The Portuguese coach of Team Melli , said that “I guarantee that we can defeat the Korea Republic team provided we have the support of 100,000 supporters and the administrators & officials”. The comment came during the visit of Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament to Team Melli camp , a visit that Larijani initiated to  offer moral support of the parliamentarians and people representatives ahead of the vital clash on Tuesday against Korea Republic.

During the short visit ,  Larijani met with the players and the coaching staff after the conclusion of a practice session. On the occasion of the visit , Carlos Queiroz said that “ Our team is quite ready for the clash on Tuesday and all our concentration is on taking all the three points out of that match.” Then he went on addressing Larijani , the veteran politician who was the top negotiator on issues of national security, including Iran’s nuclear program and a renowned philosopher in his own right “ I can guarantee and promise that we can defeat Korea Republic with the backing of 100,000 fans in Azadi and the support of officials like you.”

Queiroz praised the presence of Larijani by saying “ Your presence in our camp to observe the players practice session is a morale boosting act and highly appreciated. When a busy person such as yourself who has huge responsibilities and very important issues to deal with in the country , makes time to pay us a visit , it is a sign of how much this nation values football and how vital is the team is for the people.”

Larijani expressed his delight to be in the Team Melli camp and said “ I am glad to see the team in a such an enthusiastic mood and very spirited and in training , all ready for the upcoming challenge.”  He acknowledged that the team has been the target of much criticism recently especially in the press, and added “ some of the criticisms were even quite harsh, however,  I believe that those comments were because of the sincere desire of the people to see a winning Iran , hence they are quite protective of their team and sensitive to its fortunes. People like to see a winning team that brings pride to the nation. We consider you as national asset and in my capacity as a representative of the people , I wish you all the best and dearly hope that you are victorious against Korea Republic team. I also like to convey the good wishes and best regards of the all members of the parliament”

Ali Larijani paid a similar courtesy visit of the camp of Iran’s Futsal team which is preparing for the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2012 t0 be held in Thailand .

This is the highest ranking  Iranian official visit to Team Melli camps since President Ahmadinejad visited on May 30th , 2008.

Despite the relatively disappointing performance and results in the recent matches played by Team Melli under Carlos Queiroz and specially that historic loss to Lebanon in Beirut , the fans in Iran have shown a great desire to support their team in Azadi stadium next Tuesday against Korea Republic.

 The match, which is a crucial one for Team Melli , sitting in second place with 4 points, just behind the leaders Korea Republic, is anticipated to fill the 100,000 stadium to its capacity. Azadi , is one of the world most famous and daunting of venues. The match will be held in an intimidating atmosphere for the Koreans who have never managed to win in Iran. The battle cries have already been sounded in Iran with Team Melli getting an unusually full hearted support from every corner, even from those who were highly critical of Carlos Queiroz players. Apart from the usual fans , some of whom travel for hundreds of miles to watch a match in Azadi , many of the Iran Olympic heroes , ex-footballers, club coaches , club owners and dignitaries have announced their full support while the majority of them promised to be present in Azadi stadium.

One such supporter is Greco-Roman Wrestler Hamid Sourian , the 2012 Olympics Champion and Gold medal winner, who has urged his countrymen to stand behind their football team in order to defeat the Koreans. Sourian , an avid football fan and the most decorated wrestler of modern time with   five-time world championship titles in his bag in Greco-Roman wrestling, stated that the support for Team Melli on Tuesday 16^th October , is a national duty. “Everyone should forget whatever setbacks that have occurred to Team Melli and instead the fans should wholeheartedly support the team.” Sourian said in an interview. He hoped that Team Melli players give their best and bring honors to the football loving nation.

There seems to be a common belief by the football critics and in particular the hyper critical Iranian sport media , that the time is not right for inquests against Carlos Queiroz now. With two crucial matches, the upcoming Korea Republic match, and the next one against Uzbekistan in Azadi, the focus should be on the support and preparing a good atmosphere for the players to achieve the maximum points in those two matches, was declared editorials in various Iranian sport press .

Hossein Faraki , ex-Team Melli player who was the team member in the first ever World Cup in 1978 in Argentina, said that the only way to achieve victory against Korea and Uzbekistan is for everyone to be united and work together.

Kaebi “Korean have always been a difficult opponent for us.“

Another ex-Team Melli player , Hossein Kaebi , who has played against Korea Republic 5 times , echoed the sentiment of the rest and demanded the full support of the media and the fans on Tuesday. However, Kaebi was under no illusion and said “that Korean have always been a difficult opponent for us. Their football has progressed tremendously and their qualifications to the consecutive World Cup tournaments are evidence of this country’s strength in depth.” Kaebi who currently plays for Rah Ahn and has been selected for Team Melli under Queiroz ,  said that “we cannot just win based on wishful thinking and talk , the team needs to be at its best to match the Koreans.” He also pointed out the necessity to neutralize their best player with tight marking.

Mohammad Mayeli-Kohan , the controversial former Team Melli coach , emphasized the importance of fan support in Azadi and believed that the fans should not be despondent with any initial setbacks but need to support the team until the final whistle is blown. Mayeli-Kohan has been highly critical of many aspects of football in Iran and has questioned the Iranian football federation’s recruitment of foreign coaches for Team Melli. However , his presence at Team Melli practice sessions was a token of support as he urged the rest of the fans to follow suit and back the team. He cautioned against fan’s discontent if the team did not score in the initial period of the match.

The organizing committee of the AFC Asian Championship 2015 which is scheduled to be held in Australia , has announced the schedule of the competition qualifying matches that will start from February 2013.

Iran is grouped with Kuwait , Lebanon and Thailand. Team Melli will play its first match against Lebanon on the 5th February in Azadi stadium.

The rest of the schedule:

Iran        vs.  Lebanon   Wed. 5th Feb 2013
Kuwait    vs.  Iran         Fri.  22nd Mar 2013
Iran       vs.  Thailand   Tue. 15th Oct 2013
Thailand vs. Iran          Fri 15th Nov 2013
Lebanon vs. Iran         Tue. 19th Nov 2013
Iran       vs. Kuwait     Wed. 5th Mar 2014

Tehran.

Team Melli began its training sessions in earnest this Tuesday morning under the supervision of Carlos Queiroz at No. 2 Training Ground of Azadi Sports Complex. The practice sessions, which was mainly focused on the physical fitness was attended by all the 24 players.  Ashkan Dejagah , Reza Ghoochanejad, Omid Nazari, Andranik Teymourian and Masoud Shojaei , the 5 legionnaire players have joined the camp and were after arriving from outside the country.

After the completion of the training session , In statements to the press in regards to the upcoming match next week against Korea Republic , Ali Kaffashian has said that “It is not much use for Team Melli to qualify for the World Cup while playing weak games and struggling to make the finals. We need to show our grit and play a high standard of football to makes us proud.” The Head of the Iranian football federation admitted that the team could have played much better football in the last three months and if that was achieved , they would not have been in such a precarious position right now  where a win against South Korea is really vital for the Team Melli. However , Kaffashian stressed that “we should not lose hope or be despondent about what has occurred in the past and we must support Team Melli without any reservations”

He also defended the coaching staff of Team Melli and stressed that regardless to the result of the match against Korea Republic, Carlos Queiroz will remain at the helm of Iran’s national team until his contracts expires .

In a separate statement to the press, Masoud Shojaei , the Osasuna player has stressed that “We must beat both Korea Republic and Uzbekistan in order for us to have a good chance of qualifying to the World Cup.” Shojaei , who has a suffered many injuries since the Asian Cup 2011 in Qatar and has been out of football action for a whole season as result of operations, said that the conditions at the team camp is ideal and hoped that by the time they face Korea Republic in six days time, the fitness and physical conditions of all the players reaches the optimum level.

Commenting on his club status, Shojaei said that he has not played for his club, which is lingering at the bottom of the league, this season. He admitted that he lost a good friend when Javad Nekounam left Osasuna to join Esteghlal back home. Shojaei, who played against Lebanon but was not effective in the match, said that the presence of the foreign based Team Melli players gives the other players some great motivation; otherwise the standards between all the players are close. He praised the way that Nazari and Ghoochanejad have been received by the rest of the players despite the duo being new to Team Melli and living outside of Iran for almost their entire lives.

Shojaei refused to predict the result of the coming match but said “it is always going to be difficult to play against the Koreans and we really need to beat them and Uzbekistan in order to have a fair shot at qualifying to the World Cup. We must not lose any points at home from now on.”

Mohammad Nosrati , who has been added to Queiroz list after being away from Team Melli for some times, also emphasized the importance of a victory against Korea Republic and declared that it will be the catalyst for qualifying to the World Cup. He said “I believe that this match against Korea Republic is the most important match of the whole campaign. I truly hope that everyone realizes that. We are hoping for 100.000 fans supporting us in Azadi “

“The game against Korea Republic is a decider for us. If we beat them, it will go a long way in our quest for qualifying. Of course if we have beaten Qatar at home and Lebanon, we would have been at a much comfortable position now.” Nosrati added.

Asked about Ghoochanejad and Nazri , the two Europe based players , Nosrati said the he believes that there are many players who are  capable in playing for Team Melli. It was the coach decision to include  players with European experience in the team.

Melbourne: Renewal of rivalries will be the main feature of the AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015™ qualifiers after the preliminary draw for Asia’s flagship national team tournament was held here on Tuesday.

In another renewal of rivalry, Iran who beat Kuwait in the 1976 final to emerge as the champions have again been put together with the Al Azraq in Group B where they face off against Lebanon and 2007 co-hosts and group stage contestants Thailand.

Team Melli has faced Kuwait in record number of 35 times since their first meeting in 1972, while they have had an immaculate record against Lebanon until the recent shock defeat in Beirut in the Qualifying rounds of the FIFA World Cup 2014 Brazil. The fourth team , Thailand has faced Iran on 12 occasions but has failed to record any wins since the first meeting in Bangkok in 1972 , where Iran won the Asian Cup for the second time in a row.

The twenty teams were divided into five groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group and the best third-placed team among all the groups will qualify for the tournament proper to be held in Australia in 2015.

AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011™ champions Japan, hosts and runners-up Australia, third-placed Korea Republic, AFC Challenge Cup 2012 winners DPR Korea and the champions of the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup will get direct berths in the final competition.

Syria were together with Jordan in Group B of the last edition in Doha 2011 but the former crashed out while the Al Nashama advanced to the quarter-finals after finishing second in the group behind eventual champions Japan. This time, the Syrian Eagles, Jordan, Oman, and Singapore who last appeared in 1994, complete Group A.

Iraq are to shake hands with Saudi Arabia again in Group C, having emerged champions in 2007 after defeating the Green Falcons. China PR, who were runners-up in 2004, and 2007 co-hosts Indonesia will keep them company.

In Group E, Central Asians Uzbekistan will meet Hong Kong, the hosts and third place winners of the inaugural edition in 1956. The section is rounded off by 2007 quarter-finalists Vietnam and 1996 runners-up the UAE.

Group D is home to 2011 hosts and quarter-finalists Qatar, who have appeared in the AFC Asian Cup seven times, their neighbours Bahrain, Yemen, and 2007 co-hosts and group stage contestants Malaysia.

The qualifiers will commence in February 2013.

The Groupings:

Group A
Jordan
Syria
Oman
Singapore

Group B
Iran
Kuwait
Thailand
Lebanon

Group C
Iraq
China
Saudi Arabia
Indonesia

Group D
Qatar
Bahrain
Yemen
Malaysia

Group E
Uzbekistan
UAE
Vietnam
Hong Kong

Reza Ghoocanejad has been finally cleared to play for Iran after all the documents were scrutinized and approved by FIFA. Carlos Queiroz who has invited the Dutch-Iranian player for the summer camp in Hungary , was disappointed when he heard that Ghoochanejad would not be available for the Lebanon match as his papers were not cleared in time.

With Ghoochanejad being available, Queiroz finally completed the jigsaw of European based players that he was seeking from the beginning of his reign with Team Melli. Both , Omid Nazari and Ashkan Dejagah are also included in the 24 man squad.

Ali Karimi , who is an outcast with his club and has been fired from Perspolis , is included in the squad , despite the fact that Perspolis captain has not played competitively or trained with his team for over two weeks.

The other new player for the squad , is Mes Kerman player . Iran based Ahmad Hassanzadeh, else Queiroz has selected his strongest squad with Andranik “Ando” Teymourian once again being available after he was suspended for the Lebanon game. Hadi Aghili is the only player who is not available due to injury.

The 24 players list

 

1	Rahman AHMADI	G
2	Mehdi RAHMATI	G
3	Sousha Makani	G
4	Ehsan HAJSAFY	D
5	Khosrow HEYDARI	D
6	Jalal HOSSEINI	D
7	Hossein MAHINI,	D
8	Maziar ZARE	D
9	Mohammad NOSRATI	D
10	Pejman MONTAZERI	D
11	Mehrdad POOLADI	D
12	Ashkan DEJAGAH	M
13	Ali KARIMI	M
14	Omid NAZARI	M
15	Javad NEKOUNAM,	M
16	Mohammad NOURI	M
17	Pejman NOURI	M
18	Andranik TEYMOURIAN	M
19	Karim ANSARIFARD	F
20	MohamadReza KHALATBARY	F
21	Mohammad Ghazi NAJAFABADI	F
22	Reza GHOOCHANEJAD	F
23	Masoud SHOJAEI	F
24	Ahmad HASSANZADEH	F

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Tehran: Uzbekistan booked their place

in the final of the 2012 AFC U-16 Championship after coming from a goal down to defea

t tournament hosts Iran 3-2 in a pulsating semi-final encounter at the PAS Stadium on Wednesday.

Iran started the game briskly and took the lead after just four minutes through a deflected free-kick from Seyed majid Hosseini but goals from Doctonbek Khamadov (13th), Izzatilla Abdullaev (35th) and Otabek Shukurov (42nd) gave Uzbekistan a 3-1 lead at the interval.

Uzbekistan defended stoutly in the second-half and although Amirmohammad Mazloum gave Iran a glimmer of hope with two minutes remaining it was too little too late for the hosts.

After putting in arguably the finest performance of the competition so far in the 5-1 annihilation of Australia that booked Iran’s place in the final four, head coach Ali Doustimehr kept faith with the majority of the starting 11 that put the Joeys to the sword in the quarter-finals.

The only change for Doustimehr was an enforced one with Erfan Vejdani being replaced by Komeil Haghzadeh, who came on for Vejdani when he was taken off injured 26 minutes into the Australia victory.

Doustimehr’s counterpart Dilshod Nuraliyev also made just one alteration to his line-up from that one that started the penalty shootout win over Korea Republic, with Mukhiddin Odilov dropping to the bench to make way for Ravshanbek Khursanov, who missed the quarter-final through suspension.

Iran made the perfect start with the hosts taking the lead with just four minutes at the PAS Stadium played.

Saeid Ezatolahi was sandwiched between two Uzbek players and bundled to the ground in shooting range for Iran skipper Seyedmajid Hosseini, who had displayed his power and accuracy from distance with his stunning free-kick in the 2-1 victory over Kuwait.

And while Hosseini’s low drive lacked his usual power it took a telling deflection off of Khursanov, wrong-footing Uzbek keeper Sarvar Karimov for the strapping central defender’s third goal of the campaign.

Iran’s lead lasted barely ten minutes with Doctonbek Khamadov slotting the ball through the legs of Iran keeper Danial Kazemnia after latching onto a precise pass from Akobir Turaev, scorer of Uzbekistan’s opener in their quarter-final with the Koreans.

With ten minutes of the first-half still to play, the Uzbeks took the lead courtesy of a superb right-foot volley from the apex of the Iranian penalty box from Izzatilla Abdullaev.

But the Uzbeks hadn’t finished there with Otabek Shukurov surging forward from midfield before coolly sweeping the ball past Kazemnia in the 42nd minute with the Iranian keeper and backtracking defenders expecting the Uzbek skipper to pass to a supporting team-mate.

The hosts had no choice to press forward in the second half and after Karimov had made a couple of routine catches from Iran’s early forays into opposition territory Amirmohammad Mazloum was just too high with his 51st minute lob over the Uzbek keeper.

Five minutes after the hour Karimov was called into action again with a fine fingertip save from Hosseini’s blistering long range drive and while Iran continued to dominate possession they struggled to find the key that would unlock the Uzbek defence.

With a quarter-of-an-hour left on the clock Hosseini went down in the Uzbek penalty box but all the Iran skipper earned was a yellow card from Kuwaiti referee Yousef Al Marzouq as the hosts desperately tried to find a way back into the semi-final.

Karimov had to be on his guard to prevent Ali Hazmi’s 80th minute cross from creeping in under the crossbar as Iran’s pressure continued and their efforts paid off with two minutes remaining when Mazloum reduced the deficit.

It was too little too late for the Iranians however, as the Uzbeks held firm in the remainder of the match to claim their place in Saturday’s final.

Iran’s U-16 Team suffered a heart break after they went down 3-2 against Uzbekistan’s U-16 team in the first of the two semi-finals of the AFC U-16 Championship.

Iran had a dream start when Seyed Majied Hosseini’s free kick was deflected into the Uzbek goal in the 4th minute. However  the Uzbek quickly equalized before they stunned the host with another two goals from quick counter attacks to finish the first half 3-1 ahead of the hosts and the favorites.

In the second half , a determined and resolute Iran was in control of the field for most of the time, he Uzbek however always looked dangerous on the counter and their numeric advantage and pace on the counters made life very difficult for Iranian defenders. Despite all the Iranian attacks, the defense and some brilliant saves by Uzbek goalkeeper, kept Iran at bay, until a late strike by Amir Mazloum a nice curling ball just inside the box, made for an exciting finish.  Uzbekistan, however ,  withstood the pressure and managed to win this match and make it to the final.

It was a very disappointing result for Ali Doustimehr players , whose occasional brilliant display of football was marred by pathetic and vulnerable defense , which at the end , cost them the championship.

Iran U16 already qualified for the FIFA U-17 World Cup to be held in the UAE in 2013.

Hosts staying grounded after Aussie annihilation

Tuesday, 02 October 2012 17:07
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Tehran: Iran coach Ali Doustimehr is warning his side not to become complacent in Wednesday’s AFC U-16 Championship semi-final against Uzbekistan after putting in the most impressive display in the tournament so far when they defeated Australia 5-1 in the last-eight.

The tournament hosts were in emphatic form in Sunday’s one-side quarter-final with the prolific Persians’ high-pressure strategy paying dividends against an out-of-sorts Australia, as a Reza Karmollachaab double (35th and 90+3) and goals from Saeid Ezatolahi (31st pen), Mohhadreza Bazaj (61st) and Ali Rigi (81st) outlined Iran’s status as the clear favourites in Wednesday’s semi-final with the Uzbeks.

But Doustimehr, who led Iran to glory at the 2008 AFC U-16 Championship, is far too an experienced campaigner to let complacency creep into his side.

“We played very well against Australia but we must not get too proud of ourselves and we will prepare ourselves well for the game against Uzbekistan,” said the 47-year-old, who is coaching at this tournament for the fourth time following campaigns in 2010, 2008 and 2004 when the competition was at under 17 level.

“We will prepare well and we will do what it takes to win this championship in our own country.

Victory on home soil will be a great source of pride for Doustimehr and his young charges, who, the coach explained, are focussing firmly on achieving something for the country rather than the potential individual benefits success would bring.

“We have spoken many times with the players and we said that there might be the possibility of some reward or some money from the Federation if we win. But like all Iranians the players are passionate about their country and they said they are not playing for money but for Iran.”

Iran’s semi-final against Uzbekistan kicks-off at 1700 Tehran time at the PAS Stadium on Wednesday.

Uzbeks undaunted by imperious Iran

3×2 IRN UZB gfxTehran: Uzbekistan coach Dilshod Nuraliyev has said that it doesn’t matter who they meet in the semi-finals as their opponent is it out of their hands, with a tough encounter against tournament hosts Iran standing between them and a place in the 2012 AFC U-16 Championship final.

“At this stage of the competition you can’t have a preference of who you get to play,” said Nuraliyev ahead of Wednesday’s semi-final against an Iran side that is in ominous form, having annihilated Australia 5-1 to book their place in semis and take their scoring tally for the tournament to 14 goals from four matches.

“Iran is playing very well and I am certain will get strong support from the home crowd but I am sure my team’s performance in the semi-final will be much better than our performance in the quarter-final with Korea.”

Uzbekistan, runners-up to DPR Korea at the last AFC U-16 Championship, have rode their luck in the 15th edition of the continental youth tournament with Nuraliyev’s side needing a stoppage-time equaliser from India to advance to the last eight as Group D runners-up at the expense of China before booking their semi-final ticket (and place in the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup) via the lottery of the penalty shootout against the Koreans.

Akobir Turaev’s 64th minute strike in Sunday’s quarter-final at the Rah Ahan Stadium looked to have been enough to take the Uzbek’s through but an equaliser from Hwang Hee-chan four minutes into stoppage time sent the tie into a penalty shootout.

Ironically it was Hwang, the tournament’s leading scorer with five goals, whose penalty miss proved decisive as the Uzbeks scraped through in a match that Nuraliyev believed the Central Asians should have won more comfortably.

“We wanted to win it in regulation time and we could have buried the match if we had converted the string of chances we had in the second half but in the end we won the match.

“I am very happy that we have qualified for the World Cup but now we must focus on our next target which is to win this tournament.”

Ravshanbek Khursanov is now eligible to take part in Wednesday semi-final at the PAS Stadium after the Uzbek midfielder was suspended for the game against Korea Republic following yellow cards in the group stage matches against India and Syria.

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Tehran: Jubilant Iran coach Ali Doustimehr has said that his side’s emphatic 5-1 hammering of Australia that qualified the 2012 AFC U-16 Championship hosts to next year’s FIFA U-17 World Cup was the end product of the involvement of many people from grassroots level to the very top of the country’s football administration.

Doustimehr’s young charges played the starring role in a surprisingly one-sided quarter-final clash at the PAS Stadium as Australia looked second-best in every department to the imperious Iranians.

Iran took the lead through Saeid Ezatolahi’s 30th minute penalty before Reza Karmollachaab gave the hosts a two-goal cushion four minutes later.

Mohammadreza Bazaj extended Iran’s advantage after being set up by Ali Rigi in the 63rd minute and then Rigi went from provider to scorer with a superb individual effort with ten minutes remaining.

Australia Substitute Bai Antniou scored an 88th minute consolation that appeared to give the scoreline a more flattering perspective only for Karmollachaab to score his second and Iran’s fifth in stoppage-time.

“I would like to thank the players, the coaching staff, the Federation, the media and the youth level coaches at clubs throughout the country as this victory of Iranian football,” declared Doustimehr.

“Without the help of everyone we could not do our job. Everything was wonderful today and we are happy to give the gift of World Cup qualification to the Iranian people.

“I know hope that the Iranian fans continue to follow our team and help us go on to become the top side in Asia.”

Iran’s victory sets up a semi-final showdown with Uzbekistan, who ended the 100% record of Korea Republic with a 5-3 penalty shootout victory after regulation time ended 1-1.

And Doustimehr was in the stands at the Rah Ahan Stadium to watch the Uzbek’s surprise victory as he plots how to win the AFC U-16 Championship for the second time after masterminding Iran’s first title at this level in 2008.

“Before this game I watched the quarter-final between Uzbekistan and Korea and I know that the Uzbeks are a very good team and that it will be a tough semi-final,” he continued.

“But we will prepare well and we will do what it takes to win this championship in our own country. Today we played very well but we must not get too proud of ourselves and we must prepare well for the game against Uzbekistan.

“We have spoken many times with the players about this game and we said that there might be the possibility of some reward or some money from the Federation if we win. But like all Iranians the players are passionate about their country and they said they are not playing for money but for Iran.”

Vanquished Australian coach Alistair Edwards tempered his disappointment with the fact that on the day the Iranians were simply too strong.

“Congratulations to Iran for qualifying to the World Cup and on their much deserved victory,” said the former Australia international.

“Of course we had hoped we would qualify and we didn’t expect such a result but Iran played a high-pressure game and didn’t allow us to get into our rhythm. We made too many mistakes at times but again this was mainly down to Iran’s pressure.”

Edwards was asked at the post-match press conference if he regretted not fielding a stronger side in the last group stage match against Iraq which, had they won, would have given them a relatively easier quarter-final.

“All games in the tournament have been difficult and on another day we could have won the penalty shootout against Iraq.

“But it would have been tough playing Kuwait as well. At the end of the day Iran played much better than us and deserved their victory.

“I am happy for Iran but also proud of my players. Apart from the match today I think we had a good tournament.”