Category: World Cup 2018

22/03/2017

Qatar vs. Iran : Preview

The last time the two teams met in Azadi , it took Team Melli two late goals to defeat Qatar which excelled in defending their goal before a calamitous goal keeping error allowed Gucci to score the first then Jahanbaksh to seal the win in injury time.

Carlos Queiroz’s side are the only unbeaten team in Group A but, after Sardar Azmoun’s goal secured a 1-0 victory over the Taeguk Warriors on Matchday Four, Iran saw their lead at the top of the standings cut four days later when they played out a goalless draw with Syria. Two main players are missing from squad. Ashkan Dejagah injury put him out of match practice , while Ando Teymourian dip in form rendered the duo unfit for duty.

Opponents Qatar got off to the worst possible start on the Road to Russia by suffering three defeats on the bounce, but responded well by defeating Syria 1-0 and claiming a point in China on Matchdays Four and Five respectively.

The home side, though, will be without four players through suspension with Khalid Muftah, Ahmed Yasser, Abdelkarim Hassan and Meshaal Abdulla all unavailable for selection.

Photos: Lagardère Sports

TABLE

GROUP A
TEAMS	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	+/-	Pts
IRAN	5	3	2	0	4	0	4	11	D W W D W
KOREA REPUBLIC	5	3	1	1	8	6	2	10	W L W D W
UZBEKISTAN	5	3	0	2	5	3	2	9	L W L W W
SYRIA	5	1	2	2	1	2	-1	5	D L W D L
QATAR	5	1	1	3	3	6	-3	4	D W L L L
CHINA PR	5	0	2	3	2	6	-4	2	D L L D L

MATCHES

23 MAR 2017 – 19:35 Local time

GROUP A

Helong Stadium

Changsha , Hunan

CHINA PR vs KOREA REPUBLIC

11:35 (GMT)

23 MAR 2017 – 20:00 Local time

GROUP A

Hang Jebat Stadium

Krubong

SYRIA vs. UZBEKISTAN

12:00 (GMT)

23 MAR 2017 – 19:00 Local time

GROUP A

Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium

Doha

QATAR vs. IRAN

16:00 (GMT)

Head2Head

Home/Away / Neutral	Matches	Iran Wins	Draw	Lost	Goals	+ / –
H	8	6	2	0	19 – 4	+15
A	13	7	3	3	15 – 11	+4
N	0	0	0	0	0 – 0	+0
Total	21	13	5	3	34 – 15	+19

19/03/2017

Is it worth it?

Iranian football has never been exposed to such a humiliating treatment like the ones that it is receiving from this Mozambique born Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz.

For the last few years and due to all sort of reasons, he has been treating the football federation with contempt. Manipulating the faults and the sheer incompetency of the system managed by the likes of Ali Kaffashian , Mehdi Taj and MohammadReza Saket (the so-called Esfahani Mafia), Queiroz has opened a front against the establishment and began a proxy war , agitation technique and a campaign in misleading the stakeholders in order to get out of his commitment and contractual obligation. Such contempt, disrespect to the people, flagrant disregard for the etiquette of the host country would have sent him on the first flight home if that happened in one of the Persians Gulf countries, however it seems that the Persians are way too accommodating for the “Khareji”.

Queiroz’s list of his misdemeanors is as long as an airport runway and it is increasing by the day. His latest antics were the indiscriminate sacking of the Iranian personnel working in Team Melli. From Afshin Peyrovani, unashamed defenders of the Portuguese man who was living in denial to the mild mannered, dedicated and the professional Markar Aghajanian. Before them, Omid Namazi faced the same dilemma.

“At what price and humiliation level do you want to make to the World Cup?” These are the words of Ali Karimi who served under Queiroz for a few days as an assistant coach only to abruptly leave his post and was subsequently bombarded with hate messages and profanities from the same people who used to cheer him on the stands during his playing days, according to Karimi’s own words. But to his credit , Karimi always maintained silence and never discussed the reason for leaving his Team Melli assistant coach job in such an abrupt manner. Karimi, rightly or wrongly feared instability in the Team Melli camp and to preserve national interest, he remained quiet.

“Now, you can guess what happened in my case. I say no more, but I hope all those who questioned my loyalty to Team Melli realize where I stand and why I left.” Karimi clearly hinting at the treatment of Iranian assistant coaches are receiving from the Portuguese.

There is no doubt that Queiroz was lied to, promises of support never fulfilled, worked in a chaotic rather than a systematic environment, not paid his wages on time and most importantly lacked the resources to excel in his job, but he knew all of that during his first term and yet accepted an improved offer to continue working in Iran (although physically residing in Dubai and abroad most of the time) . His agreement to extend his contract beyond World Cup 2014 was done after a series of press statements bad mouthing Iran’s football and its administration!

Is it worth it? Is qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2018 worth all of the insults, abuses and cruelties that this Portuguese man is giving to the Iranians in their own country?

A proud nation with thousands of years of culture is being taken to the cleaners by one vindictive man who has an agenda and that is quite literally, anarchy. His vindictive tactics is more petulant than clever too. Using a Persepolis player in his squad to unsettle Branko Ivankovic’s team preparation is one such leverage he selected to take revenge for the Croat coach!!

The nation that stood against virtually all the great powers and refused to bow to their pressure thus holding its head up high and being proud of it, is unable to deal with the antics of one foreign football coach. Pity those who think that Queiroz is the only man in the world that can take Iran to the World Cup 2018.

04/01/2017

Branko Ivankovic fuming against Team Melli plans!

The tension between Team Melli coach and the League clubs coaches are continuing unabated. The latest episode involves Carlos Queiroz and FFIRI on one side and Branko Ivankovic and Persepolis on the other. Queiroz is known to be at odds with the league club coaches as in the past, he started a series of verbal battles with the likes of Daei and Ghalenoei on the matter of his continual demand to interrupt the league during the season on the pretext of Team Melli’s preparations.

Iran’s Persian Gulf Football League has the highest number of breaks amongst the Asian leagues.

This time, his battle is with Branko Ivankovic. The Croat is a seasoned campaigner in Iranian football. He started his work in the country as an assistant to Miroslav Blazevic in 2001 and ended up as Team Melli’s head coach leading the squad to Asian Games Gold Medal in 2002, third place in AFC Asian Cup 2004 and then leading the Team to the FIFA World Cup 2006 in one of the easiest qualifiers since the seventies.

Ivankovic returned to Iran as the head coach of Persepolis while the team was struggling last season and desperate for success that has abandoned them for years. A mid table finish was all that Ivankovic could do with the limited time and resources available but this season he is at the top of the league and has built a young energetic competitive unit that is bringing back the Red Army’s glory days and challenging for the title.

Ivankovic , however, believes there is one big stumbling block in his road map for the championship title. The untimely break in the league followed by compressed scheduling to complete the league matches, is a serious threat. The Croat had enough of Queiroz’s never ending demands for Team Melli camps and accuses the Portuguese of interrupting the whole league system by his uncalled for demands for setting up camps before the World Cup qualifiers. “If Persepolis falters this season and fails to win the title, you should question Mr. Queiroz for continuously interrupting the rhythm of a winning team.”

Branko’s latest outburst with the backing of his club management forced the head of FFIRI , Mehdi Taj , to act and even ask Queiroz to consider sending Persepolis players back to Tehran to join their clubs for training!

It is obvious that the aggressive head coach of Team Melli does not have time for compromise and it is his way or the highway. With such style, he does not have many friends to exchange seasons greeting with in Iran. Lots of discontent is generated amongst the clubs leading to several sharp protest or exchanges between Queiroz and the others. Some even accused him of holding the league clubs and the nation at ransom. Branko Ivankovic has mentioned that as a former Team Melli head coach, he realizes very well how important Team Melli is to the nation and the football in Iran. However, he adds that Team Melli program must be discussed amongst all the stakeholders and not be the result of one person’s decision and particularly a person that has very little regards to other people’s opinions.

The battle is still raging

16/11/201616/11/2016

The ugly side of Asian football.

Team Melli’s match against Syria, was one of those matches that really needs to be buried and what is left of it, to be shredded and erased from memory.

A combination of factors has accumulated to make this statement but nothing more than the decision to play a match in such atrocious conditions. This was the worst advertisement for Asian football and once again highlights the failure of the AFC’s organization and due diligence.

It seems that AFC’s idiocy has no bounds and whoever agreed to play the game in mud, must be sued for putting the good name of football in disrepute. One has to seriously question the intelligence of the person who planned and the one who approved of playing in Malaysia during the height of the rainy season where normal life is frequently disrupted because of torrential downpour.

It does not take a lot of intelligence to know about the climate and the weather pattern in Malaysia, the question then is who is accountable for this mess? The Syrians, no doubt, but the real culprit is AFC and to certain extent FIFA for consenting to it!

Team Melli was not equipped to play in these conditions, neither were the Syrians for that matter, but the latter was the much happier side parking their double-decker in front of their goal against a futile and dysfunctional Iranian forwards. In truth, Team Melli has not been exactly firing on all cylinders in the offensive line in the best of conditions. A mere 4 goals from 5 matches is rather embarrassing for any team that has ambition to make it with the elite in Russia’s World Cup.

The scenes that are threatening to be come customary!

But then again, Queiroz has always been a believer in solid defense and builds his game plan around that. Anything else is a bonus. It has worked for Team Melli and they are leading the group without conceding a single goal in 5 matches. That is quite an achievement by any means, perhaps not idealistic and lacking in style and finesse but nevertheless it seems to reap results

Results are what counts for the majority.

The Syrian team, a product of a war-torn nation with huge lack of resources, can be excused for being what they are. They have withstood a lot of pressures on and of the field and stopping the top Asian team from scoring must be an accolade for them. They do play ugly, uninspiring and boring to death football. But when it comes to frustrating the opponents, they are the best.

It was quite disappointing for Team Melli to end the first half of the competition for FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifiers in such style and result, but leading the table with a slim one point , is not a bad place to be for the second half.

15/11/201615/11/2016

A point lost against Syria in a drab goalless draw.

Seremban: Syria held Islamic Republic of Iran to a 0-0 draw in their FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 qualifier at a drenched Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium in Malaysia on Tuesday.

The wet conditions not only delayed the kick-off for 45 minutes but made playing conditions difficult for both teams.

IR Iran, who stayed top of Group A with eleven points from the first five games in the third round of qualification and a point ahead of Korea Republic in second, had the better of the chances but were unable to put the ball in the net.

Syria stay in fourth with five points after five games, four behind Uzbekistan in third and still in the running.

“We knew that the match against Iran would be difficult as they are a strong team, which they proved again today,” said Syria coach Ayman Hakeem.

“The conditions were difficult for both teams but we worked very hard to get the result. It is hard to score against Iran but we did stop them from scoring. We would have liked to create more opportunities going forward but this was not easy to do. We worked hard for each other and were rewarded with a good result. We’ll have to keep doing the same over the next five games.

IR Iran had the first real chance of the game inside the first five minutes and it came down the left. Ashkan Dejagah rolled the ball to Mehdi Taremi but his low shot was well-saved by Ibrahim Alma in the Syrian goal who was in great form throughout.

Dejagah was again involved ten minutes before the half, with a shot on the turn from outside the area that again was gathered by Alma. Soon after Saeid Ezatolahi had a header blocked as Iran looked to break the deadlock.

With the heavy pitch and Syria sitting back and defending in numbers, it proved to be tough for IR Iran to find any space in the pitch. Syria were trying to disrupt Iran’s rhythm but the group leaders started to pile on the pressure as the game progressed.

Chances were few and far between but a piece of individual brilliance from Alireza Jahanbakhsh almost beat the Syrian goalkeeper in the latter stages.

In space on the right side, the attacker fired a swerving and swirling shot from distance that had Alma backpedalling to push the ball over the bar.

The best chance of the game however came with three minutes remaining and it fell to IR Iran.

Milad Mohammadi galloped down the left wing to send over a perfect cross to the far post where Jahanbaksh rose unchallenged only to send his downward header wide of the post.

IR Iran tried to push forward again but ran out of time and had to settle for a point.

“I have nothing to say about the game, just that I’m proud of every single one of my players,” said IR Iran coach Carlos Queiroz.

“They gave their best right until the end. These were tough conditions to play football in. We are top of the group after five games and there are still five games to go. There is still lots of hard work ahead but we are working hard and we are still unbeaten and have not conceded a goal. We now look towards the next game.”

Photos: Lagardère Sports

15/11/2016

Weather , a serious concern for Team Melli vs. Syria

Selection of Malaysia as the venue for Home matches of Syria seems to be an act of haste or desperation. Malaysia , a country whose fan have consistently showed disregard for Asian football , in the region of 10 to 12 hours flying from the Middle East , and worst of all , in the height of the rainy season , is not exactly an ideal venue for a World Cup qualifier.

The Syrians could not have made a worst choice , but then again , it is not as many countries have volunteered to host the political outcasts with politics rather than anything other factors playing a major role in limiting the worn-torn country’s choice.

Iran has to endure a tough time in Tunku Abdelrahman stadium, where the pitch is also not too ideal. Chances of thunderstorm and torrential rain, similar to the one against Papua New Guinea’s match exists and threatens to spoil the match. In that last match played in Malaysia , the last 15 minutes should have been abandoned due to the water-logged pitch. But as the match was a friendly, all stakeholder decided to carry on with the job in nearly impossible conditions.

This weather pattern could repeat itself today against Syria adding to the concerns of Carlos Queiroz. One of the critical positions that is in the head coach top priorities is the goalkeeper. Sousha Makani , is the most experienced of the 3 keepers however, he is never been a reliable and competent custodian of goal. Many questioned his return to Team Melli , but Carlos Queiroz has his own unorthodox means in player’s selection.

Makani might well be the keeper for the match ahead of Akhbari in the absence of the excellent Biranvand who is not available.

Makani played against Papua New Guinea but it was far from a testing match. The Syrians , despite the dearth of goals scored, are a much more serious opponents and seem desperate to break the jinx against Team Melli.

13/11/2016

Teymourian denies any rift with Queiroz

Andranik Teymourian has denied any rift with the head coach of Team Melli following his exclusion from the squad which is playing Syria on the 15th of November in the 5th round of the FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifiers.

Despite losing two vital players through suspensions in Azmoun and Hajsafy , Queiroz complicated the matters further with his exclusion of the Team’s Captain and a player with vast experience. There was no public announcement by the Portuguese head coach on reasons for this sudden omission of a player who has been at the top of Queiroz favorites and reliable list.

In a statement to to ISNA , Teymourian denied any contact or giving statements to any media outlet after the announcement of Team Melli’s list against Syria. “I have talked to no one in the press, did not make any public comment , did not question the decision by the coach and furthermore, I have no grudge against this decision and respect it fully”

“I am a soldier for Team Melli. I will play when I am needed and called, I will help in any capacity asked from me. I fully respect and always respected Carlos Queiroz and will not question his decision. All that has been mentioned in the press about this issue is pure speculation and fabrication, nothing but.” Ando declared.

“In my years of working with Queiroz, we always had mutual respect and as a player I have leaned a lot from him. I want to keep it that way. If I am asked to play again , I shall do it without any hesitation. I wish people leave it at that and not spoil the good spirit of Team Melli while an important encounter awaits us against Syria.”

Andranik Teymourian, is currently playing for the bottom of the league club, Machine Sazi of Tabriz.

07/11/2016

Ando Teymourian is axed from Team Melli!

The latest squad of Team Melli has one unpleasant surprise as the Captain Andranik Teymourian has been omitted from the list.

Teymourian, who has not started the last 2 matches for Team Melli, has been left behind and will not make the trip to Malaysia for the training camp or the match against Syria. Team Melli will be leaving on Tuesday.

23 players have been named in the final list with notable absentees being Sardar Azmoun and Hajsafy who are both suspended. The foreign based players will join the squad in Malaysia.

Other players who have been given leave are Souresh Rafei, Alireza Haghighi , Shojaeian and Aghayei

THE SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Mohammad Reza Akhbari, Rashid Mazaheri, Sousha Makani

Defenders: Ramin Rezaeian, Hussein Mahini, Pejman Montazeri, Morteza Pouraliganji, Seyed Jalal Hosseini, Ezatollah Pourqaz, Mohammed Ansari, Milad Mohammadi

Midfield: Ali Karimi, Saeed Ezatollahi, Omid Ebrahimi, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Mehdi Torabi, Ashkan Dejagah, Masoud Shojaei, Vahid Amiri, Kamal Kamyabinia

Forwards: Mehdi Taromi, Reza Ghoochannejhad and Karim AnsariFard

05/11/2016

Iran punished by FIFA for disciplinary misconduct

IRIFF is to pay a hefty CHF 85,000 (US$ 87,784) fine to FIFA as a result of sanctions imposed on the football association for incidents during recent 2018 FIFA World Cup™ qualifying matches, including the discriminatory and severe unsporting conduct of spectators as well as religious manifestations.

In the match against Qatar , the altercation and the chaos that ensued Iran’s first goal resulted in a fine on two players , Azmoun and Hajsafy and a 3 match ban for assistant coach Javad Nekounam. Improper conduct among supporters, Unauthorized persons in the field of play (Nekounam) and Team misconduct were in violation of articles 52 and 67 of the FDC article 26 par. 9 of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Regulations, according to the ruling body. That has incurred a CHF 40,000 (US$ 41,310) fine and a severe warning against future misconduct.

In the match against Korea, where the religious authorities extremely upset about the match being played in tasooa , a Shia mourning remembrance day. (the greatest of the sins) turned Azadi stadium into a massive Husseiniya in clear defiance to the spirit of sport and FIFA regulations banning any form of religious and political expression in stadiums during football matches.

FIFA also accused Iran of organizing religious ceremony before the game and at half-time . Use of a drone during the ceremony, improper conduct among spectators by holding and displaying religious banners throughout the game,

As a result of violations of article 52 of the FDC + articles 4 & 5 of the Regulations of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia , FIFA has imposed a sanction on FFIRI amount of CHF 45,000 (US$ 46,473) in addition to a reprimand letter and a severe warning.

Iranian football is notorious for displaying all sort of religious expression. In league matches, it seems that the authorities or at least the radical religious faction in the country promote and encourage such behaviors, while the Football Federation is too scared to punish the offenders in fear or reprisal by the radical religious faction

Despite many warning, this seems to be a repeat offense by Iran and subject to future sanctions or banning of matches being played in the country or matches being played behind closed doors.

11/10/201611/10/2016

IRAN 1-0 KOREA REP. : Another fine performance by Team Melli

A goal by Sardar Azmoun in the 25th minute of the first half was enough for Team Melli to seal the three points and maintain the lead in the Group A of the FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifiers.

In a packed Azadi stadium , Queiroz once again started the match with a different line up from the previous game against Uzbekistan. Azmoun and Dejagah both returned to the line up while Shojaei who performed immaculately in Tashkent was benched. Not that this change had any adverse effect in the style and game plan as Team Melli continued their fine form picking up where they left off in Tashkent.

Early periods saw several chances for Team Melli. Alireza Jahanbakhsh was guilty of missing a couple of good chances until the 25th minute. Ramin Rezaeian, so solid in the last couple of matches after a slow start to the qualifiers, took the ball past the Korean markers on the left before sending a nicely weighted ground ball to the centre where Azmoun was running alongside his marker. Azmoun cleverly deflected the ball into the far corner where the Korean keeper was over stretched but unable to prevent the goal.

After the goal , Iran was more focused on controlling the ball and exchanging passes. They were excellent on all fronts. The match continued on the same rhythm all the way with the Koreans unable to threaten Biranvand and completely overwhelmed by the tight Iranian defence. The Korean frustration showed in the number of fouls committed in the match.

Ashkan Dejagah was masterful in the midfield as he was leading by example. Dejagah with his skills. ball control and ball distribution made the difference for Iran. Saeid Ezatolahie is improving with every match and his supporting role to Dejagah completed an almost perfect performance for Iran’s midfield.

It must be disappointing for Uli Stielike to witness his players hardly creating a single scoring chance in the match . It is even more worrying for the German when his star-studded team with many playing in Europe looked nothing better than an ordinary Asian team that no one seems to fear anymore.

It is no secret that SON Heung min cares more for his Tottenham career than playing for his country and this match showed that the most expensive and most glamorous Asian player needs really to step up his performance and show his worth if he cares about glory for his nation.

Iran now leads the table going into the long break. Both the results and performance must have been quite satisfying for the fans and critics. Korea on the other hand needs to find a few answers before they find themselves out of the run in this closely fought group.

Man of the Match : ASHKAN DEJAGAH