The intensive training program for Iran’s U17 team is continuing in preparation for the team’s participation in the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup which will be held in the United Arab Emirates beginning on  17^th October.

Ali Doustimehr shortlisted 27 players for the next stage of training. The players will set camp next week after a short break.

Iran has qualified from Asian zone along with Iraq, Japan and Uzbekistan.

The players list for the U-17 team is as follows:

Yosef Sayyedi, Mohammad  Bazaj, Hossein Mehraban ,  Mohammad Reza  Kaveh, Ahmed Gohari, Ali Shojaei, Mohammad Yasini, , Komeil HaghZadeh, Ali Hazamy, Milad Badregheh,  Sasan Jafari, Reza Karamlachab, Iman Salimi, Seyed Majeed Hosseini, Ali Gholizdeh, Mahan Rahmani, Sadegh Moharrami , Amir Mohamad Mazloom, Saeed Ezzatollahei , Parsa Salimi, Seyed Mostafa Hashemi, Arash Kamali, Shervin Kazemi, Milad  Dai, Amir Hossein Karimi, Mehdi Amini and Amir Nasrazadany.

 Team Melli defeat by a second string Omani team , was characterized as a “Wake up call” by Carlos Queiroz who also added that “ this defeat was a bitter pill to swallow.”

This wakeup call coming only a fortnight before a decisive tie against Qatar, where a defeat could very well end any real hope of making it to the World Cup finals, seems to be late realization for Mr. Queiroz.  A long series of below par performances, historic defeats, lethargic display of football ,  odd selection of squad players and host of other anomalies  has failed to alert Queiroz that all is not too well with this team. Hiding behind his own logics and self-justifications while on the other hand demanding the full and unquestionable support from everyone, the now beleaguered coach might find it too late to put things in order with the acute shortage of time in the compressed World Cup Schedule.

Granted that there were several conditions that has led to this embarrassing defeat at the hand of the Omanis, such as the unbearable hot temperature and high humidity plus the absence of 10 regular team players. It is, however, prudent to mention that the opposing team was player under similar restrictions with most of their regular players missing and playing under the same harsh weather conditions. Yet, Oman played a nicely balanced game and scored three wonderful goals in a match that raised serious alarms about the physical condition of the Iranian players and their susceptibility to weather, plus the usual poor tactical shortcomings.

Comes June the 4^th, Doha weather will be much the same as Muscat, if not worst and if the match in Muscat was anything to go by , the endurance of the Iranian players will be tested to the limit in the scorching temperatures and unbearable humidity.

More alarming than the physical conditions if the players and their adaptability to adverse climatic conditions , is their lack of variation in  attack and what seems like inability to have other options. The age old tactics of sending crosses from the flanks and hoping for some prolific header of the ball to yield result has been a hallmark of Team Melli during Queiroz era. The problem is that if this system fails, Team Melli has shown little other options to open up the opposition defenses.

Admittedly, time is too short to re-build a solid winner team or inject enough enthusiasm and confidence in a team that has lost badly. Iranian players have shown time and again that they do bounce back under demanding and difficult conditions and turn out to be winners. This is probably the only hope that Team Melli has going into the next three matches, else not much other perhaps bright areas can be seen from this squad. No technical prowess or exceptional players are seen to be saviors otherwise.

Fahad Thani , Qatar national team coach has announced his players list for the upcoming two matches against Iran and Uzbekistan in the qualification rounds of FIFA World Cup 2104 in Brazil. The Qatari coach  Thani, coaching mainly youth teams, including the Qatar U–17, was named as the replacement for Paulo Autuori as head coach of the Qatar national team in January 2013.

After the conclusion of the AFC Champions league matches were 3 Qatari teams have been participation in the knock out stages , Fahad Thani made only minor changes in the which includes almost all of the Qatari major players.

Qatar match on 4th of June will go a long way in deciding the fate of the Persian Gulf State. A win will keep their chances alive while a loss will possibly mean the end of their chances to make the Final rounds.

Qatar will be hosting the World Cup in 2022 and has never succeeded in qualifying for the World Cup.

Qatar National Football Team squad:

Abdelkarim FADLALLA , Abdulaziz AL SULAITI, Abdulmotaleb JEDDO, AbdulQader ELIYAS, Adel LAMI, Ahmed Yassir MOHAMMADI, Ahmed SOFFYAN, Ali Hassan AFIF, Bilal RAJAB, Hamid ISMAEL, Hamad ALOBAIDY, Hasan AL HAYDOS, Hussain Ali SHEHAB, Ibrahim ABDULMAJED, Ibrahim AL GHANIM, Jarallah ALMERRY, Khaled MUFTAH, Khalfan Ebrahim AL KHALFAN, Majid Mohammed, Mohamed EL SAYED, Mohammed KASOLA, Mosaab EL HASSAN, Qasem BURHAN, Saad AL SHEEB, Sebastian Andres QUINTANA, Talal ALBLOUSHI, Wesam ABDULMAJID, Yusef ALI

Team Melli lost its friendly preparation match against Oman 3-1 in Muscat.  Oman scored two goals in the first half  scored by  Abdulaziz Al Miqbali (19′) and AbdulSalam A’amer (28′). In the second half Jabber Al Owais (60′) scored the third. Moshesn Mosallman scored a consolation goal right at the end of the match from a free kick.

The poorly attended match was held in a hot and humid condition between two makeshift teams.  Team Melli played without Esteghlal players who are involved in the AFC Champions League and most of the legionnaires , while Oman was playing with their reserve missing all their stars.

The lack of attendance in the stadium was attributed to the extremely harsh & uncomfortable weather condition and the absence of Oman star players.  Wigan Athletics’ goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi is injured , so is the other Omani household name, Emad Al Hosani of Saudi Club Al Ahli. With the Oman League championship play-off being contested right after this match, it deprived Oman of the players of two top clubs. The host had to be content with the reserve team for this international match and the fans subsequently did not show much enthusiasm to attend. On the other hand, there was an admirable presence of Team Melli fans and expatriate Iranians based in Oman.

 The match itself seems like a continuation of Queriroz futile offensive game strategies. Team Melli only scored  from a dead ball situation, however , during that whole match it failed to  create any real threat against the reserve Oman team.  The tactics of the team also failed to offer any variation on the same fundamental reliance on attacks from the flanks.

In the first half, Oman keeper only had to handle the ball once against the Iranian attack as most of the offensive moves of Team Melli did not create any pressure on the keeper. The Frenchman Paul Le Guen,  coach of Oman has already read team Melli well as he was quoted in Omani media as saying that Iranian style of play depends on the flanks.  Indeed that was the only method that Team Melli attacked and it was well controlled by the Omani team.

Iran started the match brightly with some nice exchanges, but to no real threat on the opposition goal. However the hot condition soon took its toll especially in the middle of the field.  On the other hand, The Oman team despite playing this line up for the first time , played a very well balanced match with the defense not allowing Team Melli players any real chances  while the Omani forwards despite the fewer chances , skillfully utilized their opportunities and took advantage of some poor Iranian defensive coverage on both goals.

The first goal came in the 19th minute from a corner kick which was not properly cleared by Iran defense to reach the unmarked Miqbali who blasted the ball into the net. On the 28^th minute, another poor defensive coverage gave the Oman defender Al A’mer who ran with the ball at least 20 meters unopposed and had all the time in the world to take the ball up to 30 meters from Iran’s goal and shot from there to blast the ball into the top right corner of Ahmadi’s  goal. The out stretched Ahmadi had no chance in saving this magnificent strike.

First match ended 2-0 for the host.

The second half started like the first with Iran dominating the proceeding for the first 10 minutes, but the shaky Iranian defense and the unsure Rahman Ahmadi nearly spoiled it early for Team Melli. There was early warnings that the defense was not secure enough when Ahmadi fumbled the ball into an on rushing Oman forward who astonishingly missed an easy sitter to add a 3^rd goal.

However, the 3^rd goal was registered soon after when fom a corner kick ,  the Omani defender half Jabber Al Owais  out jumped the Iranian defenders to score an easy goal amongst a crowd of Iranian players..

Substitute Karim Ansarifard made some good moves initially , but his contribution just about ended there as he was far from effective for the rest of the half. Mohammed Gholami , Mosalman and Bakhtiyar Rahmani were substituted in the second half to energize the failing Midfield and offensive lines.

Combination of the harsh weather condition, with high humidity , lack of cohesion between the players and poor skills by the players failed to improve the result for Team Melli. To save Iran’s blushes,  a beautiful goal from Mohsen Mosalman free kick right outside the Oman box, was scored right at the end of the match.

In general, it was one of those forgettable matches of Team Melli that is alarmingly becoming too common.  If it was a test run for the upcoming Qatar match , then the signs are not encouraging at all. Queiroz and his men need to pull up all the tricks up their sleeve to make it to the World Cup.

Team Melli continued its training in Muscat in preparation for the friendly international match against host Oman. Part of the preparation was a briefing by the technical staff and a 20 minutes film on the last match that Oman played against Australia.

Team Melli will be without Esteghlal players who will be playing around the same time against Al Shabab of Dubi in Azadi in the AFC Champions league and almost most of the legionnaires. Standard Liege player, Reza Ghoochanejad who has a slight injury , will be joining the team on the 27^th May while Ando Teymourian is still recovering from injury in Doha, Qatar.

Shehab Gordan and Mehdi Syed Salehi are also absent from the match after they withdrew for personal reasons.

Meanwhile, Oman team will be suffering from some significant absentees. The most famous of them will be Ali Al Habsi , the Wigan Athletics goalkeeper. The premier league side has just won the FA Cup by defeating the mighty Manchester City at Wembley but a few days later, their celebration turned into mourning when they lost 4-1 to the Arsenal and subsequently were relegated. Al Habsi who was the regular goalkeeper for Wigan, has recently lost his place in goal. The Omani no 1 goalkeeper will not be playing against Team Melli but joining Oman team in Doha for their training camp.

Another significant absentee from Oman is Omad Al Hosani. The Alhi Jeddah player is currently injured and the medical team of Oman is working overtime to prepare him for the crucial match against Iraq in the FIF World Cup 2014 qualifiers.

Commenting on the match against Iran , Mohanna Al Adawi , Oman’s Assistant coach said “ Iran is one of the stronger teams in Asia which will be a good test for our upcoming crucial match against Iraq. This is an opportunity to experience the depth and strength of a strong opponent similar to Iraq. Both teams (Iraq and Iran) have players who are well built, strong in tackling, pace and base their attack on using the flanks.”

The friendly match will be played in Sultan Qaboos Sport Complex in Boshar, Muscat at 1700 Local time (1730 Tehran Time) .

Tehran.

After Team Melli first phase camp was completed today in Azadi Sport complex, the squad is preparing itself to fly to Muscat Oman , for the friendly game against Oman National Team. In addition to the training camp in Tehran , the preparation program for the important encounters in June in the quest for qualification to the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 ,  includes a match against Oman , set up of camp in Dubai , UAE and an additional  friendly during this camp before flying to Qatar for the match. On this occasion, Carlos Queiroz gave an update on the status of the team and the players.

“We have successfully  completed the first phase of the training camp. I am quite satisfied with the work carried out and I can say with confidence that the players who took part in this camp were the best available players (…) who have worked very well and are ready to fight for their country.”

He also said that ” there is no injury to report as all players are in a fine condition, however , we will not be taking Mohammad Reza Khalatbary with us to Oman. This player needs rest and we have decided to give him the rest he requires. In the second phase , I hope that we get all of our players in the camp”

Queiroz added “ I am sure you observed the commitment of all the players in this camp. Their work ethics and discipline was exemplary and I am proud of that. I believe that I will be successful with this squad.”

 Asked about the latest status with the friendly match against Iraq, he responded by saying that “we are doing our utmost best to have a friendly game before the match against Qatar. This match will definitely be held in Dubai and behind closed doors (…). This was not our choice , but that is the reality we are faced with.  The federation tried its best but for sure the match will be held in Dubai behind closed doors.”

In regard to Mansourian, Queiroz said that  “Alireza Mansourian is the coach of the U22 team and he is part of the Team Melli technical team. He is here in the camp to learn. One of my duties here in Iran is also educational and preparing national cadres of coaches for Team Melli. Mansourian , like Markar Aghajanian are part of this team and I do hope that both become successful coaches in the near future.”

Team Melli coach also commented on the status of the Team’s jersey. He has previously complained about the quality of the uniforms and jerseys provided by uhlsport.  The  German sports goods manufacturer is the supplier of  a Team Melli full range of equipment and sportswear. Queiroz said ” if the supplier fails to honor its contractual obligation , like it has done several teams previously , then we have an alternative solution.  I promise you that whatever happens , we will show up in the proper kit in white color against Qatar.”

On the injury of Reza Ghoochanejad while playing a match in the Belgian League, Queiroz said that it was a pulled muscle and nothing too serious to get concerned about. He also said that Ando Teymourian is recovering from his injury in Qatar and already started training. Queiroz is hopeful to have Ando in the camp by the 27^th of May.

 

Carlos Queiroz closed the chapter of the two ex-Team Melli players , Hadi Aghili and Mehdi Rahmati and the saga of their return to the team by announcing that that “As far as I am concerned, these two players will never be invited to Team Melli as long as I am at the helm of the team.”

Both players have abandoned Team Melli camps for reasons that are only known to themselves. Their unprofessional acts was deemed as an act of desertion and swiftly dealt with by Carlos Queiroz.  However, as it is customary in Iran’s football, there will always be someone or somebody who would try to act as mediatory peace maker and try to influence the proceedings to return offenders back to their teams.  Such moves are very common in Iranian clubs and usually with a bouquet of flower and few kisses on the cheeks; the matter is resolved between the coach and the player concerned, that simple.

Lately, there has been quotes and pressure exerted by IRIFF officials namely the President  Ali Kaffashian and the secretary general Mehdi Mohammad Nabi , for the reinstatement of these two renegade players who have abandoned the team. Aghili left Team Melli  camp on the eve of a match without as much as informing the administrators, while Rahmati unlilaterlay announced his retirment from the team.

Grudgingly , Queiroz accepted that if these two players truly regretted their misdemeanor, he is willing to forgive them if they officially apologized to the their teammates, Team Melli supports, the federation and the coaching staff. Such apology must be in writing and publically announced.

Today , Monday 20^th May 2013, after the completion of Team Melli camp , Queiroz and the IRIFF officials had a meeting regarding the two players. The Portuguese coach gave the following announcement  to the media:

“This is my final statement about these two players.  I kindly request all of you to accurately reflect what I say. Recently , there has been much talks and rumors about the fate of Aghili and Rahmati. There were comments about the two players repenting and apologizing. In the spirit of reconciliation and Team Melli interest . we have given these two players an opportunity to redeem themselves and do the correct thing by submitting letters of apology if they really believed that they have committed errors of judgment. We were transparent about the matter and no other stings were attached. We  gave them a chance up 5 PM yesterday. No written apology came and hence this is the end of this episode with these two players.”

Carlos Queiroz then proceeded on talking about his current squad. He said that he is totally satisfied with these players who are at the service of the team and are well prepared for the crucial encounter with Qatar. “ It is these players that I want to focus on and work with. These are the troops who deserve respect and admiration for their commitment to the national team”. Queiroz added

 “ I want real players with full commitments to the team. I need brave players who will fight for the team , regardless to what post they are given.  We need players who are like soldiers that never abandon their team and never put pre-conditions for being team members . I am quite proud with my current players and it gives me a pleasure working with them.”

The Iranian football federation has charged “Shahrdari Tabriz” with corruption and relegated the already promoted “Azadegan League” club back to the lower division in an unprecedented event in Iran’s football.

Talk of corruption at the lower tiers of Iran’s league has been rife in the media and several football circles. The accusations and allegations that money was exchanged for favours in order to fix match results became common with many famous names mentioned in the process.  Many ex-Team Melli players were also mentioned either as brokers or participants in these illegal practises.

The Iranian Football federation eventually took control of the issue after its initial reluctances to act citing the absence of credible evidence. The catalyst was the popular “Navad” TV show in which a “Shardari Bandar Abbas” player , came openly in the program and accused Faraz Kamalvand, Shahrdari Tabriz’s coach of attempting to bribe him on the eve of a crucial match involving the two teams in Bandar Abbas fighting for promotion to the top division.

After setting up of a special investigation committee to probe  allegations of match fixing, incentive payments and  bribery, in the First Division of the Iran’s football League “Azadegan League”, the disciplinary panel of the IRIFF decided to relegate the “Shahrdari Tabriz”” citing numerous counts of bribery and attempts to influence several match results.

 The IRIFF also suspended the head coach, Faraz Kamalvand , along with the ex- Team Melli player , Sadegh Varmaryaz , who is the assistant coach of the club, from all football activities for two years and imposed a 300 million Rials  ( US$ 24,500) fines on each one of them for their key roles in this bribery scandal.

 The extensive sentencing also involved other ex-Team Melli players in the “Shardari Tabriz” club including Shys Rezaei, a notorious ex-Perspolis and Sab Qom player famous for his transgressions and pranks,  Ali Alizadeh and Mehdi Vaezi , an ex-Team Melli goalkeeper. All the three were fined for their peripheral roles in attempting to bribe opposition players , but none of them were suspended from football activities.

  The extensive investigation involved many other teams and sentences were announced in the IRIFF website. The federation did not indicate if the authorities , the police or the public prosecutors were involved in these investigation. Bribery and corruption is punishable by law in Iran and the lack of authority’s involvement in these investigations raised a few questions by the media already. The IRIFF promised a special press conference on the subject matter.

This is yet another chapter in the on-going global bribery scandals that has tarnished the most popular sport in the world. Asian countries are quite notorious for all sort of corruption scandals including bribery, the influence of gambling syndicates in the east to the power broking , behind the scene bribes, vote buying , blatant political influences , government interferences and match fixing in the west.

Recently , many Lebanese players were suspended accused of corruption including a National Team player who gifted a Qatari player a ball to score the only goal of the match in Beirut in a FIFA World Cup qualification match. Neither FIFA nor the AFC took the matter any further.

Asia of course , had its head of the football Confederation, Mohammed Bin Hammam a Qatari national ,  removed and suspended for life due to his attempts to bribe CONCACAF officials to vote for him in the FIFA presidency election.  Qatar won the right to host the FIFA World Cup 2022 against major competition , a result which has sent shock waves through the football world.

In Iran , there has been talk of match fixing for many years , but this is the first time that the federation has acted and came down heavily on the culprits and offenders.

The insiders still believe that the Sharhrdari’s relegation is the tip of the iceberg.