Saman Ghoddos , a repeat story for Iranian players.

Saman Quddos has been suspended for four months after being sued by Spain’s Huesca club in addition to paying € 5m in damages. The FIFA ruling was due to a preliminary agreement by the Swedish club Ostershunds and Saman Ghoddos for transfer to the Spanish club, but instead of heading to Spain Ghoddos turned up in France to sign for the French side Amiens.

This FIFA rule is reminiscent of the one handed to Mehdi Taremi on September 2017. A Persepolis player at the time , all parties agreed on terms of the contract to transfer to Turkey’s Çaykur Rizespor Club. At that time, Taremi was suspended for four months after unilaterally breaking his contract and returning back to Iran. Taremi’s suspension meant his absence from Team Melli

Persepolis was also banned from two transfer windows. It came at a time when Iran has already qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2018  and its presence at the Russian World Cup was assured. Taremi declined to appeal to CAS for fear of prolonging the proceedings and missing the World Cup all togother.

Carlos Queiroz, the then head coach of Team Melli, commented  “It certainly hurts both Taremi himself and Persepolis club as well as the fans. Even the national team suffers because the player cannot be mentally ready. What we need to do is keep the player mentally and physically fit for the next few months so that he doesn’t have problems with the international games. But what happened in 2017 was a strange and shameful act that is damaging to Iranian football’s reputation and one has to accept responsibility for it.” the Portuguese concluded.

About two years later, Saman Goddos is committing the same act of indiscretion. Ghoddos , of course, has the right to appeal and he might succeed in reducing the ban, although it is quite doubtful. The point that needs emphasis, however, is the lack of professionalism and poor awareness of Iranian players.  It does not take a distinguished person to realize that contracts have to be honored and breaking it is unlawful.  It is not only about the law but also the ethics and integrity of a person involved in a contract.

The lack of success of the many Iranian players in Europe can be summarized in one main phrase, lack of professionalism. That of course entails, ethics, commitments, teamwork, team integration and dedication. Iranian players seemed to be poorly prepared for Europe and the lack of true professional management and advisors has reduced their value and potential to succeed outside Iran. Saman Ghoddos should have known much better as he grew up in the European environment, but!

Marc Wilmots has not yet commented on the Ghoddos suspension.

 

Ezzatollahi welcomed in KAS Eupen

Team Melli’s 22-year-old midfielder who has joined the Belgian side KAS Eupen on a one-year loan spell from Russian Premier League side Rostov, has been welcomed and praised by his coach.

“Saeid Ezzatollahi proved his talent and abilities in the Russian league. He also represented Iran national football team in the 2018 World Cup and played in group matches against Spain and Portugal. Although he is only 22, he has played 28 times for the Iran national team,” Henkel told lavenir.net.

“I am confident that Ezzatollahi will be a real reinforcement for our team and will help us in the current season. We welcome Saeid to KAS Eupen and wish him every success in our club,” he added.

Ezatolahi is the fifth Iranian player in Belgian First Division League.

Ali Gholizadeh, Kaveh Rezaei, Milad Mohammadi and Younes Delfi are also playing in Belgian teams.

Hong Kong prepares for a tough World Cup campaign

Hong Kong Finnish coach Mixu Paatelainen has said that the team needs to strike a balance between short-term gains and long-term goals as they head into their opening qualifiers for the next Fifa World Cup next month.
“First we need to have the angle of approach – how we want to go about with the national team.
“Is it the development first or is it the result first? At the moment it is results first,” he said.
“For these first two qualifiers, I have chosen a team that has more experience as we are looking for results from a very difficult group.”

The Finn said that the door is still open for young players but this is why he has opted for experience in what will be his first competitive fixtures in charge of Hong Kong – the first two matches of the 2022 World Cup qualification Asian zone second round.

The Finn only arrived in the post in April following the sudden departure of Englishman Gary White early this year but he will be under immediate scrutiny as Hong Kong faces possibly the worst draw in the qualifying tournament.

Mixu Paatelainen has named his 23-strong 2022 World Cup qualifying squad that will do battle against Cambodia and Iran next month, putting his faith on his tried and tested veterans while leaving out a batch of youngsters waiting in the wings.

The Hong Kong coach didn’t surprise with his selections, adding Sandro, of Premier League champions Wofoo Tai Po, to the squad after the Brazilian forward missed Hong Kong’s warm-up game against Taiwan, which saw his charges beaten 2-0 at Mong Kok Stadium in June.

Kwoon Chung Southern’s James Ha has also been added to the squad after skipping the Taiwan game as he was away on holiday, while former Tai Po midfielder Wong Wai, who is currently a free agent, is the only surprise call-up to the squad.

Hong Kong will take on Cambodia in Phnom Penh on September 5 before the team have the Herculean task of playing Asian giants Iran at home five days later on September 10.
Cambodia will provide an interesting challenge at the National Olympic Stadium in Cambodia’s capital, and Paatelainen was looking forward to the challenge.

“I’m quite delighted to name my squad for the World Cup qualifiers but it has been difficult to choose the players because we have quite a few players who can play [eligible] for Hong Kong,” said the 52-year-old Finnish coach.

“Also, we don’t have any competitive fixtures and matches going on and I have to base my judgment on the players’ previous season form and how they performed in practice matches as well.
“It’s not an ideal situation but because we don’t have any competitive fixtures, that’s how we go about it. I feel we have a strong squad, certainly a more experienced squad than in June against [Taiwan].”

Mixu Paatelainen wants Spartan fighting spirit from Hong Kong footballers for 2022 World Cup qualifiers
“In that game, we wanted to see as many players as possible in our training sessions and give the youth players a possibility to show their talent and see whether they are ready to break into the squad. Some are in my opinion and some aren’t. This squad has experience and has cover for every position.”

Asked how Hong Kong would fare against Cambodia and especially Iran, who have reached the World Cup finals before, the Finn said: “Obviously, we want to do as well as we can and get positive results from there. We know it’s not going to be easy. Cambodians play good football. They pass the ball well and they have able players. Their [playing] surface obviously plays a role over there. It’s not what our players are used to. Our players are used to playing on more or less on grass. It is an artificial surface [in Cambodia] and from what I’ve heard, it’s pretty hard. We will take that into our minds and will make our preparations to make sure that every player is as comfortable as possible for that. The bottom line is that we want to take a positive result from there,” he said.

Mixu Paatelainen impressed by Hong Kong’s work ethic as he takes over coaching hot seat
Paatelainen and his charges will be provided with an acid test when they take on Iran, the highest Fifa ranked Asian team at the moment (Fifa world ranking 23) and the Finn is under no illusions of the task at hand.

“It’s going to be a big test for us. But you know, we have a plan on how we going to play and how we want to make life very difficult for Iran and cause them problems as well. I’m very looking forward to that test.”
Of the youngsters, the Hong Kong coach has dropped most of the youngsters who disappointed against Taiwan, leaving out Eastern’s Yue Tze-nam and Shinichi Chan of Kitchee and only retaining Tai Po’s Sun Ming-him.

HONG KONG WORLD CUP SQUAD

Goalkeepers:
Yapp Hung-fai (Eastern), Wang Zhenpeng (Kitchee), Yuen Ho-chun (Lee Man)

Defenders:
Chak Ting-fung, Fung Hing-wa (Eastern), Festus Baise (Guizhou Hengfeng), Andrew James Russell (Hebei China Fortune), Daniel Cancela Rodriguez, Helio Jose De Souza Gonclaves, Tong Kin-man (Kitchee), Tsui Wang-kit (Meizhou Hakka), Leung Nok-hang (R&F).

Midfielders:
Lee Ka-yiu, Xu Deshuai (Eastern), Tan Chun-lok (Guangzhou R&F), Huang Yang, Ju Yingzhi (Kitchee), Philip Chan Siu-kwan (Kwoon Chung Southern), Wong Wai.

Forwards:
Alexander Oluwatayo Akande (Dalian Yifang), Alessandro Ferreira Leonardo (Sandro), Sun Ming-him (Wofoo Tai Po), James Stephen Gee Ha, (Kwoon Chung Southern)

Östersund and Saman Ghoddos are sanctions by FIFA

Team Melli and Amiens player Saman Ghoddos is suspended from all football activities for four months while his former club Östersund is prohibited from transfer market for transfer windows as a result of Ghoddos’ messy move from the Swedish club last summer.

Ghoddos was transferred to Amiens in French Ligue 1 at the end of last summer, but before that, it was rumoured that Ghoddos was on his way to Spanish club Huesca.

According to Huesca, the clubs have agreed terms and Ghoddos should have flown down to sign, but Östersund then withdrew.

According to the Football Channel , there will be consequences for both Östersund and Ghoddos.

“The player has been sentenced to pay compensation to SD Huesca and sporting penalties have been imposed on the player and Östersunds FK with reference to Article 17, sections 3 and 4,” FIFA has informed the concerned parties in an email.

Ghoddos is thus suspended for four months and Östersund is prohibited from two transfer windows.

In addition, Ghoddos will pay over 40 million to the Spanish club, which should be paid within 30 days according to Huesca’s website.

ÖFK  appeal

Östersund Football Club’s press officer, Niclas Lidström, tells SVT that they are surprised by the decision and that they will appeal the FIFA ruling.

“We have today decided to start a process to appeal. At this moment, we do not wish to comment on the case, we are sure that we will get it right in the appeal process,” he said in a press statement.

Ghoddos also turned down a move to English Championship club Brentford at the last minute at the beginning of the current season.

If the Östersund appeal fails, Ghoddos will be unable to play for Team Melli in the FIFA World Cup 2022 Asian qualifiers until the new year.

FIFA began to investigate the case on June 12, 2019 against Östersunds FK and Ghoddos as the result of a complaint filed by Huesca. the Spanish club alleged a break of contract and other violations in relation to the transfer of Saman Ghoddo’s from Östersund. When Ghoddos was due to leave Östersund in August 2018, there were rumours that he was going to Huesca and it finally went as far as the Spanish agent Quique Pena wrote that Ghoddos was ready for the club. Nevertheless, Ghoddos eventually went to French Amiens and then Huesca believed that there was a violation. “I can confirm that Fifa is conducting an investigation against Östersunds FK, concerning the player Saman Ghoddos and that it is the Spanish club SD Huesca that filed a case,” said Hans Hultman, Fifa’s press secretary for DN. On the part of Östersund, the club maintained silence and did not comment on the report.

“ÖFK as an organization has no comments on the information you have asked about,” wrote club head Niclas Lidström in a text message to DN.

Saeed Ezzatollahi to Join Belgium’s Eupen

Team Melli player Saeed Ezzatollahi is joining Belgium’s K.A.S Eupen on a one-year loan deal, it was announced today

Ezzatollahi one of the most promising Iranian youngsters who was recruited by Atletico Madrid talent hunters during his youth has had a quite disappointing career. Marred by injury and instability in performance, Ezatollahi has never achieved his potential. The unsettled midfielder changed many clubs and hardly spending enough time to establish himself before moving to the another. The Gilani midfielder seemed to be prone to injury spending much time on the injury list at his clubs.

Saeed Ezatollahi has joined the lowly Belgian team which recently had Morteza Pouraliganji on its books, in a one-year loan contract from the Rostov-based Russian club. The 22-year-old has started his career in Malavan Bandar Anzali, Spain’s Atletico Madrid, Russia’s Anzhi Makhachkala, Amkar and  English Championship side Reading.

Ezzatollahi has played in 30 matches for Team Melli scoring a solitary goal. He was in Iran’s squad for FIFA World Cup 2018.

PSV expresses interest in Jahanbakhsh

EINDHOVEN – After the arrival of Kostas Mitroglou, PSV wants a player for the attack, to solidify its formation in Europe ahead of a long season and, above all, to take on the title battle with Ajax. PSV plays chess on several boards at the same time, the main candidates being the Japanese Ritsu Doan and Iranian Alireza Jahanbakhsh, the man who was the top scorer of the Eredivisie at AZ more than a year ago. The managers of Eindhoven are just waiting for the last week before the transfer deadline to make their move.

The Argentinian Nicolas Ivan Gonzalez of VfB Stuttgart was the number two on the list behind Doan of FC Groningen. PSV had done their preliminary work with his agent, but when he reported back to his club, the answer was clear: Silence. PSV knows from previous experiences with Feyenoord striker Steven Berghuis this transfer summer what that could mean. A transfer fee that the club does not want to pay or a negotiation that will last far too long for comfort, which is a risk the club cannot take now.

Japanese Doan has long been number one, but PSV will not pay the hefty transfer fee demanded by FC Groningen. The club demands an amount towards the fourteen million euros plus a substantial resale percentage. PSV had a maximum of eight million euros in mind plus some extras. That gap is too big, Doan’s business manager is trying to get the northerners to agree on a more reasonable fee.

Jahanbakhsh is the (cheaper) alternative. PSV wants to take the Iranian international on loan for a year from his club Brighton & Hove Albion and hopes to hear soon whether he will be released.

So far the managers of Eindhoven were told that Jahanbakhsh the right-winger transferred from AZ last year for 25 million euros is not available for the loan. Current manager Graham Potter plays in a 5-3-2 system, Jahanbakhsh a wing-back. However, for the third time in a row against Southampton Jahanbakhsh was not in the squad, which could offer an opening in the last week of the transfer window for his transfer. That he hardly played for a year is not a big problem for PSV. Jahanbakhsh was a top player in the Eredivisie, knows what is being asked from him and is above all a different type of attacker than the club has in-house.

Marc von Bommel

For example, PSV has Mohamed Ihattaren and Gaston Pereiro, when he returns in two months from a fracture of the collarbone, have the passers and creative players who could play the role intended for Doan from the right. PSV looks at players who are complementary to each other and offer extra possibilities in the way of playing within the current selection. Jahanbakhsh does not only bring scoring ability, but he could also serve the (incoming) goal-getter Mitroglou (in phases) with his moves.

If coach Mark van Bommel wants to use Doan at ‘ten’, Bergwijn can move to the place where he grew into as an international player (on the flank). Only Doan has played most of his matches in Groningen from the right and he immediately gets a big responsibility at a top club, with a hefty price tag around his neck. Again, one that PSV does not want to comply with. If the situation remains the same and if Jahanbakhsh is kept to his contract with Brighton, PSV will act towards the next candidate in the last days before the deadline.

Mehdi Taremi scores a hat trick in Portugal.

Team Melli top scorer, Mehdi Taremi has just scored a hat trick for his club Rio Ave in a 5 – 1 thrashing of Desportivo Aves.  The Iranian forward who has transferred from Qatari club Al Gharaffa at the beginning of the current season made a dream debut in the Portuguese league for his club  Rio Ave scoring in the  9′, 21′, and 51′ to be the first-ever Iranian to score a Hat Trick in a European league.

Taremi played for 75 minutes for his club against the team that has Mehrdad Mohammadi in its line up.

Team Melli players news & transfers.

Omid Noorafkan, who is a member of the Belgian football club Sporting Charleroi has agreed terms with Foolad Sepahan on a one-year deal. Noorafkan was on a loan deal with Esteghlal but his contract with Sepahan is a permanent one, according to ISNA. Noorafkan has already joined Sepahan squad and has been training at the club training ground from today (Tuesday). Massoud Tabash, managing director of Sepahan Club, confirmed this in an interview with ISNA.

Saman Ghoddos transfer to the English Championship club Brentford has fallen apart at the last minute with the Iranian not agreeing personal terms.  Ghoddos returned back to his club Amiens SC in France and joined the squad for training.  Ghoddos already played two matches for his club in League 1. The Iranian midfielder is one of the very few successful Iranian legionnaires’ in Europe. Last season he played 27 times for Amiens and scored 4 goals.

Meanwhile, in Qatar, Omid Ebrahimi‘s contract with his club Al Ahli is about to run out. According to one source, Ebrahimi who had a very good season with Al Ahli is sought by several QSL clubs. Al Duhail seems to be the favourite to sign him. No official announcement has been out from either side.

In Belgium, Kaveh Rezaei is still registered with Club Brugge however, he has not featured in any matches yet. He was in the 18 man squad on one match but was an unused substitute. Club Brugge seems to be looking for options to sell the Iranian forward by the 2nd of September were the European transfer windows will close. The Iranian forward is surplus to requirements at Belgian team Club Brugge according to coach Philippe Clement who has made it clear that Rezaei no longer figures in his plans.

One of the options for Rezaei is to return to Charleroi. The 27-year-old striker has played 11 times for Club Brugge and scored just one goal. Rezaei joined Club Brugge for a reported club-record fee of €5 million in August 2018.

Ali Gholizadeh, another Team Melli player in Belgium has made a cameo appearance for his club, Sporting Charleroi coming in at the 88th minute of a league game. His status seems to be a bench warmer with Charleroi however there are no indications that the club is going to release him.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh status in Brighton in jeopardy.

For the second match in a row, Alireza Jahanbakhsh did not make the 18 man squad for Brighton & Hove Albion match against  West Ham. Jahanbakhsh was left out of the team for the first match of the new Premier League season away to Watford which Brighton won 3-0, and then he was again omitted from the squad for the home game against West Ham which ended in a draw 1-1.

It seems that the Seagulls’ coach Graham Potter has little belief in the ability of the Team Melli winger to produce the goods in the Premier League. After a difficult season last year marred by injury and absence from Brighton team for the AFC Asian Cup, Jahanbakhash failed to sparkle despite his record signing from Alkmaar. The top scorer of the Dutch League failed to score a single goal for Brighton.

Despite his failure to score, the former Brighton coach had a lot of confidence in Jahanbakhsh as’s abilities and skill as he was on the top of Houghton’s pecking order upfront.  However, Houghton was using Jahanbakhash in the role of a wingback rather than a forward. The Iranian had to be available to defend when the team was under attack. That was one of the reasons, but certainly not THE reason, for his lack of scoring. Statistics of last season shows that Jahanbakhsh was not getting much goal scoring opportunity but was used more as a provider on the flanks.

Whatever the case was for last season disappointing performance, Jahanbakhsh’s chances to be part of the Brighton lineup seems to be quite slim and him lasting in the club, to be in doubt. The Transfer window in Europe is still open until 2nd September. One way out of this situation is for Brighton to seek a buyer for Jahanbakhsh. Rumours of the Iranian returning back to the Eredivisie with his former club started a couple of weeks back but it seems to have died down quite quickly.

Jahanbakhsh himself remains hopeful to return back to form to gain the confidence of Graham Potter. With the fine performance of the current squad, the competition for places in the team is quite tough. Jahanbakhsh really needs to work extra hard to convince the boss of his value else his future in Brighton and the premier league is in jeopardy

Saman Ghoddos to English Championship side Brentford

Exclusive: Brentford agree deal to sign international attacker, medical imminent
Date: 6th August 2019 at 7:49pm
Written by: 

EXCLUSIVE by Pete O’Rourke

Brentford has agreed on a deal to sign Amiens attacker Saman Ghoddos, Football Insider understands.

Brentford have lined up a deal for the Iranian international to replace Neal Maupay following his departure to Brighton earlier this week.

A source at the Beeds has told Football Insider that Ghoddos, who played for Iran at the 2018 World Cup and AFC Asian Cup 2019, is now set for talks and a medical at Griffin Park as Brentford look to finalise the move before Thursday’s transfer deadline.


Ghoddos can play in an attacking midfield role or anywhere across the frontline and Brentford have been tracking him for some time.

The Bees’ Championship rivals Fulham and Queens Park Rangers tried to sign Ghoddos before he joined Amiens last summer from Swedish club Ostersunds.


Ghoddos scored four goals and provided four assists in 27 games in his debut season in Ligue 1 last season, while he has 18 caps under his belt for his country.

In other Brentford news, it can be REVEALED that the club are plotting a £3million move to sign a forward from another Championship side.