Tag: Branko Ivankocvic

Next Team Melli camp on July without foreign-based players.

A 5 days training camp will be held by Team Melli in Tehran starting 10th July 2019.

According to reports, the Iranian national football team will set up camp outside of the allocated FIFA days. The objective of this particular training camp is to allow the Head coach and other Team Melli technical staff to invite local league players who have shown good potential but were never given the chance to join the squad.

In essence, Wilmots and his team are looking at other talented players who have not been tested in the national team or have not been used so far.  As the team’s camp is held outside FIFA days, the presence of legionnaires are not assured and hence only half of the players are expected to be in camp. However, all players invited from the Persian Gulf Premier League clubs will have the chance to be present.

As the camp is held outside the official FIFA  there are no official matches planned, but conditions permitting, there will be a match between Team Melli and Omid Team coached by Farhad Majidi who is inviting more than 50 players as part of the preparation for qualifying to the Olympics Games 2020.

On the other hand, the current Team Melli camp is much shorter than the previous ones conducted during Queiroz era. With the insistence of the League Committee and clubs and agreement of the head coach, training camps will no longer extend to 11 days as Welmots believes that the players’ club commitment for the start of the new season should not be adversely affected.

Three years earlier, Carlos Queiroz was in the process of organizing an 11-day camp in Austria, before the start of the league competition at the time. Branco Ivankovic strongly questioned the duration and timing of that camp and considered it inappropriate, a viewpoint that led to more than three years of conflict between the two foreign coaches.

Next Team Melli Camp 

10th July 2019  to 15th July

Duration: 5 days

Team Melli Armenia and Austria training camps are called off.

Team Mell proposed training camps in Armenia and Austria has been called off after Branko Ivankovic and Amir Ghalenoei have refused to release their players to Team Melli according to Carlos Queiroz.

“If we fail to qualify for the World Cup, then you better go and ask Ivankovic and Ghalenoei” the Portuguese head coach of Team Melli told reporters.

Incidentally, after Portugal defeat against Portugal and elimination from World Cup 2010, Cristiano Ronaldo was asked about that loss, to which he replied: “Ask Queiroz.” Now Queiroz is borrowing Ronaldo punch line against his nemeses!!

The bulk of the problem seems to be the uncoordinated Team Melli plans that Queiroz decides unilaterally without reference and consent of the league clubs. While the Persian Gulf League is about to start in earnest and during the height of preparation, Queiroz training plans disrupts the clubs plans. On top of that, Team Melli camps seem to last weeks. Armenia and Austria camps would have lasted two weeks each, meaning the clubs would have lost the services of their players for a whole month at a critical time when most needed for league matches!

What inflamed Ivankovic further was Queiroz refusal to allow Team Melli players go through the mandatory pre-season medical examination.

Ghalenoei joined Ivankovic in refusing the Team Melli laid down plans and criticized the way his players are being manipulated and disruption to his own training program.

When asked to respond to Queiroz harsh words against him and Ghalenoei , Branko Ivankovic said “Persepolis is my team and I am responsible and accountable for its results. When I lose , I take responsibility and NOT blame others and that is the same way I operated for 5 years as Team Melli coach. I am responsible and no one else for the team results. My manner and upbringing does not allow me to respond to slanders.”

“There is no good national team without strong clubs and competitive league.” Ivankovic said.

 

 

The beginning of league season, joy and gloom.

The 15th Season of Iran Pro football, the Persian Gulf League started with all its usual actions, fanfare, claims and counter claims by coaches, who never seem to tire from their blame culture. It was a bright start for Esteghlal , Sepahan , and Malavan all registering their first wins. The big game of the week between Tractorsazi and Naft Tehran which was so controversial at the final game of last season when Tractorsazi players and fans went into a wild celebration after the final whistle thinking they won the league, was much more quieter and mundane this time. The goalless draw was a drab affair but at least no one fooled Tractorsazi players this time.

Arash Afshin scored for Malavan

Persepolis, with a young team and a highly confident Branko Ivankocvic who is claiming his team is challenging for the championship title and nothing less, could do no better than draw at home against Padideh. The highlight of that game was a wonder equalizing strike by Hadi Nouroozi. Rah Ahan , were minutes away from winning away to Foolad Khuzestan after they lead 2-0 but two quick goals near the end ensured the teams share the spoils. Rah Ahan remained in the top league after the ruling from the appeal committee of FFIRI against their relegation for fielding unregistered player.

Mehdi-Sharifi-Sepahan_

Malavan Anzali, a team that is unfairly taking advantage of some peculiar ruling in Iran that allows it to snatch young players during their military service, defeated last season’s Cup winners Zob Ahan 1-0, the goal scored by Arash Afshin , one of the players who does not belong to Malavan but the Bandar Anzali team can get his service for free because it is categorized as a Military team!

As customary for coaches here, Zob Ahan’s Yahya Golmohammadi blamed elements behind the scene for his team’s defeat!

As far as Team Melli players were concerned, there was some good form displayed by various players. Sajjad Shahbazzadeh , Esteghlal’s forward who was selected for Team Melli but never made any squad, scored two goals for his team away to Siah Jamegan. Mehdi Sharifi , continued where he left off last season when he scored the winner against Esteghlal Khuzestan from an inch perfect cross by another Team Melli player, Ehsan Haj Safi.

Sajjad Shabazadeh- Potential Team Melli candidate

Amongst all the actions, the 2015/16 season was not a happy ground for a number of current and former Team Melli players. Amongst the top players sadly missing in action were, Karim Ansarifard, and Ahmad Ale Nemeh. Both part of the FIFA World Cup squad in Brazil, the two players could not find a team. Ansarifard who had a torrid season with Osasuna and was sadly released at the end, insists that he wants to play in Europe and looking for a team in the better league of western Europe.

Other recent and former Team Melli players who were not wanted by any team at the start of the season are:

Javad Kazemian, Mehrdad Ouladi , Siavush Akbarpour , Seyed Mohammed Seyed Salehi , Farshid Talebi , Ahmad Jamshidian , Milad Zeneidpour, and Mohsen Bayati.

The listed players are all out of contract and looking for teams.