Marc Wilmots files suit against FFIRI

The former head coach of Team Melli has the Iranian national football team has sued the Iranian Football Federation at FIFA following the termination of his contract while seeking compensation from FFIRI

The Football Federation FFIRI has also filed a  countersuit against the Belgian Marc Wilmots for breach of contract.

The poor showing of Team Melli resulting in two losses against Iraq and Bahrain in the second round of the FIFA World Cup qualifier has raised tension and fan’s displeasure with the Belgian coach. The criticism of the on-vacation coach was even harsher in the Iranian media. Wilmots’ performance and refusal to carry out his duty prompted the federation to negotiate the termination of the coaching contract.

However, Wilmots unilaterally terminated the contract before the game against Iraq citing overdue payments and non-payment of wages by the Football Federation. After a meeting with federation officials in Turkey, the Belgian coach was paid his dues just a few days before meeting Iraq.

Wilmots refused to return to Tehran even after his loss to Bahrain and the doubts started to emerge on the qualification to the next stage. While the Federation has insisted in recent weeks that the process of terminating the contract with Wilmots is continuing and the parties are seeking an amicable way to reach an agreement, the Speaker of the Parliament’s Cultural Commission commented on the news of Wilmots’ complaint to FIFA and similar action.

It is not clear how much compensation is Wilmots demanding as the federation has kept the contract under strict secrecy raising doubts about the clauses and concerns about possible profiteering.

Crystal Palace chasing Sardar Azmoun with a lucrative offer.

Crystal Palace is actively seeking squad reinforcement in the January Transfer windows market. Roy Hodgson needs reinforcements if they want to maintain their current status and look forward to one of the qualifying places in European competitions.

Crystal Palace is in no man’s land at the moment, after a great start to the season. The Selhurst Park team has some shortcomings and needs to go to the winter market if it wants to maintain some peace of mind in the remainder of the season. According to ‘Sport-Express’, The Iranian Sardar Azmoun, Zenit St. Petersburg forward, would be on the top of the list and object of desire of the board of the English team in the month of January.

The Team Melli player arrived at the Russian giant in February in exchange for about 12 million euros and signed a three and a half years contract with St. Petersburg until 2022.
Roy Hodgson already made it clear at a press conference that he wants several signings and Azmoun tops the list. if his transfer is completed, The Iranian would be the most expensive player in the history of his country. Currently, Alireza Jahanbakhsh holds the record with 12 million pounds.

CRYSTAL PALACE ADVANCES WITH € 30 MILLION BY AZMOUN
Sardar Azmoun has been a pivotal player in the Zenit squad along his Russian international Artem Dzyuba, the Iranian striker forms an attacking duo that helped lift the St. Petersburg team to the top spot in the championship.

The good performances have not gone unnoticed and Azmoun has aroused the greed of several clubs. According to Sport Express, Crystal Palace is willing to pay Zenit € 30 million on market reopening. The South London side will have already contacted the Russians but has not yet received a reply.

A product of Sepahan’s youth Academy, Azmoun joined Zenit in 2018 after excelling at Rostov. In total, he scored 23 goals in 41 matches.

Mehdi Taj , President of FFIRI resigns.

The President of the Iranian Football Federation has submitted his resignation from the post due to ill health. Mehdi Taj, who took the helm of the FFIRI has recently suffered to stokes and was hospitalized until lately back.

Taj joined the federation in 2008 where he was appointed as First Vice President until 2012, then President of the Iran Football League Organization (2013–2016) before taking over from Ali Kaffashian in May 2016.

Taj started his sports administration functions with Sepahan Esfahan as Secretary of the Board on two terms (1992–1994, 2002–2006) and president of the club (1994–1999).[2] He was also editor-in-chief of Jahan Varzesh from 1991 until 2001. On 7 May 2016, he was elected as president of Iranian Football Federation with 51 votes, succeeding Ali Kaffashian

Minister of Sport’s reaction to Taj’s resignation

Massoud Soltanifar, was disheartened to hear the news of the resignation of Mehdi Taj from the Football Federation. He said: “The recent heart attacks created grave concern for Mr. Taj and the sports community, and it is sad for me to hear about his resignation.  Soltanifar, today, expressing regret over the resignation of Mehdi Taj, said: “He was a capable, hard-working, accurate manager and we brought with him the best result in the history of soccer in the World Cup. It was Mr. Taj’s success. The Minister of Sports and Youth added: “His health is more important to us and to his esteemed family and to the football community, and we certainly do not have a capable manager now in charge of the Football Bureau, but as a trusted adviser alongside sports management.”

According to FFIRI regulation, one of the deputies will take over the reign until the holding of an election convention in May 2020. Second Vice President Baharvand and  Women’s committee Vice President Sufi Zadeh are the candidates for the post. Most probably the former will take over the post.

The Football Federation is currently undergoing a crises situation with a numerous problems, including a vacant Team Melli head coach post,  Poor results of Team Melli in World Cup qualifiers, refusal of the IRIB to recognize TV Broadcast rights, FIFA scrutiny on allowing women into football stadiums for league matches and the severe financial difficulties facing the federation.

Omid team ties Qatar with Gentleman Estili’s generosity!

In a friendly match held in Doha, Iran’s Omid Team (U23) tied with Qatar U23  2-2 today. The match played on Saturday evening at Al Arabi’s Hamad AlKabir Stadium behind closed doors.

Omid team led the first half 2-0 with goals scored by Reza Shekari from a penalty kick, and Mehdi Ghaedi.

Hamid Estili’s had the upper hand on Félix Sánchez Bas, the Spanish coach of Qatar and the Asian Cup Champions in the first half. Both teams are preparing for the upcoming AFC U23 Championship in Thailand, which is also the qualifiers for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 football tournament.

In the first half, Qatar player Mohammed Emad Aiash was sent off in the 35th minute for violent conduct, however, Hamid Estili suggested to his Qatari counterpart Felix Sanchez to replace the sent off player with another one. Qatar team obliged as they sent in Ahmed Suhail to replace the sent off player.

It was the sportsmanship act by Estili and a clever one too as he needed to see his team play against the strongest opposition possible regardless of the result.

The ensuing Free kick from the sending off was a beautifully executed goal by Mehdi Ghaedi.

The first half ended 2-0 for Iran’s Omid team.

At the beginning of the second half, the Qatari’s again lost another player Yusuf Abdulrazzaq with a red card. And again, Estili became the true gentleman and invited Sanchez to send a replacement! This time Qatar sent Amro AbduFattah to the field.

It is the first time in history at this level of football that one team is given two red cards, yet continue playing to the end with 11 players. Simply unheard of.

Abdul Rashid Ebrahim reduced the deficit on the 83rd minute for Qatar. The same player scored the equalizer in the dying seconds of the match om minute 96.  As customary with Iranian teams, there is always a lapse of concentration leading to conceding a goal.

In support of Hamid Estili’s demand for the league to be postponed, the FFIRI partially postponed some of the matches to enable the Omid team to set up a training camp in Doha and play this friendly match.

Teams Line up

Iran U23

Merag Esmaeili: Aref Aghasi, Mojtaba Najarian, Matin Karimzadeh, Reza Dehghani [76′ Sina Zamehran], MohammedMedi Mehdikhani, Mohammad Mohebi [66′ Mohammad Khodabandelo], Ali Shojaei [70′ Amir Roustaei], Omid Noorafkan, Mehdi Ghedi [70′ Reza Jabeira], Reza Shekari [66′ Jafar Salmani]

Coach : Hamid Estili

Qater U23

Mohammed AlBakri: Abdullah Ali Saei, Tarek Salman, Mohammad AlBayati, Yusuf Abdurazzaq , Abdulla Abdulslam, Khalifa Saad, Mohammed Emad Aiash , Hashim Ali, Abdulrahman Mohammed, Homam Elamain Ahmed.

Coach : Felix Sanchez Baz

Finally……Jahanbakhsh scores.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Brighton and Hove Albion and Team Melli winger, finally opened his scoring in the 3rd minute of the match against Bournemouth in the English Premier League on Saturday.

Jahanbakhsh, a record signing for the Brighton club failed to score any goals last season. With a  new boss in-charge at Brighton, Jahanbaksh was relegated to the bench but on many occasions, he did not even make the bench in the Premier League matches. opportunities.

Today’s match line up by Graham Potter was a Pleasant Surprise for the Iranian International as Jahanbakhsah was not even in the squad for the last match Brighton played the Premier League. On the third minute, Alireza smashed a powerful diagonal shot into the bottom far corner of the Bournemouth goal.

Jahanbakhsh was clearly emotional during his goal celebration with all his teammates surrounding him. Finally, he broke the jinx and scored. Not only he opened his account with the club, but he also set the record for the earliest goal in Brighton’s history in the Premier League.

Jahanbakhsh went on to play until the 84th minute when he was then substituted to receive a standing ovation from the appreciative Brighton fans at the American Express Stadium.

Jahanbakhsh has have been left out of the Team Melli squad in the last two matches. He missed both the defeats against Bahrain and Iraq.

 

Bahrain Footballer banned by Fifa for ten games after racist gesture.

FIFA has banned a Bahrain international player for ten games after he aimed shocking racist abuse at Hong Kong fans.

Sayed Mehdi Baqer, 25, made a slanted-eye gesture towards supporters as he left the field after a World Cup qualifier on November 14.

Sayed Baqer has been banned for 10-matches - the minimum sanction for such an incident

Sayed Baqer has been banned for 10-matches – the minimum sanction for such an incident
After a tense week in, something to cheer for fans at Hong Kong Stadium. Hugely credible World Cup qualifying draw with Bahrain, marred slightly by an apparent racist gesture by Bahrain player at the end of the match.
The frustrated Bahrain team unable to beat the hosts, made several unsportmanship acts including their coach rant against Hong Kong coach while the latter extended his hand after the final whistle.

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However, the Bahraini defender’s appalling actions were captured on video and the player was also hit with a £23,000 fine.

Bahrain, who are in the same FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifying group as Iran is notorious for its transgression and important behavior during international matches. During the home game against Team Melli, the fans booed the national anthem.

 In July the minimum ban for such offenses was doubled from five matches.

After a separate qualifying incident, Fifa ordered Indonesia to play a game behind closed doors following a fiery clash with rivals Malaysia.

Both teams were fined by FIFA in the wake of crowd disturbances.

Another turtle pace progress in Privatization.

For the last two decades, subsequent governments in Iran have promised that Persepolis and Esteghlal clubs will be privatized and handed over to the private sector.

The Privatization saga first started in the tenure of President Mohammed Khatami, however, he left without much progress on the issue. The next President, Ahmadinejad, a passionate football fan, was the most enthusiastic supporter of this project and many thought Persepolis and Esteghlal will finally escape from total government control and be run as a proper and professional sports club.

Ahmadinejad, left and like many of his projects, the clubs privatization never saw the light of the day.  Hassan Rouhani, seen by many as a pragmatic and relatively liberal president took over. Like his predecessor, Rouhani was a strong football supporter who also liked to see the two most popular clubs privatized.

 So far, what culminated from the government’s Privatization project is nothing but false promises and heartaches for the fans.  Every now and then, the Ministry of youth and sports pops up with statements, further plans and more promises to keep the fans quiet. The timing that the authorities pick to talk about its Privatization project and normally coincides with periods of public discontent with the government and economy in Iran. Recently, Iran has experienced deadly countrywide protests against the authorities for huge increases in fuel prices.

The latest promise in this saga is the recent Youth and Sports statement of the transfer of the two stadiums (basically, training facilities) in Darfeshifar and Marghoubkar and their registration in the name of the two clubs Esteghlal and Persepolis.

ISNA quoting the Deputy Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs, Taghizadeh, said “this transfer has been the most effective privatization steps during this recent years,” He also added “Persepolis Club has carried out brand registration operations for forty-five brands  with Corporate Registration Bureau and we are looking forward to the same step to be taken by Esteghlal”

“ So far we have held nineteen meetings with the managers of the Privatization Organization and Stock Exchange for the transfer of the two stadiums and the brand registration of Esteghlal and Persepolis clubs as assets. It has been the most effective privatization steps during this period. “

Taghizadeh said at the end: “The trademark registration is one of the most important programs of Privatization to the concerned organizations and so far Persepolis Club has successfully carried out brand registration operations.”

Iran’s bi-polar football where everything starts and ends with the two famous Tehran clubs. Persepolis and Esteghlal have been siphoning millions of dollars from government budgets since the revolution. The regime, being careful of the political sensitivity and the popularity of these two clubs hence their clear influence on the masses, have turned blind eyes on the amount of chronic corruption and mismanagement existing in these two clubs by executives and managers who are sanctioned and appointed by the government itself.

Zahra Khajavi breaks shut-out goalkeeping record.

Zahra Khajavi, Vochan Kordestan’s Goalkeeper broke Iran’s record for goal shut-out.

The 20 years old, women’s Team Melli keeper Kept a clean sheet for the first half of her women’s soccer league team’s clash against Shahrdari Bam breaking the record with 1035 minutes of a clean sheet. Payam Niazmand, Stephan’s goalkeeper held the previous record which was achieved this season.

Khajavi who was always going to be pushed to break or extend the record against league leaders Shahrdari Bam managed to finally do so but conceded early in the second half at the top of the league clash this afternoon. The game ended 3–2 to Shahrdari Bam Kerman, who opened the scoring early in the second half.

Zahra Khajavi, seeking a historic record.

A 21 years old girl is determined to break a record in Iran’s football.

Despite all the restrictions on women’s sports and particularly football, Iranian girls have hardly lost enthusiasm to pursue their dreams and in many cases, they have actually excelled. Following the Iranian Women’s futsal team winning the Asian title in style, and the nomination of  Katayoon Khosrowyar in the AFC coach of the year category, another girl Zahra Khajavi, is seeking fame in her own right.

This time there is a historic record-breaking attempt of a clean sheet. Zahra Khajavi is the Team Melli goalkeeper and plays for  Vochan Kordestan. She has already amassed 10 matches with a clean sheet, a grand total of 990 minutes without conceding.

Zahra started playing futsal at the age of nine.  After she transferred to football, she joined Pas Hamedan club. The young Iranian goalkeeper, who has been supported by her coach to play as a goalkeeper, is already playing football for six years in the Women’s Premier League. She has played for Pas Hamedan, Ashtrankooh Azna, Shahrdari Bam, Rah Yab Sanandaj (two years) and now Vochan Kordestan.

Zahra
Zahra Khajavi 

The promising Zahra, who already played for Iran’s under-19 and the senior team needs to keep a clean sheet for another 35 minutes in her next match, to claim Iran’s record in men and women’s football. Currently, Payam Niazmand of Team Melli and Sepahan goalkeeper holds the record for men’s goal shut out.

 However, Khajavi and her team have a tough task ahead as they will be meeting one of the top teams’ Shahrdari Bam on Friday and will make history in Iranian men’s and women’s soccer if they succeed. The two teams Shahrdari Bam and Vochan Kordestan have identical records with 10 wins and 30 points respectively without defeat and will compete on Friday for the midseason title.

Amir Ghalenoei, The pride of Iranian coaches

Amir Ghalenoei is the most decorated coach in the Iranian domestic league. His record stands at 5 championships titles, 3 with Esteghlal and 2 with Sepahan. All this is about to change as the controversial Ghalenoei is leading the charge for another championship and another record-breaking season.

Sepahan already holds the record for 21 consecutive undefeated matches in the Iranian Premier League. An old record leftover from the tenth Premier League era. In that year, Sepahan, coached by Amir Ghalenoei, lost against Esteghlal in the seventh week but remained unbeaten until the twenty-ninth week of the league when it lost to Mes Kerman.

This record is about to collapse. Again it is Sepahan and again it is Amir Ghalenoei. Interestingly, this time it also started with a defeat against Esteghlal, which was last season. Since then, the yellow and black jerseys have not been defeated. The only zero in the league table standings of the current Iranian Premier League is under losses for Sepahan.  Naft Masjid Soleiman finished the half-season unbeaten, but eventually, they were defeated in Tabriz in the 16th week. Sepahan with 31 points leads the table ahead of Persepolis with goal difference.

 

When Amir Ghalenoei set the record for undefeated matches, he also won the title with Sepahan.  He won the league title twice for the “Nisf Jahan” club and can now break his record for the third time for Sepahan. Ghalenoei and Sepahan have played 20 consecutive Premier League games without a loss. If they win the next two games, they will have a new record.

Team Melli under Ghalenoei in AFC Asian Cup 2007

Additionally, with Sepahan, Zob Ahan, Esteghlal, and TractorSazi, Ghalenoei has also been vice-Champion.

Amir Ghalenoei also managed Team Melli most notably during the AFC Asian Cup 2007. His statements before and after games are always controversial. He is not by any means unique in his rhetoric as almost all the Iranian coaches have this Blame Culture, feeling of being prosecuted, conspired against, treated unfairly and most famous of all of them, “the referee was against us” mentality. Ghalenoei has been sent off to the stands, sanctioned and disciplined many times in his career for his misdemeanors; however, he remains unique in one important aspect. He is technically one of the most acute and advance coaches that Iran has ever seen.  If there was an Iranian coach that can easily coach at the highest level in Asia (language barrier permitting) it is Amir Ghalenoei. This man is head and shoulder above the rest.

 

It is a great pity that his chances of coaching Team Melli are not great as he admits himself, he has far too many adversaries domestically. The FFIRI and Taj will not be able to deal with the outspoken Ghalenoei. The loser, however, is Team Melli and the national football at large.