The Footfall Federation has announced that the planned Team Melli camp which was supposed to be held in Portugal has been cancelled due to lack of funds!
Although there was great enthusiasm, massive street celebrations, public and official support for Team Melli in the aftermath of the success in qualification for 2014 FIFA world Cup finals in Brazil, the reality stuck hard at the first step as Team Melli faced its first major blow.
The Football Federation which has been cash strapped for at least two years now and been living on government handouts have finally decided that it can no longer act and go beyond its mean. While it is running out of money, it could not pay for the expenses that are associated with a training camp in a European country. For years, the Football Federation (FFIRI) has been dependent on government contribution and aids to run its business. A government which has been hardly benevolent, especially considering the hardship it faces with its currency devaluation against the US$ and the continuous embargo that hit the economy hard. The Federation has no concrete program to generate revenue and since one major revenue is TV ( a cartel of TV stations controlled under one organization umbrella) the IRIB which is the monopolizing TV broadcasts , has refused to pay proper TV right broadcast fees. The fact that Carlos Queiroz and his coaching team is getting paid, is a mystery under the current circumstances.
In a nutshell, the first major blow has been struck in the path of a proper representation of Iran in the next World Cup. Lack of funds, lack of support and the failure of FFIRI to create an independent entity, both financially and functionally will be felt quite hard on Team Melli preparation.
The only positive from this fiasco is that it has occurred early and less than a year before the actual FIFA competition. Perhaps it will be a warning siren for the administrators, minsters and the hierarchy in the Islamic Republic to realize the problems and act accordingly if there is any real intent to help the team.
On the other hand, Carlos Queiroz was not surprisingly quite livid about the whole fiasco and targeted the League Commission for his wrath. Queiroz claimed that he had agreed with the league commission on a set plan including the actual date for start of the league matches and end dates to ensure compliance with his program to prepare Team Melli for the World Cup finals. However, a few days later with several clubs lobbying , the program changes again detrimental to his plan! Queiroz gave several examples and instances of how this disharmony can affect his team, while giving an interview to several local news agencies reporters.
Queiroz denied any thoughts that he is looking after his own personal interest and also denied that he is not really considering the interest of the league clubs. Team Melli programs last years caused quite a number of lengthy stoppage of the league program, which resulted in almost all the clubs coaches protesting and accusation being exchanged. Queiroz said that he appreciated the situation of the clubs and understands that the strength of Team Melli comes from the clubs. He also sympathized with Esteghlal’s mission in AFC Champions league which he referred to as “Micky Mouse” League but defended his own program by saying that the players will not be at their clubs for only a few days each months, which at certain moths they are completely free to be at the club disposal. This response was to those who accused Querioz of undermining the league program. Some club managers and coaches think Queiroz program for 30 odd players should not overwhelm and dominate the fortune of hundreds of others league players in the clubs, many of them foreigners who are paid in hard currency costing the already financially troubled clubs more stress.
Between a federation which is strapped out of cash but hardly makes its balance sheet public (no accountability or transparency) and a coach who is on the defensive against much criticism from others whose interests are threatened by what looks like a single man domination of Iranian football, Team Melli will definitely be the biggest loser. Unless some cool heads and thrifty sources start addressing the problems from now. Failure to do so or procrastinating on compulsory actions will put Team Melli World Cup preparation programs under threat.
Although it has not been specifically mentioned, it seems that Team Melli will lose the FIFA day on 14th of August which Iran was supposed to play either Benfica club or National Team of Gabon, take your pick. Like many things in Iranian football, it was not certain which side was supposed to play Team Melli in the Portuguese training camp!