round, in a group that is far from being difficult. However the two loses at home in Azadi against ALShabab of Saudi Arabia and then the defeat against Al Rayyan in Doha, has created an immense burden on Ghalenoei to achieve what many consider to be the minimum, which is the qiualifcation. The star studded team has Heydari, Beighzadeh , Teymourian & Sadeghi in Team Melli while they have lost the services of Nekounam , Montazeri and Jabbari other Team Melli players.
The defeat against Al Rayyan brought up one interesting discussion related to Team Melli’s players’ selection. The only goal of the match came after a terrible rudimentary blunder by Seyed Mehdi Rahmati who failed to grab an easy cross , with the ball slipping through his hands, giving the Al Rayyan forward a dream gift of simply tacking the ball into the empty net.
That goal gift by Rahmati was enough to sink Esteghlal naturally bring up the debate about Queiroz concerns with the most experienced goalkeeper in the league. Rahmati , despite his brilliance as a shot stopper , has an acute weakness in his tactics on crosses. His timing has failed him time and again , a a fact that Carlos Queiroz could not simply ignore or tuck under the carpet. It was his interest in having a replacement for Rahmati and criticism of the keeper that lead to Rahmati taking a break, according to his interpretation from Team Melli. That Petulant act was enough for Queiroz to cross Rahmati out of his list for good.
Another player in the Queiroz black list is Hadi Aghili , missed a penalty against Al Hilal but his blushes was saved by a injury time winner for Sepahan by Sukaj
For what it is worth, with Rahmati at least, it is quite clear that Carlos Queiroz was not far off in his assessment of the Esteghlal goalkeeper with his liabilities. Queiroz is surely vindicated.
In the latest FIFA Ranking published today by the World Governing body , Iran dropped 4 places to number 42 in the world with 692 but still maintained the lead as Asia's top team.
Team Melli's long inactivity ended with two consecutive matches vs. Kuwait and Guinea. Further matches are schedule to improve Iran's ranking.
Japan was second with 622 points ranked 48 in the world.
Top 10 Asian nations in FIFA Ranking
20 months after the conclusion of London summer Olympic games 2012, Iran's National Olympic Committee (NOC) held a ceremony in honor of the Iranian athletes Olympic games medal winners .
In the ceremony attended by many dignitaries, including Iran's vice-president Dr. Noubakht and Minister of Sport Mahmoud Goudarzi , the athletes received gifts in appreciation of their achievements. London summer Olympic games 2012 recorded the best medal haul for Iran since its first participation in London summer Olympic games in 1948.
The minister of youth and sports , Mahmoud Goudarzi in an exclusive interview with Iranian Students News Agency ( ISNA ) , commenting on the the ceremony, said "the main objective of organizing this gathering , was organizing a major sports event as well as meeting and honoring of Olympic medal winners and that was a good thing. We applaud NOC for holding such ceremony. We were honored to be present at the event and thank the heroes of Iran who were exemplary representatives and true credits for the sport and their country."
Commenting on Vice-President attendance at the ceremony , the Minster highlighted the objective of one of the highest government ranks in the country to be among the athletes and sport administrators, is to see for himself the current status and the needs of sport."Tonight's ceremony was attended by Dr. Noubakht , which was a positive move. The Vice-President was well briefed about some of the problems and shortcomings facing the various sports and also to get to know the athletes closely and keep in touch with them . Dr. Noubakht promised to help solve the country's sport problems."On the program of Team Melli , the minster said " We have special programs for successful participation of our national team in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. God willing, we are looking forward for a successfulparticipation and honorable representation of the Iranian people who look up to this team . Some people say that I do not care much for football . I do not accept that at all. It is completely false."
"When it comes to financial support , I have to tell you all that the government will NOT finance clubs to create football billionaires. We are not interested in that aspect. The income of the rich footballers that the fans are aware of , the money exchanged in the clubs for transfer of players, has not come from the government coffers.T he government does not create football Billionaires, I can assure of that. Some other supporters perhaps pour money into the clubs to buy players or take care of their wages. We at governmental level , cannot and will not afford that."
"We have to face reality. Football is the most popular sport in the world including our own country, The support has to be appropriate but not on the expense of other sports. It is our firm policy to support all sport , especially those that bring us honor at international levels."
Asked about the future and privatization of Esteghlal and Persepolis , the Minister got agitated and responded "Why do you keep asking about Persepolis and Esteghlal all the time ? Why not Sanat Naft, Tractorsazi , Damash Gilan? these teams need your attention as well (!!!)"
So, the the honorable minister of youth and sport , cleverly avoided the question that has been on every fans mind since the last President Ahmadinejad promised , which is the timescale of these 2 popular clubs privatization.
Further to the statement by Majid Jalali about the non-availability of performance analysis software in Iran , Another Jalali , this time Mr. Reza Jalali refuted such claims.
Mr. Jalali has contacted TeamMelli.com and mentioned that his company has the World’s no 1 software which has been offered free to Team Melli. In the spirit of fairness, we herewith publish Mr. Reza Jalali’s communique in full.
QuoteWith regards to your article today about Iran not having an accurate analysis system for soccer. just wanted to let you know the statement is not true. My company and I are the official representatives of Prozone Sports in Iran. World’s number one sports analysis system. The entire Team Melli and league officials are aware of our existence. 1) we offered to cover team melli games free of charge2) it does not cost 30 million/game to cover these games.
Reza Jalali
Prozone Sports
Unquote
In the aftermath of the debate between Queiroz and some of his critics, regarding the measurement of Nekounam's running in the friendly match against Guinea, it turned out that both side of the argument are speculative about their figures.
Carlos Queroz refuted Iran Varzeshi's claim that the distance that Nekounam ran was 5-6 Km in the match and provided an accurate measurement of 11.379 km.
Majeed Jalali known to be a football software expert in addition to his job as a football coach, was interviewed regarding the tools for accurate measurement of a players performance. Jalali said "To accurately measure the performance of a player including the distance he covers in a match , an analysis software tools is required. Such tools are not available in Iran. A software company that markets this tool , charges 30 million Toman per match to provide the data and the hardware tools to be installed before the match requires a payment of 80 Million Toman."
"The only time that such software was used in Iran was during the Hazfi Cup final between Zob Ahan and Rah Ahan a few years back."
Jalali also emphasized the performance analysis and measurement of a football player is not just restricted by the distance run by a player but includes his stationary time, acceleration, burst acceleration and light running. Jalali also acknowledged that the student of Sharif University , the highest technology university in Iran , have developed a software to aid coaches in analyzing players' performance. He added that "unfortunately, the hardware required for the distance run measurement was under Western sanction and could not be purchased leaving the distance run part as dysfunctional"
Commenting on the case of Nekounam , Jalali said "defending his Captain , is completely natural and logical move by Queiroz . A sub-standard performance in a friendly match should not be taken against Nekounam who was one of our best players in the qualifiers. I believe that Javad will be one of the key players in the World Cup."
Majid Jalali resigned his post as Tractorsazi's coach on January 2014 after a series of poor results and fans discontent.
