01/02/2014

Ghoochannejad makes his debut in England.

London

The Addicks *Charlton Ateletics) will turn to Iranian new boy Reza Ghoochannejhad to fire them to safety. The south Londoners are the league’s lowest scorers and have won just once from their last 10 games to leave them in the mire. After scoring a miserly 22 goals this season, it’s clear where Powell’s problems lie ahead of today’s trip to Wigan.

The Charlton boss said: “We know we haven’t scored enough goals this season so we need to boost that area.“Reza’s hard-working and gets into areas to score goals so we need that straight away. “We are looking first to him scoring goals and helping us move up the table. “He is going to the World Cup in the summer and has scored goals at different levels in Belgium and Holland. “We are looking first to him scoring goals and helping us move up the table”

“It’s an exciting signing for us and he could figure at Wigan.”

Gucci is part of Charlton’s Belgian invasion to have headed over from Standard Liege. Midfielders Anil Koc and Astrit Ajdarevic, along with goalkeeper Yohann Thuram-Ulien, have also joined from the club owned by new Charlton chief Roland Duchatelet. Powell added: “It would be silly for me not to use the network as an advantage.

“I’ve looked at the Standard squad and watched some of their games. There are some good players that can help us. “But it doesn’t restrict me from looking at other players.” “It’s an exciting signing for us and he could figure at Wigan.” Gucci is part of Charlton’s Belgian invasion to have headed over from Standard Liege.

Midfielders Anil Koc and Astrit Ajdarevic, along with goalkeeper Yohann Thuram-Ulien, have also joined from the club owned by new Charlton chief Roland Duchatelet. Powell added: “It would be silly for me not to use the network as an advantage. “I’ve looked at the Standard squad and watched some of their games. There are some good players that can help us.

“But it doesn’t restrict me from looking at other players.”

[divider]

Team Melli center forward, Reza Ghoochannejad made his debut with Charlton Athletics FC today in the English Championship league.

Ghoochanejad , played a full 90 minutes for Chris Powell side away to Wigan. The host won the match 2-1 despite Charlton scoring very early in the match at the DW stadium in Wigan. Charlton’s Sordell scored in the tthird minute of the match to put the London side in front until the half time. In the 2nd half Wigan scored to goals to gran all the 3 points.

Charlton are in the relegation zone at ranked 22 in the 24 team Championship league (2nd tier of the English League).

The other Team Melli player in the English league, Ashkan Dejagah , was not on the team sheet for his club Fulham match against Southampton. The match at Craven cottage ended withe the Saint winning 0-3 sending Fulham to the bottom of the English Premiere league.

31/01/2014

Queiroz defends cancellation of the African camp and takes a swipe at league club coaches.

Tehran

Source: Mehr News Agency.

In his first interview since returning from abroad, Carlos Queiroz , commented on the cancellation of the Team Melli camp in South Africa by saying “the issue is very clear”

“The camp is part of our preparation for the World Cup . The camp was designed especially for Iran’s domestic players to enhance their skills and also to change their playing style especially since we have Nigeria in our own group and four friendly matches were arranged. Conducting the camp would have been very useful for the team.” Queiroz said. ” The second reason I chose this plan , relates to my experiences . We need to have a higher level of football to win any match the World Cup. We are facing quality opponents. Their players are playing in high level leagues and in every game that they are playing, they run an average of 10 to 12 kms.”

According to Team Melli coach “Nigerian players , Bosnian and Argentinians play in the European leagues. On average they get 64 minutes of active play time every game in every competition , but in Iran the figure is 50 or 52 minutes. According to the latest figures I have from Iran’s domestic league, players run an average of only 7 to 8 km only.”

Queiroz continued “my third reason for this was that I feel and carry the responsibility of 70 million on my shoulders . So my interest in independent to the interest of clubs like Esteghlal , Foolad or Sepahan but also to the interests of 80 million Iranians across the globe. I think . That is why I needed it . The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Federation and the League had approved the plan . If you look at the formation of the national team just a few of our players are in Europe , they are of course in a good environment , but most players are involved in the Iranian league .”

“In this regard ” he noted “When I saw the four main players of the team out of six , have left the domestic league , it did not make sense to hold this camp (…). When you do not have your team’s main players , this camp is not logical . The next reason was that we did not receive support of any kind . However, I have always believed that since we will be playing against the best in the world, our players need to have a specific plan and the decision was taken by the board . My concern was , our players are not available and we did not receive support financially . That’s why I suggested canceling the training program yesterday at a meeting with Mohammad Nabi and Kafashian. I want to stress, though, that we will continue the program but in our own backyard.”

In response to criticism by club coaches like Ghalenoei , Faraki and Kranjčar about the Team Melli program and the long league suspension , Queiroz said ” Tell me, what is my primary responsibility? When the Iranian flag is flying high on the mast during the World Cup , I see happiness in the picture . I know it is my duty to defend the flag . Not the interests of one or two people who only think about their own interest and defend themselves . The first league games were delayed because of the benefits of a club . Everyone knows that for the interests Ghalenoei and Fathollahzadeh , the league was delayed. The club that complains constantly .”

Queiroz noted “the issue here is not about someone called Queiroz , that does not matter. I ‘ve heard from the former President and the current President of the Republic, that the priorities for this year is Team Melli. I was in a meeting , when we heard from them since this year’s Team Melli has qualified to the World Cup . The reason that the league program has fallen apart is because is was solely for the benefit of Fathollahzadeh and Ghalenoei . Now , for the benefit of Ghalenoei and Krancjar , the league is postponed for 5 weeks .

Queiroz said “the real question is if the football team is the first priority , then why does not it receive the support necessary? Why all the protection of clubs interests , but not the support for Team Melli ? I know that everyone , including Ghalenoei and Krancjar. I agree this was not planned, however , let’s talk about the expectations of the fans of the national team . that Kranjcar talked about FIFA rules, which I know them a lot better than him. No one in this country knows FIFA better than me, because I was present from the beginning to develop them.”
He stated ” FIFA rules was not made to cater to the Iranian success. Do you think that other countries do not want us to succeed , we will attach importance to the World Cup ?

Queiroz continued his verbal onslaught on Ghalenoei and Kranjcar, mocking or dismissing all their statements and claiming his own superior knowledge with 33 years in football.

28/01/2014

Friendly matches announced for Team Melli

Team Melli will be playing against Belarus and Montenegro during the European camp on may 2014.

As part of the preparation for the FIFA World Cup , Carlos Queiroz will be taking Team Melli squad to Europe , most probably a camp in Austria, which would last for two weeks. During this training camp , two friendly matches have been arranged with East European teams, Belarus and Montenegro.

After the completion of the European camp , Team Melli will continue the preparation program in Tehran where a another friendly match is scheduled on the 31st of May. The opponents will be an African country , either Angola or South Africa. Thus Team Melli would have played with teams that are tactically and physically close to two opponents in the Group F, Nigeria and Bosnia. Iran will still be looking for a Latin American team to play a friendly match against to gauge its capabilities with Argentina in mind. Such opponent team might be available when Team Melli sets camp in Brazil , early in June. At the moment, 8th of June 2014 is booked for a match against Montenegro in Brazil, however the opponent might change to a South American team pending negotiations.

Team Melli Training Camp matches.

18th May 2014 vs Belarus in Europe (Austria)

26th May 2014 vs Montenegro in Europe (Austria)

31st May 2014 vs Angola or South Africa @ Azadi

8th June 2014 vs Montenegro in Brazil

28/01/2014

Payam Sadeghian makes an emotional appeal.

Payam Sadeghian made an emotional appeal on Navad program against his accuser(s) after being named along with his teammate Mohsen Mosalman , in a Shisha smoking scandal.

Sadeghian , a promising young player who is showing immense potential this season with Persepolis , was named by Alipour, the head of Ethics Committee in the IRIFF , in a case of Shisha smoking along with Moslaman and several others on the hotel in Kish while Team Melli U-22 was camping for friendly match against South Korea.

The media announced that the two Persepolis Players are banned from selections to national teams at all levels until full investigation are carried out. Subsequently, the pair missed the team taking part in the first Asian U-22 championship in Oman. Iran did not qualify from the group stages coming third after Japan and Australia.

In this quick interview believed to be recorded after Perspeolis match against Foolad Khuzestan in the Hazfi Cup quarter finals; Sadeghian declared his innocence and defied Alipour to produce any concrete evidence including alleged pictures of him and his teammate Moslaman smoking. A highly emotional Sadeghian admitted that he was disillusioned and hurt by such accusation and the ban from representing his country especially at a stage when he is playing quite well and hoping to make his senior Team Melli squad.

The Football Association has been quiet after the initial breaking of the news that lead to suspension of the team doctor, a Manager and another official.

Sadeghian , who has made many headlines for the wrong reasons, has been given a one match suspension for his violent foul on an Esteghlal player in the local derby. Despite his skills and on the field, he has been having issues with self-discipline and attitude.

27/01/2014

Nigerians eying their World Cup foes!

The Nigerian website Punch , published an interesting article about Group F opponents of Nigeria in the FIFA World Cup 2014

27/01/2014

24 teams in AFC Asian Cup 2019

The AFC has announced major changes in the competitions structure.

The major competition of the conteninet, the AFC Asian Cup will feature 24 teams in 2019 edition while AFC Champions League will see a similar number of nations participating according to AFC announcement following a meeting in Muscat where the AFC U-22 Championships were recently held.

The AFC Challenge Cup, which sees participation from lower ranked Asian teams, with winners gaining direct entry to the Asian Cup, will also be scrapped following this year’s edition in Maldives.

Qualification process for the Asian Cup and Fifa World Cup will also be combined at the preliminary stage. AFC Member Associations (MAs) will be split into eight groups with the group winners and four second best teams going forward to the final qualifying round for Fifa World Cup, as well as gaining automatic entry to the Asian Cup. This also increases the number of Asian teams competing in the final round of the World Cup qualifiers from 10 to 12.

The top 24 remaining teams who failed to progress to the final round of World Cup qualifiers, will instead compete for a chance at the Asian Cup in six groups of four teams. However the final round of qualifiers for the World Cup and Asian Cup will remain separate.

Changes have also been implemented for AFC’s club competitions. Assessment criteria for a nation’s AFC Champions League eligibility will now also include national team performances over the previous four years. 30% of the criteria points will be drawn from national team with the remaining 70% based on clubs’ showings.

The top 24 ranked MAs based on this new criteria will get a direct slot in the AFC Champions League group stage. Other criteria such as club licensing, existence of integrity programmes, organization of a professional league, satisfactory facilities and logical support also need to be fulfilled.

The next eight highest ranking MAs will get a direct slot in the AFC Cup group stage while those ranked from 33 to 47 will get a chance to play in the AFC Cup playoff stage.

The new rules will come into effect in competitions from 2015 with assessments taking place this year.

AFC President Shaikh Salman Ebrahim Al Khalifa praised the new changes and hoped for a positive impact.

“Competitions are the main products of AFC and I am happy that it is in the good hands,” he told AFC.com.

“We must market our product and generate income to sustain football across the continent. I am sure that the changes that happen will have big impact in Asian football and will benefit our Member Associations.”

18/01/2014

State of Readiness

Six months to go for Team Melli’s first match in FIFA World Cup. The man who counts most at this stage of the game, the coach Senor Carlos Queiroz , is far from optimistic and has little words of encouragement for the passionate Persian fans of team Melli across the globe. Queiroz keeps reminding us not to count on his team chances of making an impact in Brazil. Highlights the problems he has been facing , financially , administratively and culturally that makes his task as mission impossible. No matter how the ardent fans of Team Melli would find his remarks, some would find it disparaging and gloomy, while some would condemn such remarks in these critical times, realistically speaking , the Portuguese coach is not far from asserting the facts and reflecting the status quo of Iranian football.

[quote cite=”Carlos Queiroz”]”This is our mission impossible once, twice and three times” [/quote]

“This is our mission impossible once, twice and three times,” the 60-year-old Queiroz told AFP in Tehran a few days ago. Words that are far from encouraging, uttered by a person who , in theory at least, should be inspirational , stimulating and preparing his troop for a real battle against the best of the world. True , no one would expect the likes of Teymourian , Hosseini or Ahmadi to stand a real chance against the might of Lionel Messi and his mates, but World Cup is a place where the world remembers the fighting spirits , bravery , defiance and honor as much as skills , artistry , wizards and beautiful goals. Iran can offer plenty of former if not much of the latter, but there seems to be a lose connection, a disparity a sense of loss before the first ball is kicked.

When Queiroz took over as coach, he arrived to find a national federation that was “lethargic, lacking ambition.” As he was quoted in the AFP report. This is only a tiny example of a plethora of complications facing Iran’s football management for decades. Acute lack of management & organizational skills, lopsided channeling of funds, rather than lack of it, and discrepancy between fans expectations and the management objectives are a few of the issues hindering the progress of football in the country. Poor talent management is definitely a major issue.

With so much natural talent, begging to be discovered and nurtured, it is a pity that somewhere along the line of development of footballers; many young players seem to lose their bearings and never reach their potentials. A prime example is Persepolis forward, Payam Sadeghian , perhaps the hottest talent in Iran’s football at present. A player who has an excellent talent, pace, intelligence and sublime vision. The 22 years old striker is, however, close to self-destruction because of acute lack of discipline on and off the field. Such talents, are carefully handled and treasured elsewhere, but it has not been the case in Iran. Sadeghian, who represented Iran at all age levels, has been disorderly and troublemaker, especially since his arrival at Persepolis. The fault, partially at least, is due to the failure of the system to handle and protect such talents.

But such setbacks have not prevented Team Melli from displaying some level of respectable football in its history. In fact the Iranians usually excel under pressure. There is no reason why World Cup 2014 should be any different. In his reign , Queiroz impact on the teams tactics has not been eye catching. Team Melli has played with a solid defensive strategy which is not too attractive to watch. Queiroz biggest impact has been his success in attracting players with dual nationality. Dejagah and Ghoochannejad who were instrumental in Team Melli’s qualification to the finals of the world cup, are in the team thanks to Queiroz’s efforts.

The more serious concerns are still lingering. Iran could end up in Brazil with the weakest preparation program of all the 32 teams. Lack of friendly games, shortage of funds, compressed local league season and other issues are still making it difficult for Queiroz. The fact that he is leaving by the end of July 2014, when his contract expires, does not inspire either as lack of motivation by the Portuguese coach could be an issue. What can be said six months before the kickoff , though , is that all is not too well with Team Melli but it is business as usual.

No one can remember an ideal preparation for Team Melli for major tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup or the AFC Asian Cup, but that has never seemed to dilute the fighting spirit, enthusiasm and resolve of the Iranians.

16/01/2014

Team Melli maintains top Asian ranking.

In the latest FIFA Ranking , Iran maintained its position as the Top Asian team ahead of Japan an Korea Rep. , despite dropping one position to 34th in the

world. Romania is in 33rd rank while Cape Verde Islands is only below Iran. Nigeria who is in Group F of the FIFA World Cup 2014 has dropped 4 positions and lies in 41 position below Iran. The other teams in the group Argentina and Bosnia have maintained in their position 2 and 19 respectively.

Rank	Team	Pts
31	Egypt	748	10
32	Costa Rica	743	-1
33	Romania	734	-1
34	Iran	727	-1
35	Cape Verde Islands	726	4
36	Panama	722	2
37	Scotland	717	-3
38	Armenia	716	-3
39	Venezuela	715	-3
40	Mali	703	5
41	Nigeria	701	-4
42	Peru	698	-3

Asian Ranking

Last Updated 16 Jan 2014 m Next Release 13 Feb 2014

Jan 2014

Rank	Zone Rank	Team	Pts	+/- Pos
34	1	Iran	727	-1
48	2	Japan	641	-1
53	3	Korea Republic	581	1
56	4	Australia	571	2
63	5	United Arab Emirates	548	8
65	6	Uzbekistan	546	3
72	7	Jordan	504	-7
73	8	Saudi Arabia	487	14
79	9	Oman	440	6
92	10	China PR	376	0

16/01/201416/01/2014

Kaveh Rezaei’s hat trick not enough for Iran

A second half hat trick by team Melli’s center forward Kaveh Rezaei against Kuwait was not enough for Iran to qualify to the next round.

In the match played on Thursday , Iran U-22 beat Kuwait-U22 3-1 in Muscat , Oman in the final game of group C in the AFC Asian U-22 Championship 2014.

Japan routed Australia 4-0 in the other game that was played at the same time of Iran-Kuwait game, to qualify for the next round along with Australia. Both Iran and Kuwait were eliminated.

In a match which was totally dominated by Team Melli U-22 , the Iranians did everything but finish their attacks in the first half. The hero of the match was undoubtedly the Kuwaiti goalkeeper who saved many goal bound shoots from Iranian forwards. In the second round the trend continued as the first with the Kuwaiti’s having nothing to offer but sit back and defend. However , Rezaei managed to score in the 62nd minute with a flying header after the Kuwaiti goalkeeper again parried in front of Kaveh Rezaeh who cleverly headed into the goal. Rezaei scored his second 5 minutes later in a similar circumstances before completing his hat trick in style with a curved shoot on to the far corner of the Kuwait goalkeeper in the 81st minute. Kuwait scored a consolation late in the added time.

For all his effort , Rezaei’s fine scoring record in this tournament , could not save Iran. 5 goals from 3 matches is a record to be proud of but the Japanese with a convincing win in their decider match against Australia, sealed the feat of Iran. It was a bitter end for Team Melli U-22 under Human Afazeli who took over only a few days before the start of the competition after Alireza Mansourian resigned his post as a coach.

15/01/201415/01/2014

Team Melli U-22 lose against Australia.

Team Melli U-22 faltered against Australia in its second match of the AFC Asian U-22 championship as they went down 1-0 in Muscat’s Royal Police stadium.

The performance of the team was in sharp contrast to the first game against Japan when they showed grit , and skills against the opponents.

Against an organized Australian team , Team Melli U-22 was facing a physically strong , highly organized and motivated players. The Iranians were poorly disciplined tactically and by conduct , played emotionally and insisted on individual plays rather than team work. There was far too many dribbles, even the goalkeeper Biranvand dribbled like his teammates. Despite having a better percentage of ball possession , there was far too many shortcomings in the team to produce a winning performance.

With this result , which qualifies Australia, it looks like Team Melli is in a precarious position. Even a win against Kuwait in the last match of the group , which is by no way a forgone conclusion , might not be enough for the team to make it to the next round.

In the other match of the group , Japan and Kuwait drew 0-0.

AFC U-22 C’ship: Iran 0-1 Australia

Details: Published: 15 January 2014

Muscat: A goal from Petros Skapetis put Australia into the quarter-finals of the AFC U-22 Championship with a 1-0 victory over Iran in Group C at Royal Police Stadium on Tuesday.

The Australian forward latched on to a loose ball on the 56th minute and fired home after Iranian goalkeeper Ali Reza Beiranvand could only parry defender Curtis Good’s header following a corner kick.

And although Iran threw on two more forwards in an attempt to restore parity, they were unable to breakdown a very organised Australian side, who might have scored again through midfielder Stefan Mauk in the final minutes of the match.

“We knew it would be a hard and physical game but I’m happy with the performance of my players” said Australia coach Aurelio Vidmar.

“We need to get a bit more composure, especially through the midfield, as the game got very stretched at times. But overall, I’m very pleased.”

While Iran welcomed back defender Vahid Esmaeilbeigi and midfielder Morteza Pouraliganji to the side from suspension, Australia coach Vidmar swapped almost his entire starting line-up from the 11 that began the 1-0 over Kuwait on Sunday.

“Every team has the same amount of players, our philosophy is to give everyone an opportunity.

“we wanted everyone to each get a full game, and we’ve achieved that so far,” explained Vidmar.

“There’s no first team or second team, I’m just trying to build one team.”

In a tight first half with chances at a premium, one of Vidmar’s changes, striker Adam Taggart, had his side’s first effort on goal inside the first 10 minutes as his free-kick from just outside the penalty area went narrowly over the crossbar.

Taggart was the most likely source of a breakthrough for Australia in the first period and on the 23rd minute he sent another curling shot drifted wide.

In between those strikes by the Australia forward, Mehdi Shiri went close for Iran with a deflected effort that goalkeeper Aaron Lennox pushed out, and a swerving long range effort that was just off target.

Australia came out fired up for the second half, however, and in the first minute after the restart Andrew Hoole’s penetrating run down the right side was followed by a shot from the right winger that needed to be punched clear by an alert Beiranvand at his near post.

Centre-back Good was then forced to leave the field for treatment to a nasty gash above his eye following a clash of heads, and with the big centre-back off the field, Iran had their best chance to open the scoring as Kaveh Rezaei slipped in Benham Barzay for a low shot from inside the penalty area that was parried wide by Lennox in the Australia goal.

But with Good back on the field sporting a mass of white gauzing around his injured forehead, it was Australia who took the lead.

Awarded a free-kick in a central area on the 55th minute, Hoole skimmed a low shot off the turf that was pushed out for a corner by the Iranian custodian.

But from the resulting set-piece, a hurtling blur of bandages in the form of Good powered a header on target that Beiranvand could only parry as far as the waiting Skapetis, who hooked the ball into the gaping net.

In a bid to seek an equaliser, Iran brought on strikers Arsalan Motahhari and Seyed Miri and it was the former who had his side’s best chance with a low shot into the arms of a sprawling Lennox following good work from Rezaei.

Australia dominated possession for the remains of the second half, although Motahhari had time for another effort at the death but this time his shot from the edge of the penalty area went wide of Lennox’s right-hand post.

With a lengthy seven minutes of stoppage time added due to Good’s extended treatment, Maulk could have put the game to bed, but a good save from Beiranvand prevented the second half substitute from doubling the advantage.

“It was a physically demanding game and we can say a game of small differences. Australia is a great team, very organised with a fighting spirit,” said Iran coach Human Afazeli.

“A big difference was that Australia used almost 11 new players, and we couldn’t do that as we have only 20 players in our squad and three of them are goalkeepers.

“I want to praise my players, they showed fantastic effort. I am satisfied with their efforts, they did a good job.”

[divider]

AFC U-22 CHAMPIONSHIP 2013
FINAL ROUND

14-01-2014 17:00 GST
Royal Oman Police Stadium, Muscat, OMAN
[Attendance]    250
IRAN    0    1    AUSTRALIA
0    Half time    1
MVP: SHAHRYAR SHIRVAND
Referee:    KIM JONG HYEOK (KOREA REPUBLIC)

Lineups
IRAN: 1 ALI REZA SAFARBEIRANVAND , 2 VAHID ESMAEILIBEIGI , 3 SHAHRYAR SHIRVAND (C), 5 MOHAMMAD AMIN HAJMOHAMMADI, 13 AHMAD ZENDEHROOH, 23 MEHDI SHIRI [16 FARDIN ABEDINI 62′], 6 MORTEZA POURALIGANJI, 14 SHAHAB KARAMI, 19 BEHNAM BARZAY [11 SEYED PEYMAN MIRI 71′], 20 EHSAN PAHLAVAN [17 ARSALAN MOTAHHARI 84′], 9 KAVEH REZAEI
HUMAN AFAZELI (Head Coach)

AUSTRALIA: 1 AARON LENNOX ; 3 CURTIS GOOD (C),4 CONNOR CHAPMAN , 6 JOSHUA BRILLANTE , 8 RYAN EDWARDS [17 JAKE BARKER-DAISH 80′],13 SCOTT GALLOWAY, 16 REECE CAIRA,21 ANDREW HOOLE, 23 PETROS SKAPETIS [9 DYLAN TOMBIDES 90′], 10 ADAM TAGGART [7 STEFAN INGO MAUK 86′], 11 CONNOR PAIN
AURELIO VIDMAR (Head Coach)

Yellow Cards: CHAPMAN (AUS) 23′, HAJMOHAMMADI (IRI) 38′, GOOD (AUS) 49′, KARAMI(IRI) 78′

[divider]

Group C

Teams	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	PTS
AUSTRALIA	2	2	0	0	2	0	2	6
JAPAN	2	0	2	0	3	3	0	2
I.R. IRAN	2	0	1	1	3	4	-1	1
KUWAIT	2	0	1	1	0	1	-1	1