Taremi signs for FC Porto

TEHRAN, Sep. 01  – Primeira Liga’s defending champion FC Porto announced the signing of Team Melli striker of Rio Ave Mehdi Taremi on a four-year contract.

Porto has reportedly paid around €4.5m plus 25-year-old forward Andre Pereira for this transfer.

The Iranian striker impressed Portugal’s league with 21 goals and five assists in the last season, being named one of the top goal scorers of the league. He had reportedly been under the radar of other Portuguese giants including Sporting Lisbon and Benfica.

Porto hopes to defend its title with goals that will be added by Taremi.

After signing the deal, Taremi said he seeks to score more than 20 goals for Porto in the next season. The team’s aim is to win the league’s and Taça de Portugal’s title in the coming year, he added.

OnWednesday, FC Porto defeated Académica 5-1 a training game held at the Olival internship center, in Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto District, with Sérgio Conceição using 24 players including the new signing Mehdi Taremi.

Serjik Teymourian passes away

The brother of former Team Melli captain, Serjik Teymourian (46) passed away this morning in Tehran after suffering fatal injuries in a motorcycle crash.

Serjik who was born in Tehran on 29th May 1974, started his football career like most Iranian-Armenian players with Ararat. He was soon discovered by Esteghlal and joined the famous club in 1993. He played from p Esteghlal until the season 1998 where he joined the Bundesliga team Mainz 05. He was in Germany for two seasons.

Serjik played several international selection games for Tehran and Iran XI teams.

God bless his soul.

 

Mehrdad Mohammadi heads to Doha to sign for QSL side Al Arabi

Team Melli and Portuguese club CD Aves forward Mehrdad Mohammadi, is close to officially signing for the Qatar Stars League side AlArabi club, replacing his compatriot Morteza Pouraliganji, who will leave the Qatari Team for the Chinese League.

Mohammadi, born on September 29, 1993, is considered one of the best players in his team last season who managed to score some crucial goals in the Portuguese league. Al Arabi will count on him a lot to repeat his excellent performance in the Qatar Star League as one of the important offensive solutions in the next season in which the team seeks to achieve the best results after an unsatisfactory season.

Mehrdad, the twin brother of Milad Mohammadi, was transferred from Sepahan at the end of 2018/19 season to CD Aves.

Mehrdad Mohammadi’s Stats

Season Team Minutes Played Matches Sub OutSubstitute out Sub In Goals Yellow card
2019/2020 Desportivo Aves 2330 28 8 1 8 2

Sampdoria, eyes on Majid Hosseini for the defense of Ranieri

Majid Hosseini, Team Melli central defender is the latest name on which Sampdoria is focusing on, looking for reinforcements for Claudio Ranieri’s squad: the Iranian is currently playing for Turkish side Trabzonspor but could leave Turkey soon after his current club announced that Hossein is in the excess list of the club. The player who started his career in Esteghlal has been wearing the Trabzonspor club jersey since 2018. Majidi played in the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia.

Ahmet Ağaoğlu – president of the Turkish club recently announced that the club has no intention of lowering the asking price for the central defender in case of a transfer deal, which is five million euros.

Karim Ansarifard joins AEK Athens

Team Melli forward Karim Ansarifard has joined Greek side AEK Athens on a three-year deal, the Tehran Times reported on Wednesday. 

The 30-year-old had penned a three-year contract with Al Sailiya last year but parted company with the Qatari club by mutual consent.

The former Nottingham Forest striker previously played for Greek clubs Panionios and Olympiacos from 2015 to 2018.

He represented Iran at the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and 2018.

Ansarifard whose international career started with Osasuna in 2014/15 season, played in the 79 matches Greek league and score 32 goals, initially for Panionios for two seasons and then to Olympiakos Piraeus for two seasons as well. He then moved to Nottingham Forest in 2018.

 

AZ Alkamaar turns down Jahanbakhsh

Brighton has offered Alireza Jahanbakhsh to his former Dutch Club AZ Alkmaar, says technical director Max Huiberts. The English club wants to get rid of the Iranian attacker and recently called his old club with the request to move him there.

Jahanbakhsh (27) made the switch from AZ to Brighton two seasons ago for nineteen million euros, but his English adventure was not a success. He can leave and has already been associated with Ajax and PSV, but Brighton has offered him to AZ.

“I’ve been in contact with Brighton,” Huiberts told FOX Sports. “In fact, the initiative came more from them. They asked if it would be an option for us. His perspective has diminished a lot. We talked about it a while ago, but at the moment it is not. an option.”

Jahanbakhsh played 19 matches in his first season at Brighton but barely appeared for any game since the new coach took over last season. He made 10 appearances and scored two goals, one of which was a spectacular scissors kick, however that was a temporary cameo appearance as he was relegated to the bench for the rest of the season.  Jahanbakhsh has a contract with Brighton until 2023.

Continue reading “AZ Alkamaar turns down Jahanbakhsh” →

“Wilmots Curse” Ban on recruitment of Foreign Coaches in Iran.

“Wilmots Curse” has struck Iranian football in an unprecedented way. The astronomical figure to be awarded for a sub-standard coach whose failure to win two crucial matches in FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers is threatening an early exit from the competition, has left an incurable scar in Iran’s football. The first immediate effect of that is the recent banning of new foreign recruits. The FFIRI had decided that a blanket ban will not only help preserve the flight of precious foreign currency but also minimize the inherint corruption in football.

The ban on recruiting foreign coaches and players was passed by the executive committee of the football federation FFIRI.

From next season, starting in a few week’s time, a blanket ban on recruiting foreign players and coaches is enforced for all clubs in the country

The following resolutions were approved by the executive board members in the meeting:

1- Approving the transfer ceiling of football players in the next season

2- Prohibition of employing foreign players and coaches for the next season in all clubs of the country due to the lack of foreign exchange resources and restrictions on foreign exchange transfers.

3- Extension of the contract of foreign players and coaches who have had contracts with clubs from previous seasons is unrestricted and upon the expiry of their contract, both sides can only renew or extend with the current club. Transfer to another club is prohibited

4 – All domestic players and coaches, without exception, who have a contract in Rials with their club must agree on a national currency (Rials or Tomans) in other options of the contract and nothing else.

5- Allocation of membership fees for Premier League football matches is mandatory in accordance with previous approvals.

6- Approval of regulations to determine the status of futsal players in compliance with legal requirements

7- Holding training courses conducted by internationally renowned trainers for trainers in the country in the form of webinars

8- Approving the performance and financial statements of the federation

9- Regarding the hosting of the 2027 Asian Cup, it was decided for periodical reports by the stakeholders on the progress of hosting requirements and capabilities.

Taremi’s transfer to FC Porto is imminent

Despite the reports that Porto FC will announce the transfer of Mehdi Taremi on Monday, no such announcement came from the leading Portuguese club and the transfer still Hangs in Balance.

Alireza Samimi, goalkeeper of the Iranian futsal team and close friend of Mehdi  Taremi, assured, this Wednesday, that the future of the (still) Rio Ave player really passes through FC Porto.

“The transfer of Mehdi to Porto is final and I am satisfied with that because I also wished he would choose Porto”, confessed  Alireza Samimi, who also confirmed Benfica’s interest in his friend Taremi.

” Mehdi had two serious proposals, Benfica and FC Porto. I think FC Porto is bigger than Benfica. FC Porto also plays in the Champions League and have had better results,” he added.

The goalkeeper recalled that Taremi  “helped Rio Ave to achieve the best results in history”, but leaves a serious warning to his friend: “My personal opinion is that there are more stars in FC Porto, and Mehdi will have to work hard more to get a fixed place in the line up”.

Meanwhile, it is reported in Portugal that the Iranian player is scheduled to travel to Portugal on Sunday, to finalize his move to the Estádio do Dragão.

Monitored during the season by all the big three Portuguese clubs, the Rio Ave striker has chosen the blues and whites for believing that he can succeed in the Dragon.

In order to compete in the Champions League and also to assert himself in his selection, the striker is the promise of goals for the next season of the city club Invicta.

According to the newspaper O Jogo, Taremi should land in Porto in exchange for less than five million euros, and then sign a valid contract for the next seasons.

A big surprise from the last edition of the Portuguese championship, the Iranian scored 37 games and 21 goals for Rio Ave last season, showing a sharp talent when shooting at the opposite goal. Taremi is also the lead scorer for Team Melli.

FFIRI board and Minster of Sports summoned to the Majlis.

Finally, Mehdi Taj and his entourage board members of the Football Federation are to be challenged about the circumstances of the suspicious and highly controversial deal by the parliament.

Mehdi Taj, along with several members of FFIRI board of directors and several current and former directors, attended a questioning session in the Islamic Consultative Assembly.

According to ISNA, the purpose of FFIRI board of directors’ appearance in Majlis is to determine if there was wrongdoing, negligence or corruption behind the signing of the deal with Wilmots, especially since the federation has been claiming for many years under both Ali Kaffashian and Mehdi Taj that it is critically short of funds even to pay its basic obligation, like the employee’s salaries, National teams training camps and inability to arrange meaningful friendly games for Team Melli to prepare for the World Cup citing fund shortage. Yet, the same federation that has been constantly seeking handouts from the government in effect using blackmail tactics, signs a multi-million dollar contract with a coach who has lasted only six months with Ivory Coast before he was sacked!

The FFIRI had steadfastly refused to disclose the terms of the deal and the justifications until public pressure and the threat of law suite finally exposed this horrendous commitment by the bankrupt federation.

 

Mehdi Taj and Ebrahim Shakoori, along with the current board of directors are under investigation for signing the worst sporting contract in the history of Iran at all levels. A contract with Marc Wilmots which resulted in Iran’s Team Melli not only risking eliminations from the qualifiers with two consecutive defeats under the Belgian but also resulted in the coach of Team Melli leaving the country accusing his employer of several breaches of the contract, which was supported by FIFA’s committee with Iranian side ordered to pay some € 6.2 million in fines to the person who has put Team Melli on the brink of elimination from the World Cup !.

The Minister of Sports and Youth Masoud Soltanifar and his deputies are also summoned for the hearing. It is strongly believed that the influence of the Minister was telling in the conclusion of the contract. With FFIRI board constantly seeking handouts, it is believed that none dared to challenge the Ministry’s choice while Soltanmifar denies any wrongdoing and only introducing the coach by recommendation of Iran-Belgium Chambers of commerce.

The executives are expected to answer questions from members of the Parliament about the background and the termination of the contract with Wilmots. FFIRI has borrowed over € 2.2 million from the social security organization to pay Wilmot’s salary.

Many observers are skeptical about any progress of the proceeding as it is feared that the issue will be kept under wrap and no one will be prosecuted especially since the Ministry of Sports and Youth is involved in the case as defendants.

Wilmots contract verdict and the depth of tragedy in Iran’s football.

The contract of Marc Wilmots with the Iranian Football Federation FFIRI has caused a further 8,142,000 Euros in damages (about 216 billion Tomans), which is about 50 billion more than the entire budget of the Iranian National Olympic and Paralympic Committees!!

The astronomical and tragic waste of public money epitomizes the sheer mismanagement, corruption, and lack of oversight in Iran’s football.

Recently, however, FIFA announced its verdict in the dispute between Iran and Marc Wilmots and ordered the Iranian Football Federation to pay Euros 6,137,000 in compensation to this Belgian coach; In addition, the Iranians must pay an amount of about five thousand euros as a court fee to the ruling committee. A grand total of Euros 8,142,000 so far goes to Wilmots. FFIRI, had previously borrowed 2 million Euros from the Social Security Investment Company (Shasta) to pay Marc Wilmots’ wages of which compensation of 6,137, euros, and five thousand euros related to the proceedings for a total 8,142,000 euros. That is the total cost of the contract with the coach who has put Team Melli on the brink of elimination from the FIFA World Cup 2022.

Considering that the FFIRI has to pay its 2 million euro loan to Shasta in foreign currency and this figure has not been paid in full so far and it is not clear what the price of the euro will be when settling the debt, calculation of all the expenses that is due and libel by the Football Federation of Iran so far in today’s exchange rate, (including 26,500 Tomans to the Euro) it will be about 216 billion Tomans, which is equivalent to 13% of the total budget of Iran’s sports expenditure of this current year!!!

Of course, the price that Iranian sports must pay for the four national team games with Wilmots is about 50 billion tomans more than the total budget of the National Olympic and Paralympic Committee, which must prepare Iranian sports for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, which is the depth of the contract tragedy with a failure coach Wilmots.

Iran’s football and as we realize now the entire sports especially those who bring glory to the nation like wrestling, weightlifting, volleyball, basketball, and Martial Arts are held ransom by a group of incompetent and corrupt individuals marshaled by the government.

There is no end in sight either.