Sunday 2t May 2012 – Istanbul – Besiktas Stadium :
Team Melli , currently undergoing a training camp in the preparation for their first match in the final rounds of Asian Zone FIFA World Cup qualifiers , will be meeting tha Albanian National football team in Istanbul. This friendly comes about a week prior to the opening match vs. Uzbekistan in Tashkent.
Albania , has already played another of Iran’s group opponents , Qatar and manged to beat them 2-1.
The defending AFC Futsal Champions, Iran has started their campaign in whirlwind style when they defeated their main rival in the group , Korea Republic by a whopping 14-1 score line.
The first match of the two powerful Asian opponents played in Al Shabab arena to a full capacity mostly Iranian fans who did not stop supporting their team from way before kickoff. Apparently, many fans were unable to gain entry due to the limited space and seats available at this venue.
The first half ended with a 6-0 score line for Team Melli , but the floodgates really opened a few minutes into the second half. Iran displayed some fantastic team world and wonderful goals to keep the crowd entertained through the match.
Midway through the second half, Iran’s coach played virtually the reserve team , but that did not stop the Iranians notching goals one after another.
The irony of this match was that the Korean were quite strong and opponents who did not give up at any stage. Perhaps the gamble taken by the coach in playing the goalkeeper as a field player was behind the large number of late goals conceded in the second half , but apart form that the Koreans were simply overpowered by their nemesis the Iranians who were excellent in individual skills and teamwork.
Another odd occurrence was the failure of the world’s top futsal scorer Vahid Shamsaei and the Captain of the team , to score.
Iran will play Qatar , who lost their first match 3-1 , on Saturday before finishing their group matches against Australia on Sunday.
Lineups
I.R. IRAN
4 DF MOHAMMAD KESHAVARZ NASRABADI 23
7 MF ALI ASGHAR HASSANZADEH 12, 33
9 FW SHAMSAEE VAHID (C)
10 FP TAHERI MOHAMMAD 11
12 GK MOSTAFA NAZARI
Substitutes
1 GK ALI REZA SAMIMI
5 DF HAMID AHMADI
6 MF JAVAD ASGHARIMOGHADDAM 29, 39
11 DF MAJID LATIFI
14 FW MAHDI JAVID 15, 17 27
15 MF HOSSEIN TAYEBI 31
17 MF AHMAD ESMAEILPOUR 7
ALI SANEI ARANI (Head Coach)
Team Melli is embarking on its ultimate stage in qualification for FIFA World Cup 2014 by playing Uzbekistan in Tashkent on June 3rd and then Qatar within a few days in Azadi. Carlos Queiroz has selected the best available players but as a matter of routine, he always has a surprise or two in his selection.
The Portuguese coach selection of a much unknown player playing in the Swedish League by the name of Omid Nazari (21 years) has risen more than a few eyebrows. The young Malmo born midfield player is eligible to play for Sweden, Iran and Philippines, is of unknown quality as hardly anyone has seen him in action in Iran. What has impressed Queiroz so much in Nazari remains a mystery but the fans and the experts hope that Nazari ‘s debut , if he manages some playing time , would be similar to the German-Iranian Ashkan Dejagah who scored a brace against Qatar in his debut. However, Dejagah was a known quality playing in one of the best leagues in Europe while such cannot be said of Omid Nazari’s case.
Due to injuries, Queiroz has lost 3 key players including Dejagah who will not be available for the first two matches. Hadadifar who has been on and off the injury list, could not make the list. A late addition to the injury list was striker Mohammad Ghazi who was unfortunate to suffer an injury during a practice match against Iran’s U23 team a few days back.
The list however, has some very welcome additions. Teymourian and Jabbari who have fully recovered from their injuries are once again included in the squad, but perhaps the most interesting and refreshing addition is Fereydoon Zandi. The German born Iranian has been out of Team Melli squad for nearly two years. His stint with the Cypriot Club Omnia Nicosia and then his unsuccessful time in the doomed club Steel Azin , discouraged Team Melli selectors from including in the previous squads. Zandi joined Esteghlal after the relegation of Steel Azin and quickly found his true form and imposed his class becoming one of the best Esteghlal players in this current season and convincing Carlos Queiroz to add his to the team.
There are also some fresh names like Shojaa Khalilzadeh , a young Mes Kerman defender who has played in many age levels for Iran , Dehnavi also from Mes Kerman and Ebrahimi of Tractorzasi. Although it is hardly unlikely that anyone of these players will make the starting 11 or even in the subs bench, Queiroz is smart enough to realize that some of the current players have already reached their peaks and alternatives should be looked at from the onset of the final qualifying round in order to build a strong team comes July 2014.
The easily agitated and sometimes impulsive coach once again displayed his frustration with the football federation by complaining bitterly about the inability of Sepahan , Esteghlal and Perspolis Players from flying to Istanbul with the squad due to the commitments of these clubs in the Round 16 of the AFC Champions league. The 3 qualified Iranian clubs will be playing their knock out stage matches on the 22nd and 23rd May.
Iran will play Uzbekistan on 3rd of June, and Qatar at Azadi on 12th June. The squad flew to Istanbul on Monday 21st May and will be meeting Albania for a friendly international on the 27th May before flying directly to Tashkent 2 days before the match.
Tehran Sunday :
The technical committee of Team Melli and team coach Carlos QUEIROZ has announced the list of 24 players who would be attending the training camp in Turkey in preparation for the FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifying match vs. Uzbekistan to be held on 3rd June 2012 in Tashkent.
The squad will be flying to Istanbul on the 21st May to set up a camp in Turkey whic includes a friendly match against Albania. The squad will be missing 10 players from Sepahan , Esteghlal and Perspolis due to the three clubs upcoming match in the AFC Champions league to be played next Tuesday and Wednesday. The players will fly to Istanbul right after the match.
Team Melli will conclude the camp in Turkey on 1st June and will be flying directly to the Uzbek Capital Tashkent two days ahead of their first match in Round 4 of the World Cup qualifiers.
Ashkan DEJAGAH and Mohammad Ghazi NAJAFABADI will be the two main absentees from the squad due to injuries. None of the two are expected to recover for the next game against Qatar in Tehran.
The squad:
| 1 | Hadi AGHILI |
| 2 | Karim ANSARIFARD |
| 3 | Abolghasim DEHNAVI |
| 4 | Mohammad EBRAHIMI |
| 5 | Mohsen FROUZAN |
| 6 | Shehab GORDAN |
| 7 | Alireza HAGHIGHI |
| 8 | Ehsan HAJSAFY |
| 9 | Khosrow HEYDARI |
| 10 | Jalal HOSSEINI |
| 11 | Mojtaba JABBARI |
| 12 | Ali KARIMI |
| 13 | MohamadReza KHALATBARY |
| 14 | Shojaa KHALILZADEH |
| 15 | Hossein MAHINI |
| 16 | Pejman MONTAZERI |
| 17 | Omid NAZARI |
| 18 | Javad NEKOUNAM |
| 19 | Pejman NOURI |
| 20 | Mehrdad POOLADI |
| 21 | Mehdi RAHMATI |
| 22 | Gholamreza REZAEI |
| 23 | Andranik TEYMOURIAN |
| 24 | Fereydoon ZANDI |
Friday – Tehran
The technical committee of Futsal Team , announced the name of 14 players who will form the squad for the upcoming Asian Championship in Dubai later this month.
The squad will begin its training camp starting next Friday , and will be carrying out their training until the start of the championship.
The Squad are:
Iran , the defending champion , is in group C along with Australia , Korea Republic and Qatar.
IFF have announced that 10 players from Sepaham , Esteghlal and Perspolis are selected for the Camp to be held in Turkey.
According to IFF Public Relations Manager , Khosrow Walizadeh, these 10 players will joining the camp a few days later than the rest and right after the completion of the knock out rounds of the AFC Champions League.
“We hope that these players fly to Turkey to join the camp as soon as they conclude their matches in the AFC Champions League.” Walizadeh said.
The players are:
Jalal Hosseini
Hashim Beighzadeh
Mehdi Rahmati
Andranik Teymourian
Mojtaba Jabbari
Khosrow Heydary
Fereydoon Zandi
Ali Karimi
Mehrdad Pooladi
Gholamreza Rezaei
Tehran – ISNA:
The Portuguese coach of Team Melli , once again expressed his concern and deep regrets about the preparation of Team Melli after the three Iranian clubs participating in the AFC Asian Champions League withheld their players from Team Melli Training camp.
Queiroz sarcastically took a swipe at the federation and the clubs for their continual declaration that the priority is always with the national Teams including Team Melli. With all the 3 Iranian teams Sepahan , Esteghlal and Perspolis qualifying for the knock out round of the AFC Champions League, those teams need to play their matches on 22nd of May right in the middle of the Training camp that Queiroz has set up for the upcoming match against Uzbekistan. The Team Melli camp is scheduled to start on Monday 21st May.
A total of 11 players will be missing from the camp and that , according to Queiroz , will definitely upset his preparation plans and unbalance the training camp. When asked about the camp and the preparation by reporters, Queiroz said “Why are you asking this question? Isn’t it obvious that you cannot work with 50% of you colleagues not attending to the job?”
“From now on, don’t claim that the priority is with Team Melli, because it isn’t the case” Queiroz said in bitterness.
Queiroz claimed that he has prepared for this camp since 8 months back in coordination with the IFF and being fully aware of the AFC schedules. The question that begs itself which Queiroz never answered is why would he choose this date fully knowing, according to his own admission, that there is one round of AFC Champions league scheduled to be played on the 22nd of May?
Tehran – 17th May 2012
The IFF and the Korea DPR football federation has provisionally agreed on a friendly match between the two teams to be held in Azadi Stadium on the 9th of October 2012.
According to Iranian News Agency IRNA reports , Mohammad Mehdi Nabi , IFF secretary has announced that he received a confirmation letter from his North Korean counterpart on the match date and venue. The match will be a very useful preparation for the upcoming World Cup qualifier against Iran’s main rival in the group , the powerful South Koreans.
The North Koreans , who were one of the Asian Representatives in World Cup 2010 in South Africa , failed to make the next round 4 of FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, however , they remain one of the stronger Asian teams. Despite having a poor record against Team Melli , the match will be a strong test for the Persians
Team Melli is scheduled to meet South Korea on 16th October in Azadi Stadium.
Esfahan – Foolad Shar Stadium
Friday 11th May 2012
Foolad Sepahan Esfahan , under the coaching of the Croat Zlatko “Cico” Kranjčar , won its 3rd consecutive league title after being held at a capacity FooladShahr stadium by the relegated Mes Sarcheshme. The goalless draw meant that Sepahan has reached 67 points and that was all it needed to clinch the title ahead ob both Tractorsazi Tabriz and Esteghlal Tehran who both won their final games but could not reach Sepahan’s tally.
Iran – Persian Gulf Cup |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FT | Damash Gilan | 2 – 1 | Shahrdari Tabriz | ||
| FT | Mes Kerman | 2 – 0 | Zob Ahan | ||
| FT | Rah Ahan | 4 – 1 | Shahin Bushehr | ||
| FT | Saipa | 2 – 2 | Sanat Naft | ||
| FT | Foolad | 1 – 2 | Persepolis | ||
| FT | Esteghlal | 3 – 0 | Naft Tehran | ||
| FT | Fajr Sepasi | 0 – 0 | Saba Qom | ||
| FT | Sepahan | 0 – 0 | Mes Sarcheshme | ||
| FT | Tractor Sazi | 2 – 0 | Malavan | ||
| # | Team | MP | W | D | L | F | A | D | P | Last 5 matches | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Sepahan |
34 | 19 | 10 | 5 | 54 | 27 | +27 | 67 | D D W W D | |||
| 2 |
Tractor Sazi |
34 | 19 | 9 | 6 | 57 | 32 | +25 | 66 | W D W W W | |||
| 3 |
Esteghlal |
34 | 19 | 9 | 6 | 58 | 34 | +24 | 66 | W W D D W | |||
| 4 |
Saba Qom |
34 | 12 | 14 | 8 | 40 | 38 | +2 | 50 | D D D D L | |||
| 5 |
Naft Tehran |
34 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 36 | 38 | -2 | 49 | L W L D D | |||
| 6 |
Zob Ahan |
34 | 9 | 18 | 7 | 29 | 33 | -4 | 45 | L D D D D | |||
| 7 |
Damash Gilan |
34 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 34 | 38 | -4 | 44 | W L D D W | |||
| 8 |
Saipa |
34 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 50 | 39 | +11 | 43 | D D D W L | |||
| 9 |
Mes Kerman |
34 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 35 | 39 | -4 | 43 | W D W D W | |||
| 10 |
Sanat Naft |
34 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 49 | 57 | -8 | 43 | D L W L D | |||
| 11 |
Rah Ahan |
34 | 9 | 15 | 10 | 43 | 42 | +1 | 42 | W W D L W | |||
| 12 |
Persepolis |
34 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 50 | 54 | -4 | 42 | W L L L D | |||
| 13 |
Fajr Sepasi |
34 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 31 | 38 | -7 | 41 | D D D L W | |||
| 14 |
Foolad |
34 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 35 | 37 | -2 | 40 | L L D L L | |||
| 15 |
Malavan |
34 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 32 | 33 | -1 | 39 | L W D D L | |||
| 16 |
Shahrdari Tabriz |
34 | 6 | 16 | 12 | 34 | 44 | -10 | 34 | L D D W D | |||
| 17 |
Shahin Bushehr |
34 | 6 | 15 | 13 | 30 | 43 | -13 | 33 | L D L D L | |||
| 18 |
Mes Sarcheshme |
34 | 5 | 9 | 20 | 23 | 54 | -31 | 24 | D D L W L | |||
| Source: The-AFC.com |  |
 |
| Thursday, 03 May 2012 |
| Orumieh: Iran successfully defended the 3rd WAFF (West Asian Football Federation) Men Futsal Championship title after finishing top of the table in the 5-team competition.
Five West Asian countries including hosts Iran participated in the tournament played in league format. Considered a warm-up tournament for the upcoming AFC Futsal Championship starting later this month, Iran were all conquering as they bagged maximum 12 points from four matches.
The tournament also served as an alarming bell for another AFC Futsal Championship participating Kuwait as they had a dismal campaign with their only win coming against pointless Palestine. Kuwait finished just above Palestine at the fourth place in the five-team competition. Jordan managed second spot – five points behind Iran while Iraq finished third.
The 10-time Asian champions Iran will meet Australia, Qatar and Korea Republic in strong Group C in AFC Futsal Championship starting on May 25 in Dubai. Kuwait are in Group D alongside with three-time finalists Uzbekistan, Indonesia and China. |
