Author: admin

Skocic is sacked and replaced by Queiroz

Iran once again led this team. According to ISNA,

after about three years and 8 months away from Iranian football, Carlos Queiroz was once again weaseled his way and appointed as the new head coach of  Team Melli.

Mohammad Jamaat, the media manager of the Iranian national football team, wrote on Twitter: "The federation is grateful to Dragan Skocic for his continuous efforts and qualification for the World Cup, but with the approval of the board of directors, Carlos Queiroz has been chosen as the new head coach. We hope the national team repeats the same success as the previous two World Cups, under Queiroz, results that have satisfied the people and an honorable show is repeated. In his first term on the bench of the Iranian national team, Queiroz led the Iranian team for 8 years and was able to achieve the best result in the history of the Iranian national football team in the World Cup. He was in charge of the Iranian national team from April 4th, 2011 to January 28, 2019.

Skočić, orders his staff to stop working.

In another regrettable development, the Croatian head coach of Team Melli suspended all the tasks relating to the national team's preparations for the upcoming training camp following the publication of news about the federation's desire to appoint Carlos Queiroz.

According to Isna, Dragan Skočić, ordered the suspension of the national team's technical staff's various tasks after the recent events regarding the possibility of a change of coach of the Iran national team! After Mehdi Taj's statements today regarding the positive progress negotiations with Carlos Queiroz and various rumors about the board's approval to negotiate with the former Portuguese head coach.

Skočić, ordered his colleagues to stop analyzing the matches of the national teams. Hamid Estili, the manager of the national team, sent an article to the media in which he summarizes by stating: "I was working with Mr. Skocic until noon. We have a coach under contract and then you make these sorts of statements regarding a replacement; this is neither a professional nor ethical act. Skočić, was next to me and I could not help watching his agony. This is not fair at all."

Estili went on to complain about the actions of the Football Federation, announcing that Skocic was aware of the current incident and said: "Today he stopped all the tasks! His assistants were busy working on opposition analysis, player monitoring, and other affairs but the work is stopped now. Also, after these events,

Skočić took the initiative and deleted the title "Iranian national team head coach" from his social media page on Instagram to perhaps prepare for his displeasure as a result of the recent events.

Mehdi Taj's list of accusations are made public.

A list of accusations against Mehdi Taj, the president of the Football Federation, was announced.

 The Minister of Sports was quizzed about the reasons why the regulatory authorities including the judiciary, and the public prosecutor's office have not publicly announced any affidavit or accusations against the 3 candidates for the FFIRI presidency before the elections.

According to the minister, there was in fact an immediate response from  Tehran Prosecutor's Office when asked about the alleged accusations against all three candidates as the Public Prosecutor responded on the same day that the inquiry was sent. According to the documents obtained, the Tehran prosecutor announced in an official letter on 24th August 2022, six days before the election of the FFIRI, that legal cases has been filed against all the 3 football candidates in the Tehran prosecutor's office.

According to this report, Mehdi Taj was accused of abusing his job position, use of fake documents, creating a false report with the intention to mislead and falsify facts, illegally occupying state property, employing a person on the payroll of the federation (Haider Baharvand) against the law (barring the employment of retirees), illegal seizure of public funds, unauthorized seizure of financial resources (claims) of the Federation from the contracting companies and service providers,

Also, he was accused of negligence in dealing with public funds and misappropriation leading to the wastage in the amount of around 10 million Euro, destruction of state property, defrauding the country's monetary and currency system, general fraud, false reporting, collusion in government contracts, forgery of official documents. These are all related to the contract of the former head coach of Iran's football team (Wilmots).

Based on those accusations, a court case has been filed in the Tehran Prosecutor's Office. A restraining order was issued by the Tehran Prosecutor's Office for Mehdi Taj on the charges aforementioned.

The case related to Marc Wilmots is under further investigation as an additional report by the General Inspection Organization, an auditing authority, on the charge of embezzlement of public funds is still being finalized.

In this regard, some organizations, including the student mobilization of the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences of Tehran University, have filed a case with the Head of the Judiciary, demanding that the Judiciary investigate Mehdi Taj.

At this stage, these are all accusations that the courts need to convene to issue verdicts. The Sports Minister did not comment on the clause that mandates that a candidate for the Presidency of the Football Federation must be free of all legal cases and not been accused or involved in any investigation including misappropriation of funds, a clause that has excluded various candidates from elections in various organizations and NGO's.

Prior to the elections of the FFIRI, many media reports were confident that Mehdi Taj will not be cleared to run this election because of the list of accusations against him by various institutions and his violations of the rules while at the helm of the FFIRI. His premature exit from the federation when he was the head of FFIRI was a clever escape route to kill the investigations which would have found him guilty of several violations. His departure, however, only managed to delay the inevitable.

The allegation list is interesting as many of the items concern public funds that the government controls, confirming the generally held view that the FFIRI is just an extension of the government.

 

"We will pay for Queiroz or Zidane if you want" Iran's Sports Minister claims!

In a press conference held earlier on, the Minister of Youth and Sports of the Iranian government reiterated his support for any action by the Leaders of the FFIRI.

When asked about his opinion on the current ambiguity and turbulent status of the Head Coach of Team Melli on the brink of competing in the FIFA World Cup 2022, Hamid Sajjadi has this to say:

"I told Majdi that if you hire Queiroz, we will pay for it. Emphasizing that we hope that any decision made about the national team's bench will be wise, technical, and proper,

Sajjadi continued: "I told Majdi that anyone, including domestic coaches that you think of recruiting as the head coach of Team Melli will be welcomed, I even said that if you want to bring Queiroz back, we will pay the bills and wages, and I said that if you want to bring Zidane, do the necessary formalities and you will not have to worry about the financial issues related to the head coach of the Iranian national football team."

Sajjadi in response to the question of what is the position of the Ministry of Sports regarding the presence of Queiroz on the bench of the national team? He stated: "We will not interfere in the technical issues of any federation (...), including the football federation, and we also announced to the former head of the football federation that we will support whatever decision you make, The federation is responsible to make a decision in this regard and we simply stand by the decision it makes. I must say that no consultation has been made with the Ministry of Sports and Youth about the names of the future coach."

In response to another question about the fact that the member of the parliament has recently announced that we will impeach the minister of sports, Sajjadi said: "A question was raised by one of the members of the parliament about the expulsion of both Esteghlal and Persepolis from the AFC Champions League, and I will answer in this regard. We announce to all that the suspension of Esteghlal and Persepolis will remain until December. Regarding the latest status of the two most popular teams in the country, continued absence from the AFC Champions League due to their status as non-NGO clubs, he said: "the decision-makers in the Asian Football Federation remain the same and that is the continued suspension, but it will be removed by December. We must prepare our documents. Fortunately, good issues are raised and we hope Esteghlal and Persepolis prove their professional status to the Asian Football Confederation."

Once again the Minister confirmed the chaotic status of Iranian football where the government acts like the big brother. By electing Mehdi Taj a career government civil servant, the regime once again strengthens its grip on the policies of the FFIRI. The government that payrolls the football federation always claims that it does not interfere but the reality is completely different. Nothing of significance passes in the FFIRI without the nod from the Ministry of Youth and sports, which bankrolls this federation. The fact that Esteghlal and Perspolis are suspended is due to the structure of the club which does not meet the professional standards set by the AFC and FIFA. Esteghlal and Perspolis are the properties of the Iranian government since the revolution. There is no independent setup like other professional clubs in which the board members of both clubs and chairman are hand-picked by the Ministry rather than a general assembly.

As for the Team Melli bench situation, Sajjadi's statement lacks authenticity and real truth. His maneuvering skills by playing innocence are all channeled towards the prevention of FIFA as the result of Government intervention. His public statements aim to disguise the iron grip control of the government on football at all levels from clubs to the federation. Control of football affairs is a regime Policy and a national security issue that considers this sport, in particular, a strong tool that can turn the masses against it.

Mehdi Taj desperately seeking Queiroz !

Mehdi Taj once again succeeded in winning the majority votes (exactly the same number as his last election!) in the general assembly of the FFIRI to become The President in the 8th election and to manage the affairs of the country's highest football institution for a period of two and a half years.

His selection fueled the rumor of the termination of Dragan Skocic's contract as the head coach of the Team Melli once again leaving the Croatian coach in a state of stress and instability while the national team is preparing for the training camp in Austria including two much-needed friendly internationals against Uruguay and Senegal.

Skočić, who seems to take every opportunity to ensure his continuation on the bench of the best team of the Asian ranking and play in the FIFA 2022 World Cup, accommodates every request from the federation officials so that maybe the meeting with the hierarchy at the request of Hamid Estili can bring him closer and closer to this personal goal.

On the other hand, the opposition by some players in the squad such as Ehsan HajSafi, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Karim Ansarifard, Mehdi Tarimi, etc., with the continuation of the Croat man on the bench, is still strong leading HajSafi to travel all the way from Athens to Tehran for just a few hours just to cast his vote for Mehdi taj in the elections. Hajsafy's flight schedule was so tight that he took special permission to cast his vote even before the ballots were open as his return flight departure was tight. He stayed a few hours in Tehran only and that highlighted the desperation of this group against Skočić.

Taj has blatantly shown that he has no interest in Skocic staying. After taking office, the president who returned to the football federation initiated the project of Carlos Queiroz's return to Iran as a top priority. To ensure all matters and contract details are ironed out, Mehdi Taj had a facetime meeting with the Portuguese coach.

Queiroz was fired from his last post in two managerial/coaching posts. After he left Iran, he took over Colombia in 2019.

In the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifications, Colombia's performance slipped disastrously, with a 0–3 home loss to Uruguay (its worst ever home loss for 82 years) before being shockingly thrashed 1–6 by Ecuador, and this finally put the end of Carlos Queiroz's reign as Colombia's boss. On 8 September 2021, Queiroz was employed by Egypt FA. Egypt qualified for the third round of the World Cup qualifications to face Senegal for a spot in the World Cup in Qatar. However, after a 1–0 win in Cairo, and a 1–0 loss in Dakar, Egypt lost in penalties; hence, they failed to reach the final competition. He later agreed with the Egyptian Football Association to terminate his contract by mutual consent.

The failure of Egypt in qualifying for FIFA  World Cup 2022 occurred despite the availability of World Class players  Mohammed Salah of Liverpool in the squad,

In audio and video calls with Mehdi Taj, Queiroz put his demands, terms, and conditions on the table to Mehdi Taj who seems to have accepted Queiroz's personal and financial terms outright in the same manner that he did the Wilmots contract. but Taj, this time needs not only the approval of the Football Federation's Board of Directors but also the consent of the high-profile opponents of Portuguese man, and that includes personnel in the corridors of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Queiroz left with only a handful of friends in 2019 after Iran's drubbing by the Japanese team in the semi-finals of the AFC Asian Cup. That 3-0 loss was the biggest in over thirty years. Many members of the parliament,  the Islamic Council, are not too keen on the return of the vindictive and confrontational coach who does tend to intimidate anyone who opposes him or his ideas.

To demonstrate how evidently anti-Skoci Mehdi Taj is, In the past week since he won the election, Taj has yet to hold any meeting with Dragan Skocic or Hamid Estili and to demonstrate for all that he is still not convinced and unwilling to see the Croat at the helm of Team Melli.

The new management team of the Football Federation is actively pursuing the dismissal of Skocic, while there is still some strong support for the Croat from other borad directors such as Mirshad Majdi. However, Taj lobby seems to be gaining ground but the number of his supporters is on the rise.

Taj needs the signature of five other members of the board of directors to formalize the contract with Carlos Queiroz. Mehr reporter has been informed that seven of the board members are completely in favor of Queiroz's return in order to appease Mehdi Taj who has put this issue at the top of his priorities.

The struggle and the politics to determine the head coach of Iran's national team continues while the 2022 World Cup starts in nearly 75 days. The FIFA Day games schedule also shows that there are only 17 days to hold national team camps in September and November.

Assuming All matters are sorted out, any coach needs to have divine power to turn the fortunes of Team Melli which is suffering from a serious loss of confidence, form, and mental stress from the infighting between the two groups of players within the camp.

Carlos Queiroz, if selected certainly does not have such divine power as he failed to demonstrate any in the 8 years at the helm of Tema Melli. What he has, however, are two vital elements, one of which is to his personal benefit and that is his professionalism in contract negotiation. He had learned the shortfalls of the previous contracts and how easily the FFIRI repeatedly fails to honor the financial terms of contracts.  Taking that into consideration, he is dictating all the terms on a desperate Mehdi taj and that includes contract payments in US dollars deposited in a foreign bank, most possibly in Dubai plus no promises of any success in the FIFA World Cup 2022. Time is too short for proper preparation, and no one can dispute that, can they?

The second attribute is the strong no-nonsense character that he has demonstrated time and time again. He will have no second thought about kicking sulky or indisciplined players such as Taremi out of the squad. There is no such thing as players' powers in the Queiroz dictionary. The reality is, that Iran's football needs a decisive character like Queiroz else some immature players will wreck the ship.

Team Melli : Health check.

With less than 90 days to run for the start of the Team Melli World Cup adventure, the news of the Coaching Team, the Players, and the administration is far from encouraging.

THE COACH

Starting with Dragan Skočić. The off then On drama of his coaching Team Melli has left a bitter taste not in the mouth of the Croat but in many circles including the masses and the true fans of Team Melli. The hard-working Croat is actively planning and working as if nothing has happened, but down deep inside, he knows that these people cannot be trusted and he could be out of a job in no time especially now that Mehdi taj has robbed the presidency of the FFIRI.

This instability in Skočić added to the still lingering opposition to him by key players like Taremi will only serve to diminish Team Melli's chances in Doha. No matter how sincere  Skočić is and how dedicated of a person he can be, there are enemies within that will destroy him and want to see him fail. These are the same lobbyists who are calling for the return of Carlos Queiroz as if he is the messiah and the savior of Team Melli who can create miracles in less than 90 days. Of course, the fact that in 8 years of Queiroz, he has not won anything for Iran, is irrelevant to this strong lobby.

Stability is important, and right now this whole squad lacks stability due to the coaching situation.

THE PLAYERS

With the World Cup fast approaching, there is much more bad news from the players than encouraging ones.  Perhaps Mehdi Taremi is the only paler that showed some promise this season in his matches with Porto. But Taremi is also the agent provocateur of the squad and his commitment to Dragan Skocic is suspect.. The player has proven several times that his attitude can be alarming on and off the field.

Saradr Azmoun , the golden boy of the squad has been having a tough time. He is a n=bench player with Leverkusen after being a star and a champion in the Russian League with Zenit. The horrendous drop in form can be attributed to several things including events outside the pitch and his involvement with a court case.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh is yet another disappointment with Feyenoord. He is also a bench warmer and has yet to score this season. His fall from grace after such a promising start with the dutch side is nothing but bad news for Team Melli selectors.

The third choice forward is Karim Ansarifdard. The former AEK Athens player finally chose to join a Cypriot Team. After being on the bench for AEK, he needs to prove himself at Omonia and has a good opportunity to do so, especially as the team is involved in the Europa Cup and could be playing against the might of Manchester United and Real Sociedad else his selection for the World Cup is suspect.

Vahid Amiri, the dynamo of the team is still injured and in the recovery phase. His availability is vital for Skocic. Amiri has only limited days to find his form once again.

Saeed Ezatollahi the Marco Polo of Iranian football is currently without a club. He failed to impress in the middle of the table Qatari club and soon was released. He is a player who lacks stability changing teams every season. If his performance in Qatar Star League is to go upon, Ezatollahi is nowhere near World Cup appearance standard He needs to improve fast with whatever club.

Another player who is warming the bench is Saman Ghoddos.  His promising start with Brentford is all history now. Despite some positive games whenever he was given the chance to play, Ghoddos has failed to impress Brentford coach with his value as a starter.

There was an injury scare for Shojaa KHALILZADEH recently but he recovered well and is expected to be a key player in the World Cup

Hossein Kananizadegan has been a piece of rare good news for Team Melli. He is performing strongly in the Qatar league and even scoring for his club. So far his selection for the World Cup is more than assured.

Off some quite disappointing seasons in European Leagues, Alireza Beiranvand returned to Iran and Persepolis to regain the number one spot in Team Melli that Abedzadeh has won from him. With the domestic league already in the fifth week, Beiranvand is solid. It remains to be seen if Skocic still believes in him as number one.

Majid Hosseini had a good season with Kayserispor in TUrky and has started well this season too. He remains a strong contender for the central defense post that mostly was filled by Kanani-zadegan and Khalilzadeh.

Ahmad NOUROLLAHI , Ali GHOLIZADEH, Omid NOORAFKAN, and Sadegh MOHARRAMI have performed well this season and should have no problem being in the squad.

Yasin Salmani the young prodigy from Sepahn will have a strong case for inclusion so is Mehdi Ghaedi who has returned back from UAE to join Esteghlal. Allahyar Sayyadmanesh will probably miss the World Cup or not recover in time from his injury.

Omid EBRAHIMI, Mehdi MEHDIPOUR, and Milad SARLAK,  are also contenders and have been playing well for their respective clubs.

The rank outsider is Ramin Rezaeian. The current Sepahan Players have been playing well this season. His performance might very well mean a recall to Team Melli. He can perform in the midfield and at the back.

ffiri

The election of Mehdi Taj as head of FFIRI has created much instability in Iran football. The man has many cases open against him for mismanagement and even funds misappropriation s in relation to Marc Wilmots' file, yet by the grace of the almighty, he returns back with the majority of votes, 51 to be exact, the same number of votes that he won his first election!

The man who has been a career industrialist working for government organizations and industries has great support from the government, after all, he is their man. He is a Queiroz advocate and he might just try to bring him back. Whether he succeeds or not, such moves are all negative points for Team Melli.

Taj is not a great leader either. He was involved in the embarrassing ceremony of revealing the World Cup Trophy in Milad tower that abruptly ended in embarrassment and shame for Iran's football. Not much was expected from him in boosting Team Melli's chances.

CONCLUSION

On Paper, Iran stands a moderate to a good chance of qualifying for the next round behind England the undisputed favorite. However, there have been lots of negatives that have affected team Melli recently

The picture is not too rosy for Team Melli's chances. The reality is that many key players are suffering a dip in form particularly the European Legionnaires that Skocic so depended on. If the conflicts between the coach and some minority yet strong-voiced players are not completely sorted out, then it could end up as one of the worst performances of Team Melli in a World Cup.

Huge embarrassment and chaos in the World Cup Trophy unveiling in Tehran!

Iran's reputation in events organization and management has once again been tarnished and NOT for the first time either!

The unveiling of the FIFA World Cup Trophy in Tehran could have turned into a real tragedy due to overcrowding, chaos, and poor management by the event presenter.

After touring several countries starting from Australia and Japan, on its way to Saudi Arabia and finally to Europe, Africa, and America, the World Cup Trophy arrived in Iran for the first time. As one of the qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, The Iranians were given the opportunity to view the actual trophy.

The ceremony, in which unlimited numbers of guests like veterans, city counselors, and the many representatives from clubs were invited was abruptly cut short in the worst possible and truly embarrassing way. While this event was scheduled about a year ago and the FFIRI was aware that the World Cup Trophy tour is going to be held by passing through all qualified 32 countries, the unveiling ceremony of this trophy in Borj Milad turned into an ugly scene as a result of the wrong decisions of the organizers, and specifically the host of the show. The shambolic presence of a countless number of people on the stage, all kissing and hugging around the trophy, while others jumped in for selfies and photo shots, became so awful it resembled the crowd in the bazaar. These scenes forced the lady representatives of FIFA, to quickly take the trophy off the stand fearing permanent damage to this expensive and exquisite piece of art.

enough is enough, we are taking the trophy and heading out!

The Lady quickly returned the trophy into a special suitcase and ran out of the hall (picture above)

According to FIFA protocols, the unveiling ceremony of the World Cup Cup was supposed to be held in the presence of six people and by a FIFA representative, but none of these regulations were observed in Iran. Instead,  in direct violation of the protocols and FIFA Guideline for this event, the show host, Javad Khiabani invited a large number of veterans to the stage all at the same time, creating a mess with people squeezing in to find space to stand.

Not satisfied by the crowds already on stage, the presenter invited even more guests to create complete chaos in the conference hall of Milad Tower in Tehran. It was so bad it could have ended in heavy cost financially and morally.

The lack of proper planning for the unveiling of this valuable trophy, which reached Iran for the first time in its 90-year history, led to the bitter words by one of the representatives of the football federation, who accused those present in the hall of "not respecting Iranian culture and customs". The chaos occurred in the background of Iran repeatedly claiming that it is ready to help Qatar in holding part of the important event of the world cup in Iran and providing assistance and support. The pictures and videos released from the World Cup Trophy unveiling ceremony, however, paint an entirely different picture. Those were proof of the fact that the Iranian football administration is incapable of organizing the simplest of events let alone helping in organizing events such as the World Cup. Lack of respect for protocols and guidelines is one of the biggest failures but not the only one.

It seems that one year was not enough time to do proper planning for the unveiling ceremony, but in the end, this ceremony, which could have gone so smoothly and briefly, turned into a bitter experience of incompetence and disarray highlighting the lack of organization, poor insights, chaotic behavior, lack of respect and tragic poor planning model. Comparing today's unveiling ceremony in Iran to what happened in Australia and Japan shows a huge difference in the culture, event planning, and organization. There is an obvious ocean between them and Iran.

Less than 24 hours from his resignation, Shamsaei returns!

Nothing in Iran's football seems to work like the rest of the world. Nothing seems to be certain and the fans are becoming used to expecting the unexpected. In the series of comical acts, Vahid Shamsaei resigned from his post as the head coach of the national futsal team on Tuesday after Mehdi Taj was elected as the new president of the Football Federation. Shamsai openly and honestly announced that his vote in the election was Mirshad Majdi's rival Mehdi Taj, but he also said that he has no problem with Taj, Nabi, and Ghanbarzadeh and has great respect for them! His justification for resigning, Shamsaei said: "Because I saw the past events of futsal with my own eyes and I want that honor to be preserved, I am leaving. " The World leading futsal goalscorer had several disagreements with Taj during his presidency. After this decision, some board members of FFIRI made some calls to Shamsai and asked him to reconsider his resignation. Among those who called Mehdi Taj, the newly elected president and the reason behind the resignation. Somehow, Shamsaei withdrew his resignation in less than a day !! Shamsaei will be on Iran's bench in the AFC Futsal Cup 2022, which will be hosted by Kuwait in October. He will also travel to Thailand next week with the national team to participate in the country's preparatory tournament. Despite being a legendary figure in Iran's futsal, Shamsaei is also known for his fits of anger, sulky attitude, and bemoaning character. His personality and weakness in dealing with hardship could be the Achilles heel of this coach.

Karim Ansarifard joins Omonia Nicosia in Cyprus

After a long dispute between AEK Athens and their Iranian forward, Karim Ansarifard finally settled for Omonia Nicosia in Cyprus. Ansarifard signed a two years contract yesterday with an option to extend for another year. Earlier on Tuesday, the Iranian center-forward was released by AEK, with the two sides deciding to end their partnership by mutual consent.

 Ansarifard departed to Cyprus while he had previously played for AEK Athens, Olympiakos, and Panionios in Greece.  The much-traveled player also played for Nottingham Forest (England), Osasuna (Spain), and Al Sailiya (Qatar)

 The Serbian head coach of AEK Athens, Vladan Milovic, who has a history of working with Ansarifard in AEK and Panionios, and has also coached the Cypriot Omonia team for a period, reacted to the transfer of the Iranian striker to Omonia and considered it a very positive event. Milovic said: "Karim is a footballer who is a team player and easily scores goals. He works for the team and is not one of those central strikers who only sees himself. in the field" He added: "I worked with Ansarifard both in Panionios and AEK and we had good working relations. He is one of the best strikers I have coached." Praising Ansarifard he stated: "He is a footballer with high experience and a lot of experience in big teams. Omonia was a very good choice. Karim will help a lot. He is an experienced footballer in his prime. With Karim on the field, the coach can play with all systems. He is a very smart kid." In the end, Milovic said: "Karim is a complete professional player. He is at the service of the team and always gives his life for the team both in training and in the game."

Matias Almeida AEK current coach did not have him in his plans and decided to end the collaboration with him. Ansarifard had another year left on his contract with AEK and initially refused to leave.

Ansarifard played two seasons with AEK Athens playing  63 matches and scoring 17 goals, thirteen of which came in the first season 2021/22.

Omonia Nicosia is the most popular team in the island nation and has a passionate set of fans. Omonia is involved in UEFA Europa League this season and plays in a tough Group alongside Manchester United, Real Sociedad, and FC Sherief. Omonia will be hosting Manchester United in Nicosia on Oct, 6th.

Alireza Faghani on VAR system in Iran.

On the sidelines of the World Cup unveiling ceremony, Alireza Faghani, Iran's international football referee said: "I am happy that we are one of the countries that have hosted this event and can take advantage of this opportunity. I hope this World Cup will be successful so that we can advance to the next round."

"Our goal is to referee the Qatar FIFA World Cup final.

The most celebrated and successful Iranian international referee commented on his attendance of referees VAR system qualification: "I, along with my assistants, are the only Iranian referees who passed the course related to the use of video assistant referees VAR. Regarding his refereeing in the domestic Premier League, he stated: "I can confirm that there have been negotiations in order for us to be available in the Premier League competitions and continue our activities." Faghani emphasized the need for VAR in the Premier League: If VAR comes with the current mindset, then nothing will change. When the mentalities and structure are not changed, problems will definitely remain in the league, and if some behaviors and thoughts are not corrected, this process and persistent protests to refereeing will continue."

On the performance of young referees, he commented:" Just as the teams are focusing on youth, the refereeing community has also added some young referees. They make mistakes like veteran referees, but the point is that coaches need to treat young referees differently. These referees should be given a chance to express themselves."