Arsenal ‘closing in’ on transfer of Sardar Azmoun with the help of former Gunner Andrey Arshavin

  • 15 Jun 2020, 10:44

ARSENAL are reportedly in negotiations with Zenit Saint Petersburg over a deal to bring Sardar Azmoun to the Emirates.

Dubbed the “Iranian Lionel Messi”, the 25-year-old has previously attracted the interest of Liverpool as well as Celtic, and now the Gunners are said to be in for the forward.

Andrey Arshavin could help Arsenal sign Zenit Saint Petersburg striker Sardar Azmoun
Andrey Arshavin could help Arsenal sign Zenit Saint Petersburg striker Sardar Azmoun

According to Area Napoli, the North London giants have made contact with former fan favourite Andrey Arshavin over a move to sign Azmoun.

Arshavin is currently in charge of transfers at the Russian side, and it has been claimed that Arteta is hoping his friendship with his former team-mate could lead to the potential signing.

It has been stated that further talks between the two are planned as Arteta looks to sign a striker in the upcoming transfer window.

The report also adds that Arsenal are weighing up whether Azmoun would suit the Premier League.

Should they decide to press ahead with a move, Arshavin could help fast-track negotiations between the two clubs.

Along with Arsenal, it has been said that West Ham and Leicester are keeping tabs on the striker while the Italian club Napoli have been asking question recently but decided that the player is too expensive for the club budget.

Azmoun is a remarkable player by any standards. He is the only Iranian player who has yet to play a single minute for any Iranian club in the league. While still in the youth team of Sepahan Esfahan and on the brink of making his full debut in the Persian Gulf League, the Russian club Rubin Kazan offered Sepahan a relatively substantial amount to get his services.

Azmoun has scored 32 goals in 50 international for Team Melli. A remarkable feat for the youngster. He has already scored in the European Club competitions. Azmoun is a great header of the ball too, the type that the English football take a pride in.

Skocic fined $80,000 for breach of contract with Sanat Naft.

The problems associated with Dragan Skocic’s presence in Team Melli are not over yet, and the Abadani Club, Sanat Naft are still insisting on their rights and accusing the Croat coach of deception and breach of contract.

Skocic, canceled his contract with Sanat Naft Club under the pretext of returning to his home country for personal reasons, but shortly afterward he agreed with the Iranian Football Federation FFIRI to lead the national team as head coach. Such move resulted in strong reactions and objection by Sanat Naft Abadan who accused the Croat of disguising them and being dishonest and hence complained about the coach to the federation.

After some time from Sanat Naft lodging the complaint with the FFIRI disciplinary committee, it seems that a verdict has been reached and it is ready to be notified to the concerned parties. The ruling forces the head coach of the Iranian national team to pay about $ 80,000 in compensation to Sanat Naft Abadan Club.

It remains to be seen how the football federation will react to this ruling.

Saeed Ezatollahi returns to Rostov

The Iranian midfielder Saeed Ezatollahi has returned to his original team Rostov after finishing his loan period with Eupen, since his contract with the Belgian team will expire by the end of this month.

Ezatollahi,  23-year-old midfielder, spent the 2019-2020 season on loan at Upen Belgium. During this time, he has played only six games and provided one assist. Of course, Ezatollahi spent some extended time off the field due to injury and could not play for his team.

His contract with Rostov expires at the end of June, and it is unclear whether Valerie Carpin will need the player in his roster. Rostov has not yet announced any plans in regard to the injury-prone midfielder, and it remains to be seen whether he will stay at Rostov or join another team. Ezatollahi will become a free agent at the end of June unless Rostove renews his contract.

Since 2017, the footballer has played four times on loan at Anzhi Makhachkala, Amkar, England’s Reading and Eupen Belgium, but so far he has not been able to get a secure a starting lineup with any of the clubs he was loaned to or a good position in “Rostov”.

Alireza Beiranvand to undergo tests in Antwerp.

Team Melli’s goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand will have to travel to Belgium to participate in the Royal Antwerp club’s testing & training session, Tasnim news agency.

After successfully completing the tests, Beiranvand will join Antwerp. Details and fees are undisclosed and remain under wrap. Persepolis, the current club of Beiranvand, has been against such transfer but there is little they can do to stop it as Beiranvand will be under no obligation as he is reported to be a free agent.

According to the report, it could be a big blow for Iran’s Persepolis team ahead of the Iran Professional League (IPL) resumption.

Persepolis, who relies on Beiranvand’s good performances in the league matches, is in a race to win IPL title, which is scheduled to resume on June 18. Persepolis is leading the table with 10 points gap ahead of Sepahan Esfahan and Tractorsazi Tabriz. with 9 matches left to the end of the delayed season.

Arsenal Boss Mikel Arteta seeks summer transfer move for Sardar Azmoun

Mikel Arteta contacts former team-mate Andrey Arshavin’ for Arsenal transfer help

According to the British newspaper . the Daily Star, Arsenal are plotting a summer transfer move for Zenit St Petersburg striker Sardar Azmoun – and Mikel Arteta’s former team-mate Andrey Arshavin could play a helping hand

Mikel Arteta has reportedly turned to former team-mate Andrey Arshavin in a bid to land one of his summer transfer targets.

The Gunners have identified Iranian star Sardar Azmoun of Zenit St Petersburg as a target to add a fresh option in attack, according to Area Napoli.

And Arteta ‘s relationship with Arshavin from their playing days at the Emirates could give them an advantage with the Russian now in charge of transfers at Zenit.

It is claimed he has already been in contact with Arshavin over a deal for Azmoun after he was offered to the club in April as they aim to cash-in.

The club are reportedly in the process of gathering more information over a potential move for Azmoun, with Arshavin on hand to provide a bridge between the two parties with plenty of experience of life with the Gunners.

Azmoun has been reported to be a target for many clubs including Italian Seria A side, Napoli. The player himself has remained tight-lipped about any possible moves this summer. Azmoun says he is concentrating on winning the Russian League title with Zenit.

Arteta and Arshavin in training during their playing time in Arsenal

FFIRI is treading on thin ice!

The Iranian Football Federation has issued a statement denying that FIFA has suspended FFIRI.

The issue with the FFIRI draft amendment to its charter is still at a stalemate as it appears that FIFA has not approved the latest amendments that the Iranian side has submitted to the World Football Governing body.

After procrastination and delaying tactics, FFIRI has drafted some amendments to its charter and sent it to FIFA. At the same time, the FFIRI has assured the media in Iran that everything has been sorted out but FIFA is not responding on time for the approvals. There has been a significant lack of transparency and even secrecy in the negotiation between FIFA and FFIRI.

FIFA is objecting to several clauses in the FFIRI charter, rumored to be 70 chapters and clauses. The main issue is the interference of the government of Iran in the operation of the FFIRI something which is publically known across the country. The latest news is that FIFA has given an ultimatum to the Iranians and there are only 3 days left before its expiry. While the situation is critical, the executive board of FFIRI visited the Ministry of Sports to meet the MInister Soltanifar for consultation, which is the very thing that FIFA is objecting to. While Mohammad Nabi and others of FFIRI are meeting with the government officials, several members of the FFIRI itself have objected to lack of information on this serious matter as the federation executives are putting them in the dark and not informing the rightful members of this federation of what is really happening and what is the risk of suspension?

FFIRI Ignorance or rules or maneuvering?

FFIRI latest draft Submitted to FIFA with hopes that FIFA will turn a blind eye to the shortfalls to he charter or they (FFIRI) will use their usual bargaining tactics.  The procedure is for the amended draft to be first submitted to the Asian Confederation to seek their approval, but the officials of the Iranian Federation sent the draft directly to FIFA, thinking that they could “circumvent” the AFC. Unaware that FIFA is asking the Asian Confederation for a final opinion.

FIFA’s disappointing response to the FFIRI

The response sent by the International Football Federation to FFIRI in Iran was like pouring cold water on the bodies of officials who drafted the latest amendments and hoped that their efforts would be approved by FIFA.  A letter sent to the federation by FIFA on Friday (May 9th) made the situation even more difficult for the Iranian side. The letter, in addition to expressing surprise at some of the changes that contradict FIFA’s policies, emphasizes that FIFA will take other actions if the Iranian federation does not cooperate to amend the constitution.

Benfica is after Taremi.

Benfica FC, Portugal’s most celebrated and greatest club is on the lookout for Team Melli and Rio Aves striker, Mehdi Taremi. The news has been reported by Record.pt website.

According to the popular site, the Iranian striker appeals to the Benfica officials who see Taremi as an advantageous solution who can bring glories to the club.

Taremi has done exceptionally well for Rio Ave before the endemic outbreak and suspension of the league. Rio Ave has been approached by several Portugues clubs including Sporting regarding the possible transfer of Taremi, but the reluctance of the club to release the player short of their expected valuation and also their aspiration to make the Europa League has put a stop to these negotiations. However, post COVID19 the situation might be different, and Rio might concede to a club such as Benfica which is has been rumored to offer 10 million Euros for Taremi.

Mehdi Taremi has scored 8 goals in the league for Rio Ave. He was transferred from Qatar Star League club Al Gharaffa to Rio for an undisclosed sum. Taremi was Persepolis’ top scorer in 2017/18.

 

Single country hosting for FIFA qualifiers.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is thinking of a plan for one venue or one country to host the remaining  FIFA 2022 World Cup and the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers.

The 2022 World Cup qualifiers in Asia have been postponed due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.  The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is considering a single host country, given the continuing coronavirus and the restrictions of entries by many countries that have been placed on their borders. Qatar seems to be the obvious candidate for such hosting.

To create such a scenario, FIFA must first approve such a plan, so the AFC is consulting with FIFA to reach a final conclusion. The AFC website said that the AFC considers the continuation of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers and the 2023 Asian Cup as a cumulative system (hosted by one country) as the best solution for the current situation with Corona. Qatar’s Ustad al-Doha website reported by saying that creating such conditions will allow the member countries of the Asian Football Confederation to hold their local leagues as well.

Certainly, this decision will not be in favor of Iranian football, because Team Melli lost in the away matches against Iraq and Bahrain, and it is hoped that by hosting both teams in Azadi, it will make up for the defeats, and improve its standings in the table.

Although Corona has not yet been eliminated as countries like India and the USA are seeing a rising number of cases, the AFC, like other football governing bodies, seems to be determined to continue football even suggesting games without fans, just to ensure financial revenues. Some European leagues such as the English Premier League blackmail their governments citing huge losses. redundancies and bankruptcies of clubs, to force the authorities to award some kind of dispensation to start playing football. If that happens, AFC and FIFA will certainly have a solid backing to start the competitions again.

Hashemi-Taba “AFC does not trust us”

The debate on Iran’s intention to apply to host the Asian Cup for the third time after the previously hosting the 1968 and 1976 tournaments, is heating up in Iran with many finding the idea as futile.

The former head of the Physical Education Organization was interviewed in “Iran Today” radio program on the subject of the country’s bid for AFC Asian Cup 2027 and said, “the AFC’s much prefers to award the hosting of the AFC Asian Cup to other countries rather than Iran, and that is why Iran will not host the event in 2027.”

Seyyed Mostafa Hashemi Taba, former head of the Physical Education Organization, commented “We can implement and manage such project, however, from what we have all witnessed in the last few years in the country, management of the clubs has caused disappointment and despair, as it seems that we do not have a competent cadre of managers who can proficiently run their clubs and succeed in their jobs that is what is happening now. Finally, we have not and cannot respond positively to AFC requests. We have been maneuvering and using all sorts of tricks to circumvent the AFC bylaws. Maybe we can finally modernize and complete the stadiums, some of which have taken 10 years to complete, and prepare them according to the standards of the AFC, however, that is not all”.

* The cat and mouse game would not work in Hosting.

“In the first place, they give a commitment to AFC & FIFA that women will be allowed to enter the stadium, but it is not possible to play cat and mouse game with this subject. It is not very clever to usher a selected group of women to the stadium in Tehran for a show, but not allow them to enter in another city. I don’t think we can meet the demands of AFC by such ploy.”

 * AFC does not trust us.

Hashemi Taba in the interview with “Iran Today” program of Radio Iran, emphasized the fact that FFIRI is a repeat offender, with so many cases of non-compliance, provision of false information, player’s registration inaccuracies and false data on Iranian clubs legibility, AFC has lost its trust”

“Even now The AFC does not trust us. When we are about to complete the documents, the AFC is not sure if we have provided accurate and correct information and even worst, they know that we cannot meet the demands and standards set by the international ruling bodies. AFC is looking for countries that have provided the necessary guarantees and have a clean sheet in their history. They go to a place where there is no problem and they are comfortable thinking that the country is doing the right thing. Just submitting the request in a bid to host the Asian Cup is not a big deal, any member country has the right to do so with for the Asian Football Confederation. All the countries around the Persian Gulf have the necessary facilities and can easily host such an event. Even East Asian countries are ready to compete. I think the motive behind the bid by FFIRI, as it seems we are on the verge of registration, is just to announce that we exist.

* The regime does not consider count the Asian Cup amongst the priorities

“One of the missions of the Islamic Revolution is to present ourselves in the world and not to isolate ourselves. Due to the various predicaments in the country and the region, and with the world’s great powers, I don’t think the authorities prioritize this, namely hosting the Asian Cup, as an essential part of the sports project. This is a kind of involvement with the international community and we just cannot act in the global arena the way we want and by the ideologies that we think are right. Some time ago, I heard that one of the gentlemen suggested we establish an Islamic FIFA (…), and 20 countries announced their willingness to join. When they mentioned the names of the 20 countries, it was immediately apparent that these countries already face problems in FIFA and had been subject to sanctions and suspensions! I think that these 20 countries want to become members of this Islamic FIFA to take money from us. We can go through the registration process, then organize and host a few small events that nobody cares for, but what then?”

 

Meanwhile, Qatar has officially announced its bid for the AFC Asian Cup 2027

Iran hosting of AFC Asian Cup 2027!

Recently there have been some reports, possibly leaked to the media by FFIRI, about Iran requesting the hosting of AFC Asian Cup 2027.  This suggestion has been carried by many media and sports publications.  The is article discusses whether this possibility is realistic or just another gag to entertain the Iranian fans under the lockdown of COVID-19.

For a starter, news, or rumors of  FFIRI application for Iran to host the AFC Asian Cup 2027 has been met by a wave of criticism from football fans and critics mainly targeting the Iranian federation’s action. This comes at a time when the Asian Football’s most prestigious event  (AFC Asian Cup) requires major resources and infrastructure while Iran’s football, in general, is in the midst of a major crisis that is unparalleled in the country and will probably take years to recover.

* Hosting under current infrastructure?

At first glance, attention needs to be drawn to stadiums with FIFA standards, which are not available in Iran, as Sheikh Salman, the AFC president, recently announced that to host the event, which will be 24 teams tournament, eight to ten stadiums will be required. Despite the construction of stadiums such as Imam Reza, Shohadaye Foolad and Naghshe Jehan, etc., Iran is still miles away from such a standard required for hosting.

* Logistics and accommodation

 The important issues are those related to the transportation, logistics, accommodation, and marketing in such competitions, which require high fortitude and cooperation of government agencies and cannot be done by an organization such as the Football Federation or the Ministry of Sports. A look at the list of requirements for each country to hold this event shows that Iran has not had a history of holding major events since 1976, that is 44 years ago when the competition had 8 teams and most matches were played in the state-of-the-art newly built Arayamehr Stadium.

The current sporting infrastructure has not developed efficiently since the revolution. War, Political environment, priorities, sanctions, and most importantly financial resources were poorly allocated for sports venues.  Unless one believes in a miracle, it is really difficult to envisage all the factors merging towards achieving the target of 10 stadia by 2027

* Poor facilities of host cities.

Of course, there will be other Iranian cities that will host the group matches. Not all efforts and resources would be channeled towards hosting in Tehran only. In the current state, there are many problems in terms of transportation, logistics, and sports infrastructure, across the main cities in Iran. Although some cities have good facilities such as Mashhad which has an international airport and modern subway system, it lacks a proper FIFA Standard stadium while other options such as Esfahan has a good stadium that can easily host matches, but their transportation facilities and accommodations lag behind.

The most vital of the facilities, accommodation is a problem in other cities as well. The lack of  5-star hotels in some cities, as well as the difficulties of obtaining customs and visa permits, and finally the ban on women’s presence in the stadiums culminate in a poor chance of hosting.

Naghshe Jehan Stadium, Esfahan.

* Advertising revenues and copyright laws.

In a strange system, in Iran, the broadcaster never pays the football federation. In fact, IRIB the government-owned broadcaster and the only authorized TV and Radio broadcaster had the audacity to claim that it should be the other way round as IRIB is doing football a favor by broadcasting matches!

In Iran, there is no Copyright laws either, at least not the way it is recognized and practiced internationally.  Clubs or the federation cannot claim nor count on revenues from companies who commercially use logos or other materials to sell their products. Therefore there are no official kits or jerseys by the clubs because cheaper products can be sold alongside genuine products without the protection or respect of copyrights.

While, the case of advertising revenues can be easily sorted out for the Asian Cup tournament, as the AFC has a solid and well laid down contractual clause that is legally binding, the copyright laws is well outside the football federation’s jurisdiction and AFC has no role to play in it. Copyright protection requires the government to initiate and produce legislation. It has to be passed as a law.  Then the suggested copyright law clauses need to be approved by the Majlis (parliament) and that in itself is not an easy task. The judiciary also needs to be on board and prosecute the offenders. Different government within governments like Pasdaran, Sepah, and the religious establishment will always have their own rules and understanding of any law. In brief, it is not an easy task to create copyright laws in Iran,  where chaotic political-religious system rules supreme.

Several attempts of the establishment of this law have failed, and it is unlikely that such laws will be established by 2027 or before.

* Financial and executive crisis in the Football Federation.

 Iran’s request for hosting the Asian Cup will be looked upon in association with the integrity, strength, legitimacy, and competency of the persons running the football federation. At the moment, FFIRI is in crisis and facing sanctions by FIFA for many issues but mainly due to government interference. With such shady administration, it is unlikely that many will vote for Iran while the administrators are busy saving their own skins.

Former FFIRI President, who has been outside Iran for many months, is under scrutiny for financial irregularities

 

 

 

in 2014, UAE won the hosting of the 2019 Asian Cup instead of Iran. The UAE, met the conditions and the requirements to host the event and was able to prepare for the competition in four years. It has a well-established copyright law that is strictly implemented. There are plenty of international airports that are served by hundreds of airlines, it had the ideal infrastructure, hotels, stadia, perfect road system, Trams(Dubai), and resources, so it was a no brainer for it to be chosen as hosts.

How is Iran compared now? will it have the chance this time with competition from Saudi Arabia and India?

Given the country’s economic situation and existing sanctions, the efforts required to establish or amend laws like copyright, intellectual property protection, women in the stadium, and the resources required to massively upgrade the stadiums in Tehran and other Iranian cities, the answer is a categorical NO.

There are far too many problems and issues for Iran’s hosting of major sporting events in the magnitude of the Asian Cup. Any such attempt by FFIRI to send the hosting file to AFC as a candidate for AFC Asian Cup 2027 will only be an embarrassment for Iran while it may serve as a propaganda tool for the current FFIRI administrators.