Category: World Cup 2014

Iran’s World Cup Zeal Wanes as Match Draws Near

By  

New-York-Times

 

TEHRAN — In a city where few people are allowed to organize large gatherings, and fun is enjoyed in private, the public celebrations of a year ago are legendary.

The Iranian national soccer team, called Team Melli here, had just qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 2006 by beating South Korea in a tense match. Millions of Iranians flooded the streets of the capital in a display of pure happiness, dancing and singing of national pride. The authorities were helpless to stop them.

Now, days before Iran’s opening World Cup match with Nigeria on Monday, fun-loving Iranians should be thrilled for a new opportunity to celebrate. But Tehran is possibly the only capital in the world where there are no signs of the coming tournament.

This is what irritates the authority

Online, some die-hard fans have designed and shared desktop wallpaper showing Iran’s star players, such as the Iranian-Dutch striker Reza Ghoochannejhad, accompanied by the not-very-promising slogan, “Against the Odds.”

“It’s just that nobody is excited,” said Arman Hosseinabadi, a 30-year-old accountant. “It is as if we are paralyzed.”

Soccer experts agree that the Iran team faces a complicated task in making it to the second round. The World Cup draw placed Iran, the top-ranked team from Asia, in a difficult group: with soccer power Argentina; Nigeria, the African champion; and Bosnia and Herzegovina, making its debut in the tournament.

[quote] “Their coach publicly complains about the quality of his players. I have never seen anything like it.”[/quote]

“Almost all their players play in the weak national league, instead of in big international teams,” said Samy Adghirni, a correspondent for the Brazilian paper Folha de S.Paulo, who has been following the Iranian team for months. “Their coach publicly complains about the quality of his players. I have never seen anything like it.”

Some Iranian media have questioned the lack of enthusiasm for the Team Melli. “Why doesn’t anybody believe in our national team?” the reformist website Asr-e Iran wrote in an editorial. “If we believe with all our might we may turn into the surprise of the tournament: We will be the untamable cheetahs of 2014,” the site wrote hopefully, referring to the national team’s new logo, which features the Iranian cheetah.

As with much in Iran involving money and influence, the national team is overrun with officials claiming to act in its best interest, but focusing on everything except improving the team.

Its Portuguese coach, Carlos Quieroz, had several public disputes with the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, complaining that the team was not getting enough money to prepare for the World Cup. In turn, the federation accused the coach of arranging lucrative warm-up matches and pocketing the money. Mr. Quieroz denied the allegations.

Like the other qualifying teams, Iran received $1.5 million from FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, but this was apparently insufficient to order enough team uniforms. Last month, the president of the Iranian federation said that players were not allowed to exchange their shirts with opponents after the games, a tradition in soccer.

“This is the year of economic resistance,” Ali Kaffashian told the website Khabar Online, hinting at Iran’s answer to international sanctions over its nuclear program. “We must learn to do with as much as we can.”

Citing bad weather, President Hassan Rouhani shunned a farewell ceremony here for the team last week. The event had to be moved from its original venue to a smaller one when only 3,000 fans showed up, far less than the expected 12,000.

It is more than the daunting competition and the controversies surrounding Team Melli that keep the Iranians from warming to the World Cup. The authorities have been working hard to nix any soccer related excitement.

Tehran’s cinemas have been told by the police that they are not allowed to show World Cup matches to a mixed audience of men and women, “out of respect for Islamic morals.” A plan to show Iran’s games on some of the large electronic billboards across the city was canceled, and on Wednesday, restaurant and coffee shop owners said they had been told by the Ministry of Islamic Guidance and Culture to refrain from decorating their establishments with the national flag or the colors of other countries.

“We want to decorate our restaurant with German flags,” said one restaurant owner who asked to be identified only by his first name, Farhad. “But even that is not allowed. Fun, people gathering in large groups, such things make the authorities nervous.”

Until Monday, the day of the team’s first game, nobody is expecting much enthusiasm. “We bought a large television set for our customers to watch the matches,” said Hadis Bagheri, who runs a modest coffee shop. “But people are just not interested. Instead of talking about the World Cup they are hiding their faces behind mobile devices.”

Still, if Iran managed to beat Nigeria, everything might change.

“People are busy trying to survive,” said Behzad Talebi, a movie production manager. “But if we win, unexpectedly, be sure we will witness a return of last year’s street party. In the end, we all love to win.”

 

Iranians CANNOT watch Team Melli playing in the World Cup in public !!!!

When Iran faces off against Nigeria for a June 16 match in the FIFA World Cup, fans in both teams’ home countries may be hard-pressed to find a public spot to watch the game.

In an attempt at crowd control, Iranian police banned cafes and restaurants from airing World Cup games, even Iran’s own matches, the BBC reported Tuesday, citing local media. The decision came just weeks after the country banned women from watching the games with men in public cinemas.

Though Iranian TV will still air the games, police told the Cafe Owners Union in Tehran to not tune in to broadcast matches.

Authorities in the northeast Nigerian city of Adamawa have ordered a ban on all public viewings of the games, citing the possibility of bombings during the events, per a separate report by the BBC. “Our action is not to stop Nigerians … watching the World Cup. It is to protect their lives,” Brigadier General Nicholas Rogers told reporters Wednesday.

The crackdown comes just a week after suspected members of Islamist militant group Boko Haram set off a car bomb, killing 18 people who were watching a televised match in a viewing center in Adamawa.

Iranian women wave Iranian flags during a ceremony of farewell for their national soccer team ahead of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

I’m fit for Iran test – Musa

I’m fit for Iran test –Musa

Jun 13, 2014 

Super Eagles midfielder, Ahmed Musa, has declared himself fit for Nigeria’s first match against Iran scheduled Curitiba on Monday. Musa told our correspondent on Thursday that his injury was not too serious but that doctors advised him not to aggravate it.

He said, “I was ready to play even the last friendly against the USA, but it is of no use taking such risk when the event proper was yet to start. “I am happy to say that I have been part of full training for about a week and also trained on Wednesday. I am fit and ready for Iran.”

Speaking on the opposition, the CSKA Moscow player said the encounter would be tough since it is the first match. “Every first match is always very dicey because the competition is just starting. We are hoping to take our chances early and control the match to bag the three points.

“We know the importance of the first two games and we are going to do our best to get the results,” he said. Nigerian are competing for honours in group F of the global football competition along with Iran, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Argentina.

 

Whitecap Beitashour soaking up the World Cup experience

Nerves, excitement, joy hit Whitecap Steven Beitashour playing for Iran as he flies into Brazil

BY MARC WEBER, THE PROVINCE JUNE 12, 2014
Whitecap Beitashour soaking up the World Cup experience

Steven Beitashour is the lone Whitecap playing in the World Cup, as the right-back is suiting up for Iran in Brazil. — 

Photograph by: SAMUEL KUBANI , AFP/Getty Images

It all hit Steven Beitashour as he was about to land in Brazil.

He looked out the airplane window and saw the host country. And whatever indescribable things one feels before a first FIFA World Cup — excitement, nerves, a sense of history, the joy and weight of the unknown — he felt it all.

“I’ll never forget that,” he said on Thursday conference call.

And since those first tingles, the Vancouver Whitecaps right-back, an Iranian-American born and raised in San Jose, Calif., has been all business, which is business as usual for Beitashour.

He hardly wanted to talk about the World Cup before he left the Whitecaps to join Iran, out of respect for the MLS club’s season and his own desire to remain in the moment.

He’s the kind of guy who apologizes in advance for clichés and then talks about taking things one day at a time.

Asked how he’ll balance a desire to enjoy this experience, to soak it in, as well as focus on the task at hand, he said: “I don’t know because it’s my first one. I don’t know if I’m having too much fun or not enough. Right now I have a job to do and I want to do it to the best of my abilities.”

But he certainly sounded light and upbeat and anxious to kick off.

First up is Nigeria on Monday (noon), a match that, at least based on FIFA rankings, represents Iran’s best hope for getting out of Group F, which looks to be a walk in the park for Argentina.

Iran is ranked 43rd, one spot ahead of Nigeria, which has a far richer World Cup history, having made the round of 16 in 1994 and 1998.

Iran’s been to three World Cups, the last being Germany in 2006, but they’ve never made it out of their group.

Their lone World Cup match victory was at least a famous one, over the U.S. at France ’98.

World Cup debutantes Bosnia-Herzegovina, ranked 21st, are favoured to finish second behind the powerful Argentines in Iran’s group, but Beitashour believes the race is wide open.

“Argentina’s the favourite. They deserve it,” he said. “The second spot out of our group is up for grabs. We’ve got three hungry teams and that’s why it’s so important, that first game, to start on the right foot.”

For Iran that means defending as a team: organized, patient, hard-working, constantly closing down space.

They had 10 shutouts in qualifying, the most of any team in Brazil.

Beitashour, brought into coach Carlos Queiroz’s side after a brief flirtation with the U.S. squad, said he doesn’t know if he’ll start in the opener.

His wife Karlie, his Iranian-born parents, Edward and Pari, his siblings and cousins, will all be there for the games. He’s expecting big support from Iranians in Brazil, too.

“All the guys on the team say, ‘You’ll be shocked to see how many Iranians show up,’” he said. “I’m excited for it.”

Asian team needs to stamp itself on the world stage

By John Duerden

The Korea Times

A European team has never won the World Cup when in South America. An Asian team has never actually won a game on the soccer-crazy continent ― although 1978 was the last time the tournament was held there.

Both trends could be broken over the next few weeks.

South Korea is joined by fellow Asian Football Confederation (AFC) members Japan, Iran and Australia in Brazil, four teams that carry the hopes of more than half of the world’s population. For Asia’s reputation as well as its hopes of being allocated more World Cup spots in the future, the continent needs to make a good showing ― two teams, preferably more, need to survive the group stage and reach the round of 16.

Japan looks the best bet. The Samurai Blue is Asian champion and is full of players active in Europe’s big leagues. Keisuke Honda of AC Milan and Manchester United’s Shinji Kagawa may not have had the best domestic seasons, but they are at least fresh ahead of games against Cote d’Ivoire, Greece and Colombia.

Lining up alongside the famous duo is an unsung player who may be ready for international stardom. Shinji Okazaki scored 15 goals for FSV Mainz 05 in the just completed German season.

Coached by respected Italian tactician Alberto Zaccheroni, Japan’s attack has been scoring plenty of late. In June, it scored a 3-1 win over Costa Rica, and then beat Zambia 4-3. However, as the scores suggest, Japan is not quite as strong at the back, but should have the talent to get at least into the second round.

“Because Japan is little known in world football, we want to play good football and make a huge impact so the world will recognize the presence of the Japan football team,” Kagawa said this week.

Japan’s prospects look much better than Australia’s. Under new coach Ange Postecolou, the Socceroos are in transition from a team of experienced veterans from the 2006 and 2010 campaigns.

The new-look team has one of the toughest groups imaginable.

Having to face champion Spain is tough enough, but then there is the small matter of 2010 runner-up the Netherlands, another star-studded opponent featuring the likes of Manchester United hitman Robin Van Persie and the supremely talented Arjen Robben of Bayern Munich. Australia’s opening game is against Chile, a dark horse, but playing on its own continent and with Alexis Sanchez of Barcelona in its ranks.

In some ways, being in such a tough group has taken the pressure off Australia. Nobody expects the team to progress to the second round, making it easier for the coach to regenerate the roster. And any points picked up will be greeted with delight down under. It is almost a no-lose situation.

Then there is Iran. The Persians finished above South Korea in qualification but have been pretty quiet since, struggling to arrange preparation games because it is not always easy to lure teams to Tehran

 

Former Real Madrid and Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz will need all his considerable tactical ability to get the team out of a group containing Argentina, Nigeria and Bosnia. It is a tough group, but it could have been worse. Iran’s best hope may lie in being underestimated.

In some ways, Korea’s preparation has been worse. The team has had a good deal more games than Iran, but losing four out of the last five ― the latest last week’s 4-0 thrashing by Ghana ― has everyone talking of impending doom against Russia, Algeria and Belgium.

 

Perhaps some solace can be taken from Japan. Four years ago, the Samurai Blue lost four out of its final five warm-up games, with leading coach Takeshi Okada offer his resignation.

Yet, this all changed at the World Cup, with Japan within a penalty shootout for a place in the final eight.

With the possible exception of Japan, Korea and the rest of Asia would settle for that.

John Duerden is writing for  about Korea’s campaign at the World Cup in Brazil. ― ED.

Queiroz: Iran ready to punish complacency

Iran are ready to make their FIFA World Cup opponents pay for any moments of complacency, coach Carlos Queiroz said.

Widely tipped to not surpass a Group F consisting of Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Nigeria, the Iranians open their tournament against their African opponents on Monday. 

Queiroz, a former boss at Manchester United, said Iran’s aim was to capitalise on opportunities handed to them by opponents – who will all be tentative at the expectation they will down the group’s supposed easy beats. 

“The most important is the first game,” he said. 

“No matter if it’s against Argentina, Indonesia or Japan, we have to play as a team. 

“We must treat them as they are, no more, no less. There are no perfect teams in the world. We have to be in the right places at the right time.
“Our goal is simple: if they make a mistake, we will be ready to capitalise. We’re playing the best teams in the world.” 

Queiroz said he will implore his players to enjoy the moment, with Iran featuring at a World Cup finals for a fourth time. 

“We cannot miss this opportunity to face them with pleasure and enjoyment. It’s just a game,” Queiroz said. 

“(There) are 90 minutes, defence, attack, lose the ball, winning the ball. Of one thing I am sure: we must be ready. 

“Not 90 per cent, but 100 per cent. This is the game of our lives.” 

The World Cup is here and Team Melli is set to go

After all the clamors, the excitement, the thrills and the expectation where the world media was virtually littered with stories about the World Cup. The day of the reckoning is here and now.

Stories from the downright silly and ridiculous like the one about the turtle that predicts the World Cup winner ( it can’t get more sillier than that , can it ?) to the more serious side of the World Cup where a plethora of football experts have made life easy for you by predicting the winning teams, before a ball has even been kicked! Mixed with real life stories of calamities, unfinished work on Stadia , violence, robberies, industrial disputes and incredible traffic jams in major cities of the host nation.

This should have been a red card.

In the opener the 20th FIFA World Cup 2014, Brazil defeated Croatia 3-1 after the East Europeans stunned the host with a goal. In fact it was a friendly own goal by the recent European Cup winner defender of Real Madrid,  Marcelo. However , young  Neymar stole the show as Brazil came from behind to score two goals, one a of which was a controversial penalty. The Croats are still devastated and feel grieved because Neymar should have been sent off for elbowing Modric in the first half.

A controversial start, no doubt we have not seen the end of those.

Own goal by Marcello

Team Melli will be there amongst the elite. We will be hearing and seeing Hajsafy mingle with Di Maria,  about Dejagah tackling Messi , while Hosseini will be stopping Aguero from scoring and Ghoochannehad passing Zabaleta on his way. Names that increases the adrenaline on hearing them , oppositions at the highest level of football,  a far cry from hearing the names of Guinea or Thailand or  Belarus or Angola that Team Melli has been sparring with in their way to the Word Cup. This is the real thing, people.  The match in 4 days against Nigeria will be the decider, according to Queiroz. No time for losers.

Ashkan Dejagah

From the pulse of the Team Melli fans, we see that the majority will not be satisfied with anything less than qualification to the next round. While that is genuinely a legitimate wish and within the full right of the aspiring fans, it is perhaps a bit of unrealistic expectation considering the less-than-optimum preparations and acute lack of high level friendly games by Team Melli.    

All this is water under the bridge now. The reality is that Team Melli will be facing Nigeria and it is well within the capability of the boys to beat them. Then they have to face one of the title contenders in Argentina. A totally different proposition, a quality at the highest level and in Messi , they have the greatest football player on earth. HosseinKazerani , the solid defender of Pas and a member of Team Melli 1978 World Cup team, speaking recently on a TV show about memories of 1978 World Cup,  countered  the fear of some his teammate playing against the might of Holland with  household name players, Kazerani said in a simple term “Their players have one head two legs and two hands, same as we do, what are you frighten of ?”. Simplistic logic it might be, but no denying that it is very much a true statement. It is about who dares win and who is hungrier for glory. About the stronger mentality and better motivation.

Let us hope Team Melli plays with the passion and pride that they are famous for. Let us hope that the skills of the players yields the optimum result and finally , let us hope that Team Melli impresses the fans across the globe with a display of valor , sportsmanship and skills worthy of the name of Iran.

Brazil World Cup 2014: Clashes at Sao Paulo protest

Riot police using tear gas and rubber truncheons to disperse about 50 protesters near a metro station on the route to the Arena Corinthians

Police in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo have used tear gas to break up a protest against the football World Cup, hours before the opening match.

At least one person was arrested and five others were injured, three of them journalists. Protesters had tried to block a road leading to the stadium where the opening ceremony will take place.

Further protests are planned in other Brazilian cities over the expense of hosting the tournament.

In another development, striking airport workers in Rio de Janeiro blocked a road outside the airport, demanding a wage increase and a World Cup bonus.

The strike was to have lasted for 24 hours but union leaders called it off early for legal reasons.

Striking teachers also staged a rally in Rio city centre, further disrupting traffic.

Chanting

BBC correspondents in Sao Paulo said police charged with batons and riot shields, firing rubber bullets over heads of scores of protesters near a metro station on the route to the Arena Corinthians.

CNN journalist injured in clashes. 12 June 2014
A CNN producer was one of three journalists injured in the clashes

Police moved in after the demonstrators refused to clear the road.

The demonstrators had been chanting “there won’t be a Cup”.

A tweet from CNN presenter Alex Thomas said Sao Paulo producer Barbara Arvanitidis was among those injured, suffering a suspected broken arm.

The violence happened about 13km (8 miles) from the stadium where Brazil will play Croatia at 20:00 GMT.

Last year, more than a million people joined protests across the country to demand better public services and highlight corruption and the high cost of staging the World Cup.

Since then, other smaller anti-World Cup protests have been staged in Brazil, with some descending into violence.

Queiroz outlines the team facing Nigeria among unprecedented presence of Iranian journalists.

Entourage of about 40 professionals from the local press arrive in São Paulo to cover the World Cup. Technical, finally, displays likely team

For Rodrigo Faber Sao Paulo

Globoesporte.globo.com

 over The Corinthians Training Center which has been a place with a remarkably low presence of journalist from Iran to cover their country’s team progress, suddenly experienced a large number of them turning up for training this Wednesday. During this afternoon’s activity led by coach Carlos Queiroz, an entourage of about 40 professionals Iranian press men arrived to begin the coverage of  the Asian national team during the World Cup. Coincidentally, it was the first time the coach outlined a starting lineup for the opening game against Nigeria, 16th in Curitiba.
  
Training journalists in Iran (Photo: Rodrigo Faber)
Iranian journalists were out in force in the training of the Asian team in São Paulo (Photo: Rodrigo Faber)

Queiroz positioned players in reduced space and then closed the training session – as is usual with coaches – trying to hide secrets from the preying eyes of the press..The goalkeeper remains the main mystery, since the three (Rahman Ahmadi, Alireza Haghighi and Daniel Davari) were tested in recent friendly matches. In the 2-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday, Haghighi remained the keeper during the whole game.   

players in training in Iran (Photo: Rodrigo Faber)
Iran won the starting lineup on Wednesday outline (Photo: Rodrigo Faber)

As the three goalkeepers worked separately, the Portuguese coach attended to the rest of the team in a 4-4-2 formation with: Montazeri, Amirhossein Sadeghi, Jalal Hosseini and Pooladi; Nekounam, Timotian, Haji Safi and Dejagah; Heydari and Goochannejad. The team still train twice in the CT Corinthians before the trip to Curitiba, scheduled for the afternoon of Saturday. The last practice session before the match will be conducted at the Arena da Baixada, the venue of the game.   

From the outside, the Iranian journalists were quite animated in their first contact with the team. Aided by the local federation, all traveled together to São Paulo, where they landed in the early hours of Wednesday. They monitor all matches of Iran on the spot. Apart from Nigeria, the Asian team faces Argentina on 21 June in Belo Horizonte, and Bosnia, the 25th, in Salvador.   

The Iranian press has a close relationship with the squad. Some players, when sighting known journalists in the CT Corinthians, greeted them from afar. The best bets of local professionals for the World Cup are three players who play in Europe: Ashkan Dejagah, Fulham (England), Reza Ghoochannejad, Charlton (England) and Alireza Jahanbakhsh, NEC (Netherlands) – 

players in training in Iran (Photo: Rodrigo Faber)
Training of Iran was closely followed by coach Carlos Queiroz (Photo: Rodrigo Faber)

Susic: We won’t sacrifice a player to man-mark Messi

No Miralem Pjanic, no Edin Dzeko, no problem for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Even without the mercurial Roma midfielder and the €32m Manchester City striker, Safet Susic’s side comfortably saw off Brazilian club Santos U-21s 5-1 in an unofficial friendly on Monday – their last before the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™. It was the Bosnians’ fourth successive victory and will send them into Group F high on confidence.

Following the game, FIFA.com caught up with Susic to discuss the performance at the Vila Belmiro, the fitness of Pjanic and Dzeko, and his plans to combat Lionel Messi in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s opener against Argentina.

Safet, were you pleased with your team’s performance in the victory over Santos U-21s?
Safet Susic: I think it wasn’t bad at all. It was a good match, with many opportunities for both sides, many goals, many beautiful pieces of play. I think we should be satisfied.

Have the recent results boosted Bosnia and Herzegovina’s confidence? 
Definitely, definitely. The self-confidence we had lost after the two defeats has come back. The boys are now, evidently, in a very good mood. During the matches they even tried out some things that they had previously practised with fear. It is evident that they played in a relaxed way, that the [recent] results have helped to regain self-confidence, to bring the morale to a high level.

It is a dilemma for me, but to sacrifice a player just to man-mark Messi, I don’t think it would be good for us.

Bosnia and Herzegovina coach Safet Susic

What is the state of Pjanic’s and Dzeko’s fitness? 
Nobody is seriously injured. The four players I spared was to not take any risks. Dzeko is not even injured, he is just a bit tired. The other three players, they have minor injuries. If the match against Argentina was tomorrow, everybody would be ready.

Do you plan to man-mark Lionel Messi? 
It is a dilemma for me, but to sacrifice a player just to man-mark Messi, I don’t think it would be good for us. We have a player who would be ideal for man-marking Messi – this player is [Muhamed] Besic – but this guy is so well prepared physically that it wouldn’t be good for us to make him track Messi. Messi sometimes stands for several minutes, not participating in the match. It would therefore be a shame to sacrifice a player [to mark him]. Messi will probably enjoy plenty of freedom, but each time he gets the ball, somebody needs to be near him. But I don’t think we have ever played a match having dedicated a player to man-mark a specific opponent, and it’s going to be the same [against Argentina].