In his first interview with the media following his surprise appointment as head coach of Omid team, Farhad Majidi insisted that he will take this U23 team to the Olympics 2020.
“When they first discussed the offer to coach Omid Team, you probably do not believe me if I say that without thinking and hesitation, I accepted the offer ” Majidi Said. ” I’m sure the team will succeed with these young players and will qualify for the Olympics Games after decades of absence.»
Indeed, these were extraordinary claims by a coach who has barely a few weeks experience in Esteghlal club as a stand-in after the departure of Shaefer. The press asked him a few questions regarding his appointment and plans. Here is a brief detail of the Q & A session
Q “Many people believe that you do not have the required coaching experience “
A “If the reasoning is the discussion of the experience in terms of the number of matches, it is quite an appropriate assumption. A coach needs to gain experience. It is true that I do not have much experience in coaching, but I worked with great coaches during my football career and I was in FC Espanyol for six months.”
Q “Tell us about your abrupt departure from Esteghlal?”.
A. “Esteghlal is my home and part of my life and my heart, but under the circumstances, the directors decided to hire a foreign coach. I’m glad that a great coach has been hired for my beloved team and I thank Fathi for choosing this coach. I personally witnessed his efforts (the director of Esteghlal Club) to hire a great foreign coach.”
Q. “Why did not you work with Stramachoni??”
A. “He will have three assistants. So, Omid team coaching was proposed, I thought so much about that. Managing a national team is a new experience for me and I wanted to experiment myself. I believe we have to work hard to get things big, and in the team, this effort will be increased. I believe that there is nothing that I wanted to achieve that I missed. Rest assured that I will do my best to make the Olympics after many years.”
Q. “How did you pick the Omid Team players list?”
A. “Be assured that all the good players at this age group will be given a chance in Omid Team. I will be watching each players’ matches too. Even with the start of the 1st and 2nd division league competition, I will be traveling to the various cities so that no player is left out of my sight. The current players are those who had previously trained in the Omid team and were seen by Estili and the technical committee. The players are scheduled to be in a six-day training camp, but rest assured that all good players will be considered for Omid Team.”
Q. “Can you give some explanation about why Reza Shahroudi and Sohrab BakhtiariZadeh left Omid Team?”.
A. “I would have been very happy to work with these friends, but before my arrival, they spoke with Estili and they expressed their intention not to be interested in working with the Omid team.”
Q. “What about the lack of coordination between the National Olympic Committee and the Football Federation in the matter of your appointment ?”
A. “In this regard, I do not see any problem, and this has happened before my time, but I spoke with Salehi Amiri (chairman of the National Olympic Committee) several times, and he expressed his full support. Be assured, that the National Olympic Committee will be fully supportive of me. I was not fully aware of all the events that you are referring to, but during several contacts with Salehi Amiri, he asked me to lead the Omid team and I do not think there is a problem. Salehi Amiri is a well-educated and good Iranian sports director who can help Omid.”
Q. “Have you planned any friendly games?”
A. “In this regard, we have to have a coordination meeting with all stakeholders, but at the moment, because the Persian Gulf League program has not been published yet, we can not fully plan our training and matches scheduled. We intend to have friendly matches and we will have a friendly match with Team Melli. As long as the League program is not fully announced, we can not finalize our plans.”
Q. “In your list, there are people who have been invited to the Omid team for the first time.”
A. “I will observe all the players, including those who play outside of Iran and invite them to the national team if they deserve it. Be rest assured this team is going to the Olympics.”
There is a lot of assurances given by Majidi in this interview, which is indicative of his sheer lack of experience and tact.
The fact remains that Farhad Majidi is alarmingly short of experience to coach a club in the top division, let alone a national team. for over 40 years, Iran has missed qualifying for the Olympics and one prime reason for that was the federation’s poor selection in appointing a competent coach and given the coach enough time and resources to prepare. The lack of support and reluctance of most clubs to release their players at this age level is one of the common reasons that most experienced coaches that FFIRI has nominated, turned down the job of coaching Omid Team. Failure will affect the future and the reputation of such a coach.
Majidi, on the other hand, has no reputation to protect, but what he is overlooking is that his failure with Omid Team will set him back a few years in his coaching career. Clubs don’t employ losers and he has a lot at stake with this move
It is very clear that FFIRI and the best efforts of Hamid Estili, Omid Team Manager, to attract a leading coach for Iran’s Olympics Team (Omis) has failed. Majidi was never on the list, but out of desperate necessity and his availability (out of a job) made him an easy choice. Not exactly how championships teams are built, but with all sincerity, Majidi thinks he can do it!
Iranians are naturally wary of people giving them assurances and promises. Majidi seems to be one of them. It remains to be seen if behind this self-confidence of his if there is any substance and ability or he has some plans for miracles up his sleeves. Will he really manage to shock the nation by qualifying for the Tokyo 2010 Olympics tournament? The odds are 1: 200 or around that but there is no harm in hooping and a few prayers!
The last time Iran made an appearance in the Olympics Football tournament was back in the Shah days in 1976 Montreal Olympics.