Futsal star Abolgasim Ourooji banned for doping

Team Melli and Mes Songoon futsal player Abolgasim Ourooji has been slapped with a 4 years ban for doping.

Sayed Mohammed Nazem al-Sharia The head coach of the Iranian futsal team in an interview with ISNA in response to the four-year ban on national team player Arouji said: “The player has inadvertently taken medication for personal problems that had nothing to do with futsal but the medicine was listed on the banned subtances. It was unfortunate and that led to his ban. Doping is a misdemeanor that is not easily overcome and there is a lot of rigorous rules around it. No matter how hard an athlete claims otherwise, to turn such verdict is truly out of reach”

the 30 years old Ourooji has been in and out of the Futsal Team Melli since 2014. He won the AFC Championship title with Iran in 2018.

His accolades include winning the AFC AFC Futsal Club Championship twice  2015 (Tasisat Daryaei) and 2018 (Mes Sungun) and the Runner-Up medals twice as well: 2017 (Giti Pasand Isfahan) and 2019 (Mes Sungun)

Abolgasim Ourooji who was tested positive in November of last year maintains his innocence, however, the strict testing procedures laid down by WADA leave very little doubt about the credibility of the results which passes several processes until confirmed positive.

Iran will take part in the 16th edition of AFC Futsal Championship 2020  next month as defending champions. The biennial international futsal championship organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the men’s national teams of Asia will be played in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan between 26 February and 8 March 2020. Abolgasim Ourooji  would have been part of the squad but for this long term ban.

Middle East Tensions Hurting Asian Soccer Ambitions

Steve Price

The Asian Football Confederation has reportedly banned Iran from hosting international matches based on safety fears over the current tensions in the region. Iranian club sides have responded by planning to withdraw from the AFC Asian Champions League. The clubs have said Iran is “safe”, while Iranian media and fans have claimed that politics, rather than security, is behind the AFC’s decision.

Iran are one of the top nations in the Asian Champions League and has some of the best-supported clubs in Asia. Iranian clubs had a poor campaign last year, but the year before that, Persepolis reached the final of the competition. They, along with Esteghlal, Sepahan and Shahr Khodro, will withdraw from the competition should the AFC’s fixture ban not be reversed.

Iranian sides played their matches against Saudi Arabian sides on neutral territory last season, so the move by the AFC isn’t completely unprecedented. But playing any games on neutral territory is damaging to the competition’s reputation. When over 40,000 people turn up in Tehran to watch Estaghlal or Persepolis, it’s a much better advert for the Asian Champions League than when a thousand fans turn up in Doha to watch Estaglal’s ‘home’ match against Al-Hilal.

The Deby in Azadi Stadium

The absence of Iranian clubs in the competition would be similar to Italian clubs deciding to boycott the UEFA Champions League. Few other Asian countries can match Iran’s top clubs in terms of fans. The Asian Champions League is struggling to grow, with low attendance and regular scandals or other embarrassments, so having one of its most important members boycott the competition is the last thing the AFC needs.

But as well as damaging Asia’s main club competition, the current tensions could also damage the United Arab Emirates’ and Qatar’s attempts to bolster their sporting credentials.

The UAE and Qatar have benefited in the past from their relative stability compared to other countries in the region, often hosting ties that can’t be played at the home country’s stadium for security reasons. If Iran is banned from hosting international matches, then it is possible that Iran’s ‘home’ games would be played in the UAE or Qatar.

 

But it seems the current tensions in the Middle East have finally caught up with Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, as other soccer teams are staying away.

The USA men’s soccer team canceled its camp in Doha earlier this month due to the “developing situation in the region”, holding it in Florida instead. And last week Manchester United scrapped plans for a training trip to the Middle East in February, while Arsenal have said they are assessing security measures before deciding whether to head to Dubai for warm weather training.

A stadium in Qatar with empty seats

Qatar and the UAE have been popular destinations for these winter training camps in the past few seasons, with many of Europe’s top clubs heading there for the warm weather and high-quality facilities. Qatar’s FA says that “time and again, these teams return to AZF [Aspire Zone Foundation] to benefit from Qatar’s perfect outdoor training weather at this time of year.” This year, Bayern Munich, Ajax and PSV Eindhoven all used the Aspire facilities, apart from Ajax’s US international Sergino Dest who said he “didn’t feel comfortable” due to the tensions.

While showcase events like the Qatar 2022 World Cup or the Club World Cup might grab the headlines, these camps have been like a dripping tap, helping to slowly establish the two countries as reliable regional soccer hubs. With the teams come media, agents, sponsors and so forth, over time making the countries a good place for related businesses to set up offices, helping the local tourism sector, and boosting these countries’ soft power.

The Qatar 2022 World Cup and other showcase events are unlikely to be affected unless things really escalate in the region, but should the security situation in the region remain tense, top European clubs might decide to switch their future winter plans to Florida or to Spain and Portugal where many other clubs from around the world hold their winter training camps, putting a major dent in Qatar and the UAE’s aspirations to boost their global standing through sports.

It can only be AFC bias towards Iran. Politics at its worst.

It is an accepted practice that football ruling bodies would not allow official matches to be played in areas where there is a war-zone, conflicts, unrest or civilian disobedience.  It is simply to prevent harm to the players, officials, and fans.

The application of the rule has always been based on facts, data and real events. FIFA and other ruling bodies do not have the intelligence and the apparatus to truly judge on such situation, they mostly depend on organizations such as the Security Council of United Nations, unbiased government authorities or similar specialists to pass such a ban on playing in a certain country.

AFC case with Iran is certainly not based on any such fact or ruling. There is no United Nations communique on that matter nor is Iran a war zone or has declared war on any country. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia has been involved in a war with Yemen for 4 years, its cities have been bombed and could be exposed to acts of war at any time. The Yemeni forces have succeeded in hitting the most treasured energy sources deep inside Saudi Arabia, yet AFC in its wisdom does not consider this rich and influential country as a risk to anyone, despite being officially engaged in a war!!

So clearly the decision that Iranian teams have to play on neutral grounds and deprived of hosting is purely political decision influenced by the powerful Arab lobby headed and financed by Saudi Arabia.

It is no secret that the Saudi Influences has installed the current head of the AFC and what the Saudis say, AFC listens.

There is a lack of transparency on the reasons that AFC has declared Iranian cities unsafe and unless AFC provides credible evidence and facts then this is one is yet another evidence of bias towards Iran by the powerful Arab countries.

The Arabian bias has played a major role in Asian football from expelling Israel from the AFC to appointments of the Arab countries representatives in various posts, influencing major decisions, winning for Arab players and teams and even selecting Arabic language as an official while 3.5 billion people speaking Chinese and Hindi are not recognized or worthy of having their languages included in the AFC official website.

This bias against Iran which stems from the political animosity towards it from the Gulf Arab countries is supplemented by the weak representation and power of Iranian representatives in the AFC and its various committees. Many of these representatives are not worthy of sitting on a village council let alone representing Iran at International levels. So, it is expected that sympathy towards Iran is minimal in the AFC corridors, although it is not a question of sympathy. It is a question of facts, data, and proofs which are lacking in the AFC decision.

At the end of the day, if Iranian clubs withdraw, the AFC Champion League will be that much poorer. Matches are played in stadiums with crowds in hundred in West Asia. That is nowhere near what huge numbers that Perspolis and Esteghlal can attract in Azadi.

Iranian clubs threaten to withdraw from AFC Champions League

Iran’s four teams in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League say they will refuse to play if they cannot host home games, says the Mehr news agency.

FFIRI , Iran’Football governing body has claimed the confederation (AFC) had banned its teams from staging fixtures in the country.

It said the AFC wanted fixtures involving Iranian teams to take place at neutral venues.

The move comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States.

The Iranian football federation said it would announce a “final position” in the “following days”.

Iran has four teams – Persepolis, Esteghlal, Sepahan and Shahr Khodro – in the AFC Champions League, and they are expected to be consulted on Saturday.

However, the Mehr news agency said the clubs will send a joint letter to the AFC to say they will drop out if they cannot host games.

Persepolis and Esteghlal insisted they were in the “safest country in the Middle East”.

Before the meeting, Persepolis chief executive Mohammad Hassan Ansarifard told the Mehr news agency the club will “certainly not participate” in the new Champions League season “if they insist on their decision”.

Amir Mehdi Alavi, a spokesman for the Iranian football federation, said: “Iran has the full readiness to host teams and has proven this repeatedly in recent years.”

Iranian clubs have suffered heavily because of AFC ruling favoring Saudi Arabian teams who refused to play in Iran based on the political decision rather than any logic or proof for their alleged safety concerns. Now, AFC has ruled that all matches are to be played outside of Iran. again without providing evidence or proof.

Transfer Rumours: Mehdi Taremi to FC Porto!

According to José Fernandes a journalist at the newspaper OGogo, Mehdi Taremi and FC Porto have already signed a pre-agreement for Rio Ave forward to join FC Porto.

Mehdi Taremi is Al-Gharafa player loaned to Rio Ave. The transfer is imminent according to the journalist but highly dependent on whether Tiquinho Soares’s deal with AS Roma is finalized.

Taremi has been in an excellent form season with the middle of the table Rio Ave in the Portuguese League. The 27 Years old former Persepolis and IranJavan Busheher player has scored 8 goals this season, 5 goals in the league and 3 in the cup competition.  This is despite an injury he suffered earlier in the season which placed him on the injury list for a few weeks. Taremi has been a regular starter for Rio Ave and registered several assists on top of his goals.

Porto’s interest in Mehdi Taremi is significant as they are one of the top teams in Portugal. They have been dominating the Portuguese football along with Benfica. Porto has won the league 28 times with season 2017/18 being the last. PC Porto won the UEFA Champions League twice in 1986/87 and 2003/04 seasons. They also won the UEFA Cup twice and the UEFA Super Cup once in 1987. The club has a strong European pedigree. The other Portuguese icon, Benfica is currently leading the table with 45 points while FC Porto is second on 41 with 16 games played.  FC Porto head coach is Sérgio Conceição

The transfer of Taremi to FC Porto required the agreement of the Qatari club Al-Gharafa.

Déjà vu. Omid Team eliminated!

Omid Team has been eliminated from the group stages of the AFC Asian U23 Championship and with it the eternal dream of qualification to the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

In the final do and die match against winless China, Omid Team struggled badly and wasted chance after chance to score goals until the 85th minute when a dubious penalty call by the referee allowed Noorafkan to score from the spot-kick. It was one goal too little and too late despite Uzbekistan losing their match against South Korea 2-1.

Uzbekistan qualified as the second of the group with 4 points, same as Iran but with a better goal difference of one goal.

In a match of wasted chances, especially the one that profligate Mehdi Ghaedi wasted while the goal and the net was at his mercy, wide open with the Chinese keeper stranded and nowhere near covering his goal. Ghaedi got the loose ball and with all the time and options available to him, he decides to head the ball into the empty net but he missed by a big margin!

How cruel and how heartbreaking!

This was the final nail in the coffin as the likes of Sayyadmanish, Shojaei, Mehdikhani kept shooting blanks and wasting chance after chance against a Chinese team that had nothing to play for but pride.

At the end of the day, this Omid Team did not deserve to qualify with these players and coaches.  The passive, back-foot approach, the helter-skelter style employed by Hamid Estili once again looked out of date against opponents who embody many of the principles associated with modern football. Estili, never an accomplished coach in the first place had a disadvantage with a bunch of individual players, who did not truly understand the concept teamwork and tactical (not that there was much of that in evidence) discipline, hence that combination turned into what the experts expected, failure of Team Omid.

It was Déjà vu.

That eerie feeling that the fans and media personnel have lived through the situation on numerous spells. The same lame excuses, the same justifications, the same “We were unlucky” and the same “We will do better next time, inshallah!”

44 years since the last Olympics, and by the next cycle, it will be 48 years wait. At this rate, we will be passing the half-century of years since Iran has made the Olympics Games football competition, a feat that nations who are supposedly below Iran in World Football Ranking have achieved many times.

Ultimately, in this current messy organizational structure and management deficiencies in Iran’s football at all levels, fans have to get used to failures after failures. You reap what you sow, nothing more nothing less. Deep-rooted changes have to be implemented and cleansing is done by competent professionals rather than devout loyalists. Success is achieved only by skillful, learned, experienced professional who base their work on systems and processes of modern football management.

Prayers and hope for Omid Team!

With the 2-1 loss against South Korea, Iran’s Omid team chances of qualifying for the next round of the AFC U23 Championship 2020 looks difficult, if not improbable. Iran’s U23 team still has a chance on paper.

Omid Team started with a draw against Uzbekistan, while South Korea defeated China 1-0. In the second matchday, Uzbekistan’s 2-0 win over China, not only eliminated the Chinese from the competition but also made them strong favorites to qualify needing only a draw in the final group match against the already qualified Koreans on Wednesday.

On the final group matchday, Omid team will play China and the only results that count is a comprehensive win. While South Korea will most probably field an under-strength team for their final group match, Uzbekistan will most probably achieve qualification with a draw against the Koreans.

The only scenario where Omid team will stand a chance is if  Uzbekistan loses against Korea and Omid team beats China by at least 2 goals or more.

Reza Shekari against South Korea

While football is a sport that is no stranger to surprises and sometimes the most unexpected results can occur, Omid team is counting on one such chance comes Wednesday. Winners like South Korea who are synonymous with success due to their hard work, progress, and planning, do not need to worry about such possibilities. Unlike the Iranian team which is now counting on hope and prayers, the Koreans even win matches while not at their best.

The big difference between football in Iran and Korea or Japan is one of strict discipline, planning, free from politics and lobbying, selection of most suitable coaches on merit and providing the infrastructure. The Football federations of these countries study the requirements for their teams, plan ahead, support and most importantly select the right players and coaches using the strait-laced methodology in the process. No issues or complexes of the Estghlal-Persepolis axis out there.

Omid Team has changed three coaches in a year, while the current one Hamid Estili is not really a functioning regular coach and hence clearly out of touch with modern coaching and match practice. In another word, he was an emergency coach. His last assignment was the Administrative Manager of this very same Omid Team before he was appointed under mysterious circumstances as the head coach replacing Farhad Majidi.

So, due to the perennial lack of insight, non-existent long-term planning, lack of vision, and extremely poor quality management, the passionate Iranian fans have to resort to prayers to experience the success of this team  hoping for a comprehensive win in order to make it to the next round and stand a chance of qualifying for Tokyo Olympics 2020

Iran’s Volleyball and Basketball teams have already qualified for Tokyo Olympics and made the nation proud in days that there are very few things to make an Iranian happy, will Omid complete the hat-trick?

We will continue hoping and praying.

FFIRI contemplating an Iranian coach for Team Melli.

The FFIRI has been negotiating secretly with several Iranian coaches in search of a new coach to take over the incredibly challenging task of coaching Team Melli.

Although the football federation as customary keeps denying such reports, it is not a secret that Ali Daei, Yayha Golmohammadi, and Amir Ghalenoei have been approached and talks have been carried out. Ali Daei is always a candidate for the job, but Daei’s standing and achievements have not been at its best lately. He was last fired from Saipa Alborz after failing to meet the expectations of the club board. Daei has turned down many job offers lately since then.

Ghalenoei coaching in Asian Cup 2007

Yahaya Golmohammadi, unlike the other two, has never coached Team Melli and is the least experienced the lot, however, he seemed to have an excellent chance to take the post. And then Persepolis comes calling and grabs  Yahya right under the nose of the FFIRI. Golmohammadi has been offered a return to his old club replacing the Argentine Calderon. Perspolis seems to have a contractual dispute with their coach with Calderon refusing to return back to the club.

Sepahan’s Head Coach Amir Ghalenoei seems to be in the lead to sit on the bench of Team Melli. His records with clubs are second to none. He is by far the most successful Iranian coach In the history of the league with 5 championship titles. He also coached Team Melli during the AFC Asian Cup 2007.

But Ghalenoei is driving a hard bargain. He has a bitter experience working for the federation. He is aware of how his paymasters can turn on him and deny him support.  This time, the former coach of Esteghlal, Tractorsazi, Zob Ahan, and Sepahan wants to ensure that such experience is not repeated.  Ghalenoei is giving the FFIRI all the strict conditions upon which he will only accept the offer including a handsome numeration package similar to the foreign coaches and complete say on the selection of the technical assistance and training crew.

FFIRI administrators and managers have hinted many times that the next Team Melli coach will be a foreigner, although local coaches are not being ruled out either. However, with the recent developments, the reputation of this federation and their habitual tendency to breach contracts with their employees, it will be very difficult to imagine a foreign coach agreeing to work for this federation unless he is very desperate. After the experiences and well-publicized hardships of Marc Wilmots, Branko Ivankovic, Gabriel Calderon and Andrea Stramaccioni amongst others, it is unlikely that we will see a foreign coach leading Team Melli any time soon.

FFIRI and the Iranian clubs’ justification for not paying their foreign coaches and/or players is the American sanctions on financial dealings and money transfer. The questions remain, however, if this is indeed the reason, then why offer jobs to foreigners knowing that they cannot be paid properly and regularly?

With Ghalenoei negotiations with FFIRI still in progress; Sepahan will have a tough time replacing Ghalenoei if he leaves. The Esfahani club has a good chance of grabbing the title this season and the departure of their coach will definitely impact the team chances of winning the Persian Gulf Pro League.

Omid team hopes are fading after loss to Korea Rep.

Songkhla: Korea Republic became the first team to qualify for the AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020 knockout stage after they claimed a 2-1 win over Iran at Tinsulanon Stadium on Sunday.

First-half goals from Lee Dong-jun and Cho Gue-sung gave Kim Hak-bum’s side a two-goal half-time buffer, but Reza Shekari’s effort nine minutes after the interval meant the Koreans had to negotiate a difficult period in order to extend their winning start to the competition.

Their perfect tally of six points from two matches means they are sure to advance to the knockout stage no matter what happens in Wednesday’s match against Uzbekistan, while Iran’s hopes of ending a 44-year Olympic qualification drought now weighs heavily on their final group stage fixture against China PR.

Nguyen Quang Hai
By their own admission, Korea Republic had won without being at their best in their opening match against China PR, but they carried the momentum of Lee Dong-jun’s 93rd-minute winner from that match into this one, and it was the same player who supplied the game’s opening goal.

Both Reza Dehghani and Mehdi Ghayedi had early efforts at the Korean goal, but Lee continued his love affair with Tinsulanon Stadium in the 22nd minute, pouncing to slam the ball home from close range after Iranian goalkeeper Habib Farabbasi spilled Maeng Seong-ung’s initial effort.

Alongside midfield partner Won Du-jae, Maeng was the heart of several promising moves, and it was his pass which found Cho Gue-sung for Korea Republic’s second, with Cho turning and firing majestically into the Iranian net from 25 yards to double the lead in the 35th minute.

Now full of confidence, Korea Republic could have added more first-half goals if not for near misses from Lee and Jeong Seung-won, but Iran managed to reach the interval without further damage and came back into the contest when Shakari netted a close-range header to reduce the arrears to one in the 54th minute.

That gave Hamid Estili’s side a lifeline, but the Korea Republic wouldn’t be denied, with a last gasp save from Song Bum-Keun – who denied Ali Shojaei deep in stoppage time – maintaining a perfect record and securing a pass to the business end of the tournament.

Far too many gaps in Estili’s game plan.

There were no surprises in the performance of Omid Team under Hamid Estili against Uzbekistan yesterday.  Even with such a statement, many fans were hoping that the famous players with household names in Omid Team will make a big impact and cover at least part of the team’s weaknesses and gaps.

Players like Omid Noorafkan, Allahyar Sayyadmanish, Mohammad Mohebi are already full internationals who have played and scored for Team Melli while the likes of Mahdi Ghaedi and Reza Shekari are considered valuable players with considerable ability to improve. The former has already registered 8 goals in the Persian Gulf Pro League.

However, except for Omid Noorafkan who is being utilized in defense hence depriving the team of his wonderful vision and Pirlo-like passing, the rest of them were disappointing. Ghaedi huffed and puffed like always but his delivery and final touch remains suspect when his team really requires every effort.

The feeblest performance of the so-called stars was Shekari and Sayyadmanish up in the forward line. Not coordination, no proper communication, little or no significant passing, no awareness of each other position and individualist showmanship that was a big waste for Omid Team.

A smart seasoned coach would have immediately figured out that this combination upfront is not working and would have acted accordingly, but Estili for reasons beyond comprehension failed to notice that.

The Midfield lacked a strong leader such as Noorafkan, who was in the central defensive position. Mohebi was quite disappointing against the Uzbeks despite having a very good season with his team. He missed an open goal and a chance for his team to take the lead.

Omid team never looked like a coherent team with a strategy. Against Korea, we expect the same old tactics, or lack of it, and emphasis on individual performance rather than teamwork. Not that a victory is not possible, but with a year of disappointing performances by Omid Team, it is highly unlikely that Hamid Estili will find a magic wand to fix the things against the powerful and organized Koreans.

Realistically and no matter how high our hopes and expectations are, the chances of a tactically deficient Omid Team qualifying to the next round are on the balance. A win or even a draw against the Koreans will still keep the hopes alive. A defeat will almost mean the end of the road and those abundant and unceasing promises that this team is good enough to make it to Tokyo after 44 years of absence.