The clock is ticking – World Cup draw.

 The clock is ticking as the football world is waiting in suspense for the draw on Friday. FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 promises to be the greatest show on earth and Team Melli is proudly taking part amongst the elite of world football.

 Iran is in pot 3 of the draw, with each of the six group

 FIFA confirmed the procedure that will govern the selection of the eight groups for the 2014 World Cup.

At present, all 32 teams are seeded into four pots, and one team from each will be selected to form a group. This will happen eight times, but with a caveat: No more than two European sides and one South American side can go into the same group.

Not surprisingly, Pot 1 contains the eight highest-ranked teams according to the October FIFA rankings. In Pot 2 are the five African representatives, as well as Chile and Ecuador. Pot 3 consists of the AFC and CONCACAF participants, and the remaining nine European nations are bundled into Pot 4.

There will be a pre-draw on Friday to move one of the nine into Pot 2, which currently consists of just seven teams.

It’s because of this quirk that FIFA have also created a temporary Pot X populated by the four South American outfits in Pot 1: Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Uruguay. The three that are not drawn against the European side that moves to Pot 2 will go back into Pot 1.

Iran flag large

Leaving aside the complexity of this World Cup draw, what is certain for Iran is that it will not be grouped with the Asian teams or with United States, Mexico, Costa Rica and Honduras. As such , Team Melli will not have the chance to play another thriller against USA similar to the famous World Cup 1998 encounter in Lyon where Iran won its first and only match in the 3 participation in the World Cup finals.

This grouping will also deprive Iran from a revenge match against Mexico which beat Team Melli in Nuremburg during the World Cup 20-06 in Germany.

Depend on the luck of the draw, Team Melli could end up in an impossible group where qualification to the next round could be more like a dream, or it might stand a very good chance if the teams in the group are close to its own level.

An impossible group would be something like Brazil , Chile , Iran and Italy. Such grouping will certainly be called a group of death as it will have three of the most in form teams in the world. The 3 star studded teams will fight quite hard for qualification and look at Iran to be a platform or punching box.

On the other hand , a draw for a group containing Switzerland, Cameroon , Iran and Russia, will be a mouthwatering chance for the proud Persian to make an impact. Not that the group can be called easy as both the European teams are quite strong and have played some brilliant matches, however , nether Switzerland nor Russia have any World Cup pedigree and that will be easier for Team Melli to tackle. Cameroon has lost quite a bit of its edge lately despite the return of the troublemaker Samuel Eto.

In Iran, the views are mixed. Ando Teymourian does not wish to be grouped with strong teams, while Head of the League Committee, Mehdi Taj hopes that Team Melli is group with the strongest teams in the competition. Each person has his own reasoning, but comes the kick off on June next year, these calculations and predictions might mean nothing. Football is a strange game and results are not always to forms and per-calculated.

In any case, we do hope that Team Melli gets a fair draw.

Kaffashian “We don have to play against strong teams in the friendly matches”

Ali Kaffashian Iran’s Football Federation President, commenting on the plans for Team Melli said “With minimal cost we will implement the best program before the World Cup. Carlos Queiroz and his coaching team are aware of this issue and do not believe that we have to play against famous and strong teams. The objective is to find value in these friendly matches as that is what is important for us. The friendly matches must be useful.” (…)

In essence, Kaffashian once again has hinted that his administration is not willing to spend big bucks on friendly matches and he cited Queiroz as not being an advocate of playing quality teams !

As such , Iran is taking a different path to the rest of the Asian teams which qualified to the World Cup. Japan , Australia and South Korea have already played major friendly games with European and Latin American top teams. No doubt, their preparation in the next six months will include more of these quality friendly games. Team Melli has failed to arrange any friendly matches since its qualification was confirmed, six months ago.

The irony is that Ali Kaffashian has noted that Team Melli expenses will be covered by the federation but will also be receiving a substantial financial support from FIFA to prepare for the World Cup. However , Kaffashian reiterated that the arranging and selecting of friendly matches will all depend on the Friday’s World Cup draw and which group Iran will be in.

The President of the FFIRI also mentioned the official Team Melli kit is awaiting Carlos Queiroz approval “As soon as Queiroz approves it , we will send the samples of Team Melli kit to FIFA” Kaffashian said “The official launch of the Team Melli kit will be carried out in a ceremony attended by dignitaries and UHL Sport representatives.”

Khalatbary balancing act

 

The road to Brazil ; Statistical analysis.

 

The road to qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 was quite interesting. The qualifications rounds spanning 696 days and 16 matches , started with the first match played in Azadi against Maldives on 23rd July 2011 and it ended in Ulsan, South Korea on 18th June 2013 against Korea Rep. with both matches resulting in victory for Team Melli.

Iran won 10 out of the 16 matches (62.5%) , drawing 4 matches (25%) and losing 2 matches (12.5%)

 

Full table

Stage Team

GP

W

D

L

GF

GA

+/-

Pts
Round 4 IRAN

8

5

1

 2

 8

 2

 +6

16
Round 3 IRAN

6

3

3

0

17

5

5

12
Round 2 IRAN

2

2

0

0

5

0

5

6
   

16

10

4

2

22

5

10

34

 

All the matches played by Team Melli were under the coaching of Carlos Queiroz.

Players selections

It transpired that Queiroz used more experienced players as the average age of the squad was quite high 29.08 years, while mainly selecting players from the two most popular teams in Iran Perspolis and Esteghlal who had the lion share of the players , 12 and 10 respectively. In the season when the qualification started, Perspolis ended the season at 12th place, it worst ranking in the league , while Esteghlal were 3rd.

Next season of the WC qualifying rounds, 2012/13 Perspolis fared slightly better ending the season at 7th place in the table , while Esteghlal won the championship title.

Team Melli had 8 foreign clubs players on its list, with players such as Ghoochannejad and Shojaei playing for two clubs during the campaign.

Half of the players in this campaign were 30 years or older (18 out of 36 players) while only 3 player were 25 years or younger (less than 1%).

If the same core of the squad will be used in next year’s final rounds of the World Cup, the average age of the team will rise to 30 years or more.

 

 

Scoring Analysis.

Team Melli scored 30 goals in the campaign for qualification to the World Cup with an average of 1.88 goals per game. The Midfield players scored the majority of the goals with the Captain Javad Nekounam topping the list of the scorers with 6 goals. Forwards scored 7 goals only.

Two thirds of the goals (20 )of total goals of 30 were scored at home  (66.6%), while a third (10) was scored away from home.

13 different players scored for Team Melli in the FIFA World Cup 2014 campaign. Only 3 recognized forwards are amongst the scorers and 2 defenders.

 

Fans support

A total of 660,340 fans watch Team Melli matches home and away. All the matches of Team Melli at home were played in Azadi stadium with an official capacity of 100,000 fans. The 8 home games attracted more than half a million fans (550,100 ) while 110,240 watch Team Melli matches away.

The greatest attendance was the Home match in Azadi against Korea Rep, were 110,000 fans packed Azadi stadium in outskirt of Tehran. The lowest attendance was for the first match against the Maldives with 15,000 fans only.

On average , the home matches for Team Melli attracted 68.76% capacity.

 

Briefs

  • Team Melli scored 30 goals in the 16 matches played while conceding 7 only
  • Goal scoring average per match = 1.88 goals
  • Goal scored against average per match = 0.23 goals
  • 13 different players scored for Team Melli in the qualifying rounds.
  • The forwards scored 7 goals (23%)
  • Midfield players scored 20 goals ( 66%)
  • Defenders scored 3 goals (10%)
  • Team Melli had 10 shut-out matches in 16 where the opponents failed to score.
  • Only one team managed to score more than one goals against Iran. Qatar scored 2 goals in Azadi.
  • Total number of players used in the Qualification matches is 36
  • Average player’s age was 29.08 years
  • Oldest player was Farhad Majidi with 36 years
  • Youngest players were Karim Ansarifard and Ehsan Hajsafy  ( (23 years). Ansarifard is younger by 1 1/2 months.
  • 18 out of 36 players  (50%) were 30 years old or above
  • Only 3 players  (less than 1%) were 25 years old or below
  • 13 Players changed clubs during the World cup qualification games started in July 2011

 

Ashkan Dejagah goal not enough to save Fulham

 

Team Melli Midfield Dynamo scored for his club Fulham on Wednesday night but was unable to save his club from defeat against Tottenham. The London Derby match ended 2-1 in favor of Tottenham.

Masked Man strikes to down Fulham It was a night of firsts at Craven Cottage as Ashkan Dejagah scored his first Premier League goal to put Fulham in front, only to see his celebrations cut short by debut League goals from the young Lewis Holtby and Vlad Chirches, still sporting a plastic mask from the broken nose he sustained in November.

A new look Fulham side, led by the recently appointed Meulensteen, headed into the game having made 7 changes from the side that lost to West Ham on the weekend. The changes seemed to have the desired effect as Fulham pegged back Spurs in the first 15 minutes of the game despite not having the lion’s share of possession. The first chance of the night fell to the newly restored Jermaine Defoe who forced a neat but easy save from Steklenburg after breaking through the Fulham back line. Fulham were not to be outdone however and Berbatov found himself clean through in the Spurs area only to see his usually near perfect touch desert him allowing Lloris to easily collect the ball without ever being in real danger.

Queiroz visits Corinthians Club camp in Brazil

Mehdi Mohammad Nabi and Carlos Queiroz will be representing Iran in the Friday FIFA World Cup 2014 draw. The pair have already arrived in Brazil ahead of time and visited Corinthians club camp where they were met by the famous Ex Brazilian Footballer Edu.

Edu Gaspar , Ex- Brazil National team and Arsenal , spent four years at Highbury, winning the Premier League title twice and the FA Cup three times. His final game for the Gunners came as they collected their last trophy in the 2005 FA Cup final.

In the meeting on Tuesday, both sides agreed on several undisclosed matters. Mohammad Nabi also met with Corinthians vice president and discussed means of cooperation between the Football Federation of Iran and the Brazilian side.

FIFA announces the pots for World Cup draw.

FIFA officially announced the pots for this week’s World Cup draw as well as the prize money on the line in next summer’s international football showcase. The draw itself, which will place the 32 teams into eight groups, is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 6.

Iran is joined in Pot Three by all the other 3 Asian qualified teams Japan, South Korea &  Australia,  plus United States, Mexico, Costa Rica and Honduras, who are considered as lower tier teams in the tournament.Pot One contains top seeds Argentina, Belgium, Colombia, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Uruguay and hosts Brazil.
Pot Two contains the five African teams and two South American teams,England are joined in Pot Four by Croatia, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Russia, who are amongst the other unseeded European teams.One of the nine European teams in Pot 4 will be pre-drawn and transferred into Pot 2.The groups for next summer’s World Cup will be made up of one team from each of the four pots.

Pot 1 (top eight seeds): Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Belgium, Colombia, Germany, Switzerland, Uruguay

Pot 2: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Algeria, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chile, Ecuador

Pot 3: Japan, Iran, South Korea, Australia, United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras

Pot 4: Bosnia, Croatia, England, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, France

 

Pot 1
National Team FIFA Ranking
Brazil 10
Spain 1
Germany 2
Argentina 3
Colombia 4
Uruguay 6
Switzerland 8
Belgium 11

 

Pot 1 is comprised of host nation Brazil and the seven top-ranked teams from FIFA’s October rankings. These will be the headline squads for each group, and those outside it will likely be rooting for a spot alongside Switzerland, or at least to avoid Brazil, Spain, Germany or Argentina.

 

Pot 2
National Team FIFA Ranking
Algeria 26
Cameroon 51
Ivory Coast 17
Ghana 24
Nigeria 36
Chile 15
Ecuador 23

 

At the outset, Pot 2 only has seven teams, made up of national teams from Africa and the South American squads not in Pot 1. Eventually, another European team will be drawn into this pot, but there will be a separate “Pot X” created to avoid three teams from UEFA ending up in the same group.

 

Pot 3
National Team FIFA Ranking
Australia 59
Iran 45
Japan 48
Korea Republic 54
Costa Rica 31
Honduras 41
Mexico 20
United States 14

FIFA

Pot 3 is straightforward. It’s comprised of teams that qualified from the Asian and North American regions, which includes the United States and Mexico. Teams from this pot will need luck in order to avoid a very difficult draw.

 

Pot 4
National Team FIFA Ranking
Bosnia and Herzegovina 21
Croatia 16
England 13
France 19
Greece 12
Italy 7
Netherlands 9
Portugal 5
Russia 22

FIFA

Finally, the fourth pot is all of the remaining European teams. Since there are nine sides, it creates an imbalance that will get sorted out when one is drawn into Pot 2. But again, FIFA is going to immediately draw a South American team from “Pot X” and European team together to avoid three UEFA teams ending up together, as explained during the press conference.

Iran youth prepare for the Valentine Granatkin Memorial

Iran will play in group “A” of  Valentine Granatkin Memorial football tournament

the draw XXVI Valentine Granatkin Memorial was held in the headquarters of Russian Football federation. The 16 teams were divided in to four groups:

Group “A”: Belarus, I.R. Iran, Slovakia, Finland.
Group “B”: Slovenia, Estonia, Russia, Moldova.
Group “C”: Japan, Czech Republic, Greece, Azerbaijan.
Group “D”: Ukraine, Turkey, Saint-Petersburg, Latvia.

The tournament will begin January 3, 2014 in Saint-Petersburg, Russia

The Valentin Granatkin Memorial – tournament which traditionally features invited national teams composed of under-19 players.

the first Granatkin Memorial was held in Moscow in 1981d  – the International youth football tournament initiated by the FIFA President Joao Havelange to perpetuate the memory of the FIFA First Vice-President Valentin Granatkin.

Granatkin tournament always was a place of young talents discoveries. Memorial was a place were several future world stars played such as – Andreas Moeller, Oliver Bierhoff, Kirsten Janker, Marsel Desai, Igor Kolyvanov and Alexandr Mostovoy.

 

Iran was invited and participated in 2 previous tournaments. In 2012 Iran sent the U-19 team , while this current year 2013, Iran delegated its U-17 team. In 2012 Iran was ranked fifth while a year later , the U17 dropped to seventh.

 

Jahanbakhsh the promising boy, by Dutch journalist.

Alle aandacht voor Jahanbakhsh

Translated from Dutch

December 2, 2013 06:33

Every attention to Jahanbakhsh

Personally, I was to report the match between AZ Alkamar and NEC in Nijmegen. That was a fine football afternoon . AZ really had to do some major changes because of injuries and suspensions, while NEC finally seemed to realize that , in order to climb from bottom of the table, they need to rolled up the sleeves and fight hard. NEC won , 3-2 . It was a lovely game, with thanks to the referee Pol van Boekel. Former footballer who recognizes emotions in players and a referee who is able to distinguish the real violation of Diving.

But most attention was grabbed by one Alireza Jahanbakhsh, an Iranian footballer. Still a boy actually, he has just turned 20 . He debuted three years ago at Third Division side Damash Karaj, a third division club from Iran … He soon moved to SC Damash in the top division , and from there he was selected for the Iranian youth team .

NEC scouts saw him play in Dubai and because through the village of Beuningen , in the outskirts of Nijmegen , there is some business linkages with Iran , also came to a real three-year contract. Under Alex Pastoor he did not to play a lot, but since a few weeks , that has all changed. It also witnessed a remarkable change in Alireza. He did not speak the language, but has now quickly learned English and knows the anthem of NEC !

Alireza Jahanbakhsh has in a very short time adjusted to the rules and regulations of professional football in the Netherlands in general and NEC in particular. He has already made ​​his debut for  the national team of Iran and scored his first goals for NEC . That’s clever , very clever . Go there but turned , without your family around in a short time which make the sporting expectations in a totally alien environment .

Especially the way he really gives everything on the pitch. Throws his whole heart and soul into the game and is an example for his teammates. He knows why he has made ​​the long trip to the Netherlands. He wants to succeed as a professional footballer anyway possible. NEC will benefit from him. The question is though , for how long? Top clubs will not sleep …they will be watching him.

Leo Driessen

Original article HERE

 

 

 

The most expensive World Cup ever for the fans.

Despite Team Melli success in qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 , it is highly unlikely that many fans from Iran will be making the trip to Brazil comes next June.

Abbas Torabian , a member of the FFIRI and former head of the Futsal committee, said that this World Cup will be the most expensive tournament for fans from Iran to attend. Torabian who was a regular traveler to Brazil during his stint with Team Melli futsal team , was engaged in a study to determine the approximate cost for Iranian fans to make it to Brazil and arrange a package for the fans. He is assisted by some Iran9an expatriates in Brazil and local tour operators to facilitate and support Iranians fans who can afford the long trip.

Torabian said that ” a plane ticket will cost around US$ 2,220 at least and could vary during the World Cup. The match tickets for the 2014 World Cup are the most expensive ever in the history of the competition starting around US$300. ” Torabian also noted that ” Sao Paolo and Rio de Janeiro are two of the most expensive cities on record and the cost of accommodation varies with the class of hotels. Good quality hotels is quite expensive compared to the prices in Iran or Middle East in general”. To make matters worst for Iranian fans, the distances between venues for matches could mean domestic flights of 2 to 3 hours, which is an added expense. “Brazil is a big country and the venue could mean a 2 to 3 hours flight ” Torabian said “It all depends on the draw that Iran will have, but in any case , we will be playing each match in a different city and venue”

“With the help of some Iranians living in Brazil , we are trying to arrange the best possible package for our fans, specifically focusing on accommodations in Brazil” Torabian said. “Considering everything , we expect that the cost of attending the World Cup for fans from Iran to be close to US$ 12,000 each”

With such prices as quoted by Torabian , it is extremely unlikely to see a flock of Iranian fans to Brazil. IThe last World Cup Iran took part was 2006 in Germany. Despite the large and respectable numbers of Iranian supporters in the stadiums, especially in Frankfurt where Iranian fans outnumbered the Portuguese 2 to 1, almost the majority of the fans where Iranian expatriates living mainly in Europe and some from North America. The number of fans from Iran was quite small due to expenses and difficulty in obtaining visas and hard currency.  In Brazil 2014 , the numbers that would probably make it from Iran will even be substantially less than Germany 2006.

The best hope for Team Melli support comes from the Iranians living in North America and to a lessor extent expatriate Iranians in Latin America which is not a big number.

Group D Portugal v Iran - World Cup 2006

Jahanbakhsh scores a brace in NEC win.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh , the promising young Team Melli player, scored twice for his dutch club to record a rare win in the  Netherlands – Eredivisie .

Jahanbakhsh who has started the game  against AZ Alkmaar scored in 53rd  and then on the  72nd minutes  for a final result of a 3-2 win for the bottom of the table club. Jahanbakhsh received a yellow card after scoring his first goal and was substituted in the 90th minute.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh who scored his first international goal for Team Melli when he came in as a substitute against Thailand, is in a good run forcing himself as a stsrter for the Dutch club.

In another development for the Team Melli legionnaire , Ashkan Dejagah learned today afternoon that his manager has been sacked, Martin Jol , the Dutcg manager of FDulham was under intense pressure after a series of bad results which sent Fulham to the bottom of the table. Jol hardly utilized Dejagah much despite fans demand and his good displays whenever he played.