Majeed Saleh

Majid Saleh Joins Team Melli coaching staff.

Tehran

Esteghlal assistant coach Majid Saleh , has been added to Team Melli coaching staff.

Saleh (47 Years) began his coaching career with Saipa as an assistant to Bizan Zolfagharnasab in 2004. He was selected by AMir Ghalenoei to be his tight hand man when the current Esteghlal briefly coached Mes Kerman. and then back to Esteghlal. Saleh also worked with Mansour Ebrahimzadeh as an assistant in a spell with Zob Ahan.

Majid Saleh eventually was given the opportunity to be a head coach of his own right at his original club Saipa. in May 2011, however it turned out to be a bitter experience for the young coach as he was relieved from his duties on February 2012 Ghalenoei came calling again and Saleh was picked up again to be assistant coach for Esteghlal.

The appointment of Saleh came after much debate and disagreement between Queiroz and Kaffashian. The latter insisted that an Iranian coach must be included in the coaching staff of Team Melli for many reasons, while Queiroz was not that too keen of doing so. The Portuguese coach kept referring to Namazi’s departure from Team Melli as his justification for not picking an Iranian coach!. Kaffashian , under pressure from the rest of the Executive Committee of IRIFF , would not have any of that.

Eventually a deal was reached when Kaffashian agreed on Queiroz nominee to replace the departed Siomoez , on the condition of picking an Iranian assistant coach to work beside  him.

With Queiroz selecting Oceano , the deal was completed by getting Majid Saleh in the coaching team. Carlos Queiroz has never worked with Saleh before and it is not clear how much he knows about Amir Ghalenoei’s right hand man and whether the Esteghlal head coach had any influence or role in this selection. Queiroz has met with Ghalenoei a few weeks, but their discussions were undisclosed.
Despite his inability to secure a full coaching job in Iran apart from the first experience in Saipa,  Saleh has built up a reputation of being a smart tactician , well versed in the modern styles and tactics of the European football and an aficionado of the quick passing game . His influence on the style of play is evident in Esteghlal teams.

Majid Saleh will be accompanying the squad to the South Africa camp.

Attaollah Behmanish celebrates his 91st birthday.

The legendary Radio and TV broadcaster , Atta Behmanish celebrated his 91st birthday yesterday.

Born in  Kermanshah on April 14th 1923. Behmanish grew up to become an all round  athlete in his own right but soon turned into sport journalism when he first wrote in “Omid Iran” magazine. There was no stopping Behmanish after that. He served as editor , reporter , Radio sport commentator, program presenter then eventually moved to TV where his tone of voice and style was recognized by millions across the country and abroad.

Atta Behmanish became the most popular TV sport personality before the revolution. His vast knowledge , photographic memory , his acute skills in remembering the finer details , his interest in history  and sports archives, turned Behmanish into a unique personality. He was referred to as “the Walking Encyclopedia of Iran sport”. His passion to sport was unlimited but in Football and Wrestling , he was one of a kind.

Although Iran produced many fine sports commentators, Atta Behmanish remains one and only living legend of Iranian media and sports journalism. His knowledge of sports extended well beyond the boundaries of his country. In the days before well the information technology days and instant information of internet , Behmanish had extensive knowledge of European & foreign teams and athletes in his two beloved sports Wrestling and Football.

ata-Behmanish 1

 

Young Atta BehmanishReporting a match Atta BehmanishThe athelete Atta Behmanish

Esteghlal management defies Team Melli.

In a statement to ISNA , Ali Fathollazadeh , the CEO of Esteghlal club said that club will be traveling to Riyadh to play Al Shabab of Saudi Arabia with a full strength squad, including  their Team Melli players

In order for Esteghlal to qualify for the next rounds of the 2014 AFC Champions League , it has to win the remaining two matches. The heartbroken Esteghlal which  was defeated in a crucial last day of the season match by Tractorsazi, will not be competing in the premiere competition of Asian club football after missing out on the ranking. Winning this current edition of the competition is the only salvation for this proud champion pedigree team from Tehran and hence the clubs has decided to go with full force to Riyadh. Esteghlal lost the league title to Foolad Khuzestan while the cup was won by Tractorsazi this season.

With Esteghlal taking all their players, Team Melli may have to depart to South Africa without them. As it is , there will be at least 7 or 8 players missing from the Team Mellli squad already due to club commitments. Players in Kuwait and Qatar are yet to be released by their clubs , while there is no chance of any European based players joining the camp.  There was no comment from the football federation or Team Melli coaching staff regarding Esteghlal decision and their refusal to release their players for the South Africa camp.  Legislation does not force a club to release the players for the national team training camps, so legally the IRIFF is helpless if Esteghlal departs to Saudi Arabia with their full team.

 

Current Team Melli players

HEYDARI, Khosrow

SADEGHI, AmirHossein

TEYMOURIAN, Andranik

Group ‘F’ analysis by FIFA

fifa.com

Group F will feature one match that has become something of a classic fixture of and five that have never been played on the big stage before, part of the reason for which is because Bosnia-Herzegovina are making their first appearance at the FIFA World Cup™, while Iran have only ever faced their group rivals in friendlies.

As for Argentina and Nigeria, the other two combatants in the group, there is not much they do not know about each other. Their meeting next June will be the latest instalment in an exciting rivalry between the two sides, led by Lionel Messi and John Obi Mikel, who have faced off three times in major competitions at different age levels: the final of the FIFA U-20 World Cup Netherlands 2005, the gold medal match at the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament Beijing 2008 and in the group phase at South Africa 2010. On all three occasions Argentina won.

The teams
There is not much that has not already been said about two-time world champions Argentina or for that matter about Messi, who will renew his bid to lift the FIFA World Cup™ Trophy. Alejandro Sabella’s men are the favourites to top a group in which reigning African champions Nigeria will be aiming to make the experience they have acquired on their four previous appearances count. Meanwhile, Bosnia will be out to replicate the entertaining brand of football that made them the fourth-highest scorers in the European qualifiers, and Iran, coached by Portugal’s Carlos Queiroz will hope to combine solid organisation with the technical attributes they have long been known for.

Players to watch
Lionel Messi, (ARG), Sergio Aguero (ARG), Gonzalo Higuain (ARG), John Obi Mikel (NGA), Victor Moses (NGA), Victor Obinna (NGA), Edin Dzeko (BIH), Vedad Ibisevic (BIH), Miralem Pjanic (BIH), Reza Ghoochannejhad (IRN), Javad Nekounam (IRN), Karim Ansari (IRN).

The crunch match
Bosnia-Nigeria: in a section that most people will expect Argentina to win, games such as this one will be crucial in deciding who goes through to the last 16. The European side will have the challenge of performing in circumstances that will be entirely new to them, while the Nigerians will be eyeing the chance to reach the knockout phase for the first time since France 1998.

A look back
Argentina 2-1 Nigeria, 25 June 1994, Boston
This game, which will forever be remembered as Diego Armando Maradona’s last match for his country, pitted an Argentina side packed with stars such as El Diez, Claudio Caniggia, Fernando Redondo and Gabriel Batistuta against a Nigeria team very much on the up and up and featuring the likes of Rashidi Yekini, Finidi George and Emmanuel Amunike. The Africans took a surprise early lead through Samson Siasia, only for the wily Caniggia to turn the game around with a typically predatory double. The blond-haired striker’s cry of “Diego, Diego”, imploring Maradona to play the pass that would lead to his second goal, is an iconic moment for Argentina fans.

Did you know?
Bosnia-Herzegovina, who played their first official match as an independent national team in November 1995, came close to making their World Cup debut at South Africa 2010 but lost out in the play-offs to Portugal. Twenty-four of their 26 most regularly selected players ply their trade outside the country.

The stat
36 – The number of years since Argentina and Iran met for the first and only time to date. That match, which ended in a 1-1 draw, took place in Madrid on 22 March 1977 and formed part of Real Madrid’s 75th anniversary celebrations. One year later La Albiceleste won their maiden World Cup title on home soil in a competition that marked the Asian side’s world finals debut.

 

 

The tweet

 

En un Mundial ningún partido es fácil pero con esfuerzo y trabajo siempre hay recompensa. Vamos Argentina!!!

 

In a World Cup match is no easy job but there is always effort and reward. Come on Argentina!
Sergio Aguero, Argentina

Lack of match practice no deterrent for Iran.

April 10, 2014 5:03 am  •  By JOHN DUERDEN

Playing in a World Cup group containing Argentina, Nigeria and Bosnia was always going to be difficult, even before Iran’s lack of warm-up games factored into the equation.

After qualifying last June, Iran played its first preparation game on March 5 against Guinea. On the same evening, South Korea was playing its 14th warm-up match.

The fact that Iran looked rusty as it lost 2-1 was no surprise given the lack of game time together. A training camp in Portugal in September was scrapped, apparently due to a lack of funds.

But Iran is hoping coach Carlos Queiroz can work wonders at the World Cup using his tactical know-how and extensive international experience.

Since taking over three years ago, the former Real Madrid and Portugal coach has built a tight unit.

“To have such a coach gives us confidence,” Iran midfielder Javad Nekounam told The Associated Press. “We came through a very tough qualification group. Now we are focused only on performing well at the World Cup. We know it will not be easy but we also know that we are good enough to make our country proud.”

Iran qualified for the World Cup by finishing at the top of its Asian group just weeks after seemingly being down and out. The team rallied to win its last three games without conceding a goal, including a final day 1-0 victory over South Korea.

The game was settled by a strike from Reza Ghoochannejhad, a Dutch-born (1) striker who came into his own in the second half of the qualification campaign and who is expected to be the team’s main offensive threat in Brazil.

Scoring goals is going to be the main issue for the team. While Iran is well-organized defensively under Queiroz, finding the net hasn’t always been easy. After defeating Lebanon 4-0 in Tehran in a qualifier, Iran managed to score only four goals in the other seven games.

Queiroz has actively searched for European-born players eligible to represent Iran. Ashkan Dejagah, a former Germany youth international, spent eight years in the Bundesliga before moving to Fulham in 2012 to play in the Premier League, while Daniel Davari has emerged to challenge Rahman Ahmadi for the goalkeeping position. Davari, with an Iranian father, plays for Eintracht Braunschweig in the Bundesliga.

These new players have linked up with the likes of Nekounam, who spent six seasons at Osasuna in Spain, and former Bolton midfielder Andranik Teymourian to build a team with a blend of youth and experience.

“When we go to Brazil, we will have the whole nation behind us and that will make us perform even better,” Teymourian said. “It is something we take very seriously. We will give everything to succeed.”

Correction to the original article.

(1) Reza Ghoochannejad was born in Mashad, Khorasan and not dutch born as the original article has stated.

 

 

Belo Horizonte avoids World Cup delays.

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil (AP) — Belo Horizonte was one of the first Brazilian cities to be ready for the World Cup, avoiding the delays that marked the preparations of nearly all other host cities.

Matches will be played at the renovated Mineirao Stadium, one of Brazil’s most revered football venues. It was inaugurated in December 2012, and was one of the two (along with Fortaleza’s Castelao Stadium) not to miss FIFA’s deadline for the Confederations Cup.

The venue was used in the semifinals of the World Cup warm-up tournament, when Brazil beat Uruguay to stay on track to eventually win the title.

The Mineirao will seat more than 62,000 fans and will host four group matches: Colombia vs. Greece on June 14; Belgium vs. Algeria on June 17; Argentina vs. Iran on June 21; and Costa Rica vs. England on June 24. It will also host a match in the round of 16 on June 28, possibly with Brazil playing, and a semifinal match on July 8.

The southeastern city, which is also home to the training camps of Argentina and Chile, is filled with football tradition, fueled by the rivalry between Cruzeiro and Atletico Mineiro, two of the country’s most successful clubs.

FIFA Ranking; Iran Still # 1 in Asia

The latest FIFA ranking published by the World Football governing body in April shows Iran is still number 1 team in Asia ahead of Japan , Uzbekistan an South Korea.

Iran with 715 points has also jumped 5 places up the world ranking to number 37 in the list.

Nigeria, Iran’s first opponent in the World Cup has climbed 2 places to # 45 with  620 and 5th in Africa.

Argentina with a total of 1174 points dropped 3 places to # 6 in the world and # 3 in the zone ranking.

Bosnia & Herzegovina  with a total of 795 dropped 4 places to #25 in the world while placed 17th in Europe.

Asian FIFA Ranking

April 2014
Rnk Zon. Rnk Team Pts +/- Pos
37 1 Iran 715 5 Up
47 2 Japan 613 1 Up
53 3 Uzbekistan 577 2 Up
56 4 Korea Republic 551 4 Up
59 5 Australia 545 4 Up
64 6 Jordan 510 2 Up
67 7 United Arab Emirates 499 -6 Down
75 8 Saudi Arabia 455 0 Equal
81 9 Oman 418 0 Equal
95 10 Qatar 336 6 Up

Foolad Khuzestan wins the league title

Foolad Khuzestan the proud team from South of Iran has won the Persian Gulf League title in a dramatic last day of the season.

A goal by Team Melli defender Mehrdad Jamaati in the 37th minute of Foolad’s match against Gostarish in Tabriz , was enough for Hossein Faraki men to win the championship.

Foolad Khuzestan , a young team and well-known for its pedigree of producing talented young players , were chasing the title from the onset of the season , however a tough competition with Naft Tehran , Sepahan , Persepolis and Esteghlal was ensued until the last day of the season.

This is the second title won by Foolad Khuzestan , the first was in 2004-05 season. The team will be competing in the next season AFC Asian Champions league while Foolad is still very much alive in the current Champions league and has a good chance to qualify for the knock out rounds.

The season ended in a very sore note for the defending champions Esteghlal. After the loss to Tractorzasi 3-1 at home in Azadi on Friday, Esteghlal dropped to fifth and lost it spot in the AFC Champions League. It is the first time in 6 seasons that Esteghlal will not participate in this major continental clubs competition.  The other big loser was Sepahan . The team from Esfahan which holds the a record 4 league titles lost its spot in the same competition despite defeating title contender Naft Tehran.

On the other hand, Persepolis will return back to the AFC Champions league for the first time after an absence of 3 seasons. Ali Daei’s men , despite huge financial problems  managed to beat Esteghlal Khuzestan in the final day and climb to the second position.

Karim Ansarifard , Tractorsazi and Team Melli forward won the top scorer title with 14 goals

 

Final League Standing

Persian Gulf League Season 2013-14

#

 

 Team

MP

W

D

L

F

A

D

P

Last 5 matches

1

 Foolad Khuzestan

30

16

9

5

36

24

+12

57

WLWDW

2

 Persepolis

30

16

8

6

34

15

+19

55

WDWWD

3

 Naft Tehran

30

15

9

6

39

23

+16

54

LWWDW

4

 Sepahan

30

14

12

4

36

20

+16

54

WWDDW

5

 Esteghlal

30

15

9

6

34

25

+9

53

LWLLW

6

 Tractor Sazi

30

11

13

6

39

33

+6

45

WWLLL

7

 Malavan

30

13

6

11

40

33

+7

44

LLWWL

8

 Saipa

30

7

14

9

26

31

-5

35

DDDDL

9

 Saba Qom

30

8

9

13

32

38

-6

33

DDWLD

10

 Gostaresh Fola…

30

7

11

12

31

34

-3

32

LLLDD

11

 Rah Ahan

30

7

10

13

25

34

-9

31

LDWWD

12

 Esteghlal Khuz…

30

6

11

13

26

37

-11

29

LLLDD

13

 Zob Ahan

30

6

11

13

24

36

-12

29

WWLLL

14

 Fajr Sepasi

30

6

11

13

20

34

-14

29

WDDWD

15

 Damash Gilan

30

5

12

13

30

40

-10

26

DLLDD

16

 Mes Kerman

30

1

19

10

21

36

-15

22

DDDDD

 

 

 

List of League champions by season

2001–02               Persepolis

2002–03               Sepahan

2003–04               Pas Tehran

2004–05               Foolad Khuzestan

2005–06               Esteghlal

2006–07               Saipa

2007–08               Persepolis

2008–09               Esteghlal

2009–10               Sepahan Esfahan

2010–11               Sepahan Esfahan

2011–12               Sepahan Esfahan

2012–13               Esteghlal

2013-14                Foolad Khuzestan

Kaffashian “It is worth it for the government to extend Queiroz’s contract.”

Ali Kaffashian was in Khuzestan on a visit when reporters quizzed him about the current issues related to Team Melli and its future coaching situation.

The question of Carlos Queiroz remaining with Team Melli and whether his contract will be extended , was once again asked.  In response , Kaffashian said “The management committee of the football federation has come to a conclusion that Carlos Queiroz is a competent coach and hence we have decided to offer him an extension of the contract. Queiroz has asked for an increase for himself and his assistants in the new contract. The additional fees will come to around US$ 5 or 6 million. Since we have a large number of national teams at different levels and age groups and many other expenses that we already have difficulty to finance, we really cannot afford to pay the extra that is demanded by him. Of course, if we do not come to an agreement , Queiroz will leave and we have to find an alternative coaching team. Saying that however, nothing is certain as we speak!”

[quote]I think it is worth it for the government to provide us a budget to renew Queiroz contract[/quote]

ISNA reporter asked if this uncertainty regarding Team Melli coaching staff is an issue of concern to his administration and himself, the Head of IRIFF said that in any case, we have to work within our limit. There are league clubs that have not worked around their limitation and hence have accumulated huge debts that they cannot deal with.   We have to properly manage our finance if we need to renew the contract with Queiroz so as not to harm the rest of our activities including the national teams.

“I think it is worth it for the government to provide us a budget to renew Queiroz contract. When we signed the initial contract, the Ministry of Youth and Sports promised to financially assist us and partially bear the amount of contract, but this has not happened. If the government is willing to bankroll the extension of contract, then we will agree to Queiroz new terms.”

Neither Kaffashian nor his administration hardly ever talk about the federation’s plans and strategy in generating its own revenue to self-finance its activities. Instead , the IRIFF always prefer to pass the hat around looking for handouts or seek the government aid from the public coffer.  With the inflation at its highest in Iran and difficulties of normal Iranian families to make ends meet and proceed with their daily life, it is outrageous for Kaffashian and his administration to seek millions of dollars from the public funds to spend on coaches. During Nowrooz, the issue of Iranian footballer’s contracts has surfaced to the discontent of many ordinary citizens.

The same situation exists with the clubs. While clubs spend multimillion tomans and even into the billions tomans on contract fees with the professional footballers , only a small fraction of this money is actually self-generated by the clubs ,  while mostly the source of such money is from government or government-owned organization.

Persepolis and Khalatbary on the brink of FIFA Sanctions.

Mohammad Reza Khalatbary and his club Persepolis are on the brink of suspension after the Club failed to pay the UAE League club Ajman the reminder of the payment for the player’s transfer.

Ajman has given Persepolis one week ( 15th April) to fork out US$ 250,000 outstanding from the player’s transfer deal. Ajman has claimed that the amount is already six month overdue and will not tolerate any further delays by the Iranian club.

Khalatbary signed a 1.5 Million dollar contract with Ajman last year, however before he even played a single match for Ajman, Persepolis came calling for the Team Melli Midfielder and on the assertion of the former CEO Mohammad Rouyanian , they managed to strike a deal with Ajman for his transfer back to Iran.

The deal raised many questions in the football circles, mainly because Persepolis had acute financial difficulties which were well publicized and known among all concerned. Somehow Persepolis managed to pay the transfer fee for Khalatbary , but the club refused to disclose the source of the transfer fee. This transfer occurred at a time when many Persepolis players and staff wages were not paid for several months. The Khalatbary transfer created some discontent in the dressing room.

Now, it has been disclosed that Persepolis has not paid the full transfer fee to Ajman.  The balance of US$ 250,000 must be paid within 1 week else Ajman will file a complaint with FIFA. If Persepolis fails to adhere to the clause of the transfer agreement, FIFA can rule to suspend Persepolis from football activities, ban it from transfer market (selling or buying players) , deduct points or impose a heavy fine.

While Persepolis is in a perilous position, Khalatbary may also be suspended if FIFA deems it necessary. That would be a severe blow to Carlos Queiroz who is preparing the squad for the World Cup. The rest of the Persepolis players with Team Melli should not be affected by any FIFA ruling against their club and will be allowed to play for Team Melli.

Zamani, the agent of Khalatbary , shed some light on the transfer details. He said that the agreement between the two clubs required Persepolis to initially pay US$ 500,000 then the second payment of US$300,000. Persepolis paid US$ 400,000 initially and then with a lot of delay, it paid US$ 150,000 , which was half the agreed amount it should pay to Ajman. Eventually , Hossein Hedayti , paid the remaining US$ 150,000 “

“However , there is still US$ 250,000 remaining and an additional US$ 50,000 as interest fees due to delays in payment,”

Zamani said that “FIFA usually makes quick decisions when it is faced with cases of nonpayment of contracts. All evidence and document shows that Ajman Club has the full right and as such Persepolis might face heavy penalties from FIFA and might regret delaying the payment.”