Alireza Haghighi joins Sporting Covilhã on loan.

Alireza Haghighi , Team Melli and Perspolis goalkeeper has joined Portuguese second division team Sporting Covilhã on loan.

Haghighi (25 years) has failed to get much playing time at his club Perspolis under Ali Daei where the Brazilian Nelson has virtually made the goalkeeping post his exclusive right with some splendid displays. The lack of playing time frustrated Haghighi and his protest lead to his suspension and temporary expulsion from the club.

In a astatement to ISNA, Haghighi hoped that playing in Europe, even a seocnd divison team in Portugal , will increase his chances to make the Team Melli squad going to the World Cup in June. Carlos Queiroz has been quite accommodating to Iraninas playing outsde the Domestic league giving quite a few of them opportunities.

Haghighi return to Iran re-joining his team Perspolis after an unsuccessful spell in Russia with Ruben Kazan where he was a second and third choice goalkeeper. However, many observers thought that returning to Perspolis where a solid goalkeeper was performing quite well for the club, seemed to be not a wise move by Haghghi.

Queiroz could sue UHLSport!

Carlos Queiroz’s fire fighting extended to the supplier of Team Melli kit , the German sporting goods manufacturer UHLSport.

In an interview with ISNA , Houshang Moghaddas, the international affairs officer of the football federation said that a problem has arisen between  the Portuguese coach of Team Melli and the Iranian representative of UHLSport on various issues including payments and number of matches that Team Melli has used the supplied kits.

Carlos Queiroz conspicuous absence from the presentation of the new Team Melli kit in a ceremony a couple of days back, raised a few eyebrows but after today’s statement from Moghaddas ,  it is apparent now that Queiroz is not too fond of UHLSport and have differences with the company.

uhlsport-iran-home-replica-t-shirt-2013

in an extremely strange event , the FFIRI offical revealed some disturbing story. Moghaddas said that Team Melli coach was not satisfied with the quantity of kits being supplied by UHLSport and gave an example of the match in Bangkok where an unnamed Team Melli player gave away his shirt to a fan after the end of the match against Thailand.  That acts , which is quite normal in international football across the world , did not please the team officials as they planned to wash/recycle  that shirt and use it again!. “The fact that the player gave away his shirt , resulted in that player to remain on the bench for next match against Lebanon , because we did not have a spare shirt for him.” Moghaddas claimed. Naturally , Queiroz was disgusted by the whole affair.

Moghaddas said that Queiroz has not received any cash payment from UHLSport and the same company refused to pay his hotel expenses in Dubai as promised, so he (Queiroz) has all the rights to file a case against the company!

In a separate report , the German Manager of UHLSport said “We are the official kit supplier for Iran’s national team and the contract involves all players and coaches using our brand. If Carlos Queiroz does not want to wear our branded which he is bound to , then he is not allowed to wear another brand. He must wear unbranded kit.”

Mr. martin denied that there is any intention by his company to take Queiroz to court for breach of contract . He also refuted claims that his company supplies inferior quality kits and said “all the top sporting goods manufacturers in the world including Addias and Nike use the same process as we do. We supply the raw martial from Europe and send it to China for final tailoring. All the suppliers do the same.”

 

 

Security breach at Team Melli’s camp site in Brazil

Corinthians fans attacked Peruvian striker Paolo Guerrero after invading the team’s training centre in Sao Paulo in protest at the Brazilian team’s recent struggles, club president Mario Gobbi has said.

Gobbi said the protest turned violent and fans grabbed the striker by the neck. He said other club employees were also attacked during Saturday’s confrontation after about 100 fans broke in. Nobody was seriously injured.

The training centre, in Sao Paulo, will be used by the Iran national team during the World Cup in the summer. Corinthians’ stadium, the Itaquerao, will host the tournament’s opener between Brazil and Croatia.

Gobbi told Radio Jovem Pan that Guerrero, who scored the winner against Chelsea in the Club World Cup final in 2012, was attacked.

“They tried to strangle the player who scored the most important goal in team history. We didn’t deserve this,” he said.

He said the club had already contacted police and would help authorities arrest those responsible for the attack, with security camera footage being handed over to investigators.

“This is a case for the police to handle,” he added. “Our employees don’t feel safe any more.”

The fans cut through a wire mesh fence to try to reach Corinthians players. Local media reported that they also targeted striker Emerson Sheik and former AC Milan forward Alexandre Pato, the club’s most expensive signing last year, along with coach Mano Menezes.

As the World Cup kick off is approaching , much concern and alarm has been raised by the various events surrounding the tournaments from strikes, riots against the World Cup and now this security breach in a training camp. The authorities in Brazil has promised tight security for all the visitors and teams.

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.

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.

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

 

 

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.

 

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

With the World Cup set to kick off in less than five months time in Brazil, ’TANA AIYEJINA looks at how the Super Eagles’ group opponents are preparing for the event

The 2014 World Cup in Brazil begins in June but it’s been different tales for Nigerian opponents in terms of preparations ahead of the event.

The Super Eagles are in Group F alongside two-time champions Argentina, debutants Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iran.

On June 16, the African champions begin their World Cup campaign against Iran in Curitiba before facing Bosnia five days later in Cuiaba. They round off their group campaign against Argentina on June 25 in Porto Alegre.

Nigeria coach, Stephen Keshi, who has been in South Africa with the home-based Eagles for the African Nations Championship, had proposed the team train in either Miami or Houston in the United States for the World Cup, but Head, Technical Department, Nigeria Football Federation, Chris Green, disclosed that Nigeria had opted to train in Houston.

“This is the fifth time we will be appearing at the World Cup but this time, we are going there (Brazil) to make a statement.

“We will first camp in Houston before going to the team base in Brazil. The team will play Mexico in a friendly match on March 5,” Green said.

Green added that Nigeria, who will open their training camp on May 25, would play four more warm-up games before their World Cup opener against Iran.

A look at the Eagles’ group opponents has shown that they have been experiencing different fortunes in terms of preparations as the journey to Brazil gradually gathers momentum.

IRAN

TM 2012412
Team Melli Dec 2012

 

 

For the Asian side, it’s not been the best in terms of preparations for Brazil 2014 but nevertheless, Carlos Queiroz’s side are hoping to make an impact at the World Cup.

Iran will be competing in their fourth World Cup after previous appearances in 1978, 1998 and 2006 and Queiroz admits that their Group F opponents have left them facing a huge task.

Iran are Asia’s top-ranked team but Queiroz acknowledges that his squad, made up largely of home-based players, lacks the quality needed to make a serious impact.

“This is our mission impossible once, twice and three times,” Queiroz, the 60-year-old, who took charge as head coach in April 2011, told AFP in Tehran.

“But that is what makes the tournament attractive,” he added.

For Queiroz, who coached his native Portugal to the last 16 stage at the last edition, achieving such a feat with Iran looks “like an unrealistic dream” but he insists they have “a duty to try our luck.”

Iran’s preparations for this year’s finals are a daily struggle in a country whose access to the global banking system has been cut due to international sanctions.

As a result, a scheduled training camp in Portugal was cancelled in September due to a lack of funds, and Queiroz admits Iran are way behind in their plans.

“We lost six months. I hope we will be able to find a solution as nothing is clearly scheduled for the moment,” he said.

But despite the difficulties, Queiroz believes the passion for the game in Iran can help them spring a surprise or two in Brazil.

“Iranians have football in their blood and soul. You don’t need to promote football through marketing here,” he said of a country that has enjoyed considerable success at youth level as well as in futsal and in beach soccer.

“It is amazing to see that — with so few resources and capabilities— the federation has achieved so much.”

When Queiroz took over as coach, he arrived to find a national federation that was “lethargic, lacking ambition.”

But he tried to make changes, bringing in Iranian players with dual nationality like Daniel Davari of Germany’s Eintracht Braunschweig, Fulham midfielder Ashkan Dejagah, Dutch-Iranian striker Reza Ghoochannejhad and, most recently, American-born right-back Steven Beitashour of San Jose Earthquakes.

However, his efforts were met with skepticism.

“In a conservative society like Iran, it is not easy to talk about reform and change of habits. We cannot be competitive without international experience. But my commitment to Iranians is to make them happy. This is our World Cup, this is our time to tell the world that Iran is a football country,” Queiroz added.

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Bosnia-Herzegovina
Bosnia-Herzegovina

When Safet Susic took over from Miroslav Blazevic as Bosnia manager at the end of 2009, a section of the fans kicked against it because he had earlier refused to take the same job.

But he was fortunate to have talented players like Edin Džeko, Asmir Begovic and Roma’s young midfielder Miralem Pjanic, who helped in clinching a first World Cup ticket.

Though there were initial difficulties, the Football Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has reportedly taken important organisational steps, while Susic has instilled order in his team.

Somewhere along the way, he was labelled as an old-fashioned coach, stubborn, not brave enough but Susic has never hidden his desire to ruffle feathers in Brazil since he led the East European country to a historic first qualification for the World Cup.

“In Brazil we want to play seven games, and the seventh one is the final match,” he was quoted as saying by telegraph.co.uk.

And with Nigeria, Argentina and Iran in Group F, anything is possible at that level of the competition before the knockout stage.

In a bid to ensure that the team don’t lack support in Brazil, Bosnia and Herzegovina Foreign Ministry has announced a plan to open a contemporary consulate in Brazil to provide assistance for the country’s fans during the finals.

BiH Foreign Minister Zlatko Lagundzija said the primary function of the consulate was to provide legal protection and consular services to BiH citizens travelling to Brazil to watch the matches.

Between 3,000 and 5,000 BiH fans are expected to travel to Brazil, local media reported.

 

ARGENTINA

Argentina National Team
Argentina National Team

South American giants and tournament favourites Argentina boast of the most frightening attack worldwide.

With Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain, Rodrigo Palacio, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Angel di Maria, Carlos Tevez and the inimitable Lionel Messi in one team, Argentina could be gunning for a third world title later this year.

Indeed, they were the first South American nation to qualify for the World Cup, guaranteeing their place with two games to spare.

Argentina scored 35 goals in 16 games during the qualifiers but there still remains a doubt about the imbalance of the team. For all their abundance of talent, finding the right balance in attack has been problematic.

Coach Alejandro Sabella appears to favour an attacking trio of Messi, Higuain and Aguero.

But the injury picked up by the Barcelona forward late last year forced Sabella to change tactics during the friendly games against Ecuador and Bosnia in November.

Against Bosnia, Sabella switched shape entirely, going for a 4-4-2 with Palacio and Aguero leading the line. The Manchester City forward bagged a brace in a comfortable 2-0 win.

Against Ecuador, Sabella’s three-man attack failed to have the same effect with Messi out of the side. Real Madrid’s Angel di Maria was pushed further forward alongside Lavezzi and Higuain.

The game ended in a goalless draw, Argentina managing just a solitary shot on goal during the 90 minutes.

Analysts also believe their midfield does not possess the cutting edge to rip open difficult opponents.

Javier Mascherano is an excellent midfielder but getting a right partner for him has been a problem. The man who could partner him may well be Valencia’s Ever Banega but the 25-year-old is yet to consistently turn his promise into top-class performances at club level.

Argentina’s main source of concern remains in defense. At the 2010 World Cup, they were tactically undone by a ruthless German outfit, losing 4-0 in the quarter-finals.

In qualifying stages for the 2014 edition, they conceded only 15 goals in 16 games but during the World Cup proper, tactical organization will be key to Argentine progress.

This is definitely good news for Keshi but how his own side prepare for the World Cup will surely determine how far they will go at the tournament.

 

 

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.”

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.

Reza Ghoocannejad
Reza Ghoocannejad

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.