Tag: FIFA World Cup

02/01/202402/01/2024

Ghalenoei “We will build a younger team for the World Cup”

Amir Ghalenoei, Team Melli head coach, briefly commented on the status of the squad preparing for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023, saying: “Fortunately, the team’s conditions are very good. Those players who were worthy, in our opinion, were invited to the national team with different tactical thoughts. Let’s talk in a more detailed program. Considering the short time until the Asian Cup, a short-term plan was drawn up for this purpose but the longer-term plan is to prepare the team for the World Cup with younger players. Other players deserved to be in the squad, but due to the limitation on the number of players we could select, we decided on this list.”

“We went through the list meticulously to finalize these 26 players,” Ghalenoei said.

on the friendly match versus Burkina Faso, he said “Burkina Faso is ranked 57th in FIFA ranking and sitting close to Saudi Arabia. It is a very good team. I noticed some people criticized the selection of that team. Of course, every team we play with will be criticized. We can test our two tactics against them and it will be a serious test. I thank the officials of Kish for paying for this game. I ask all my loved ones to put aside all love and hatred in this month. One day is Amir Ghalenoei, one day is Mr. Queiroz and one day is Mr. Ghotbi. It is important to support the national team at this time. We do everything we can.”

Ghalenoei then went on a rant about patriotism and how everyone should be quiet and just support the team without any criticism.

Like his predecessors, Ghalenoei as a Head Coach is no exception when it comes to being criticized and loathing towards those media that point out his shortfalls. It seems that he is mostly affected by the severe criticism of his aging squad both in the online media and the social media. His claim about building a younger team after the Asian Cup is perhaps a small token of admission that with such an aging team that he picked up for the Asian Cup, the oldest amongst the main contenders for the Asian Cup, it will be that much more difficult to achieve success.

11/12/2021

12 years later it is confirmed that Ahmadinejad fired Ali Daei!

in April 2009, after Team Melli’s defeat against Saudi Arabia in the FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010 qualifiers, it was suddenly announced that Ali Daei, the head coach of the Team, had been fired. The dismissal came while the Iranian team still had a good chance to advance to the World Cup, but with the dismissal of Daei and the presence of Afshin Ghotbi, Team Melli finally failed to qualify for the World Cup in South Africa and experienced a major setback.

Daei had repeatedly stated after the incident that his dismissal had nothing to do with the Football Federation and that institutions higher than the federation had decided to fire him. Although this claim was initially denied by the then president of the Football Federation, Ali Kafashian, over time, various interviews with federation officials and members of the national team at the time confirmes Daei’s claims.

However, today, Saturday, Mohammad Akhundi, who was the spokesman for the Physical Education Organization at the time, confirmed that the dismissal of Ali Daei, was a decision taken by the office of the Presidency and in particular the president himself (Mahmoud Ahmadinejad).

In this regard, Akhundi said “this decision was taken and announced in the presidential palace. They called me to announce the news, but I said that it was the responsibility of other people and the football federation to do so and not the PEO.” He added: “We refused to announce the dismissal of Ali Daei in the Physical Education Organization.”

The former spokesman for the Physical Education Organization, who was a guest in a radio program, was asked “Is it true that Ahmadinejad took that decision on his own?” He said: “What I know unofficially is that the President himself made this decision, but officially it came from the presidential Palace!. The justification for Daei’s dismissal was the pressure of public opinion, those around the group concluded that Ali was not to continue.

Akhundi was asked if Ali Daei’s dismissal was due to the fact that he did not allow Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to enter the locker room between the two halves of the Iran-Saudi game: “I have no information about this.” A former spokesman for the Physical Education Organization said: “That change (dismissal of Ali Daei) was wrong. If Daei continued, we would have probably qualified to the World Cup.”

11/05/202111/05/2021

Team Melli news

Who will miss the Final Roster?

A look at the possible list of the national team after the vaccination / Who will miss the line?

the initial list of domestic players to be invited to Team Melli, some prominent players will be eliminated from the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in Bahrain.

The vaccination of the Iran-based Team Melli players started on Monday, and in the first stage, the staff and executives were vaccinated along with the players playing in the domestic league plus two legionnaires. With that in mind, Skocic has completed his initial roster for Bahrain, and it is unlikely that any more players will be added to the squad, however, no player has yet been confirmed.Ehsan Haj Safi, Omid Nourafkan, Payam Niazmand, Daniel Ismailifar, Mehdi Ghayedi, Ali Gholizadeh, Kamal Kamiabinia, Kaveh Rezaei, Hossein Kananizadegan, Ahmad Noorollahi, Mehdi Torabi, Vahid Amiri, Akbar Imani, Milad Sarlak, Abolfazl Jalali, Aref Gholami, Mohammad Rashid Mazaheri and Siamak Nemati were the players who received the Corona vaccine.According to this list, some indication of the final list of Dragan Skucic traveling to Bahrain can be speculated.

* Continued absence of Vouria Ghafouri and inviting a new right back. With the invitation of Daniel Ismailifar, Sepahan’s right-back, for vaccination, he is the latest player invited by Skocic for this post. The head coach of the national team had previously invited players such as Najarian and Shiri, but it seems that with their failure in previous camps, Ismailifar has been preferred to Vouria Ghafouri and possibly Ramin Rezaian. Siamak Nemati is also another figure in the right-back position. There is also Jafar Salmani in this position, who was made his debut against Syria and will probably be added to the squad.

Hamed Lak is out of Luck!

In the previous squad, with the absence of Abedzadeh due to travel restrictions in Portugal, as well as Rashid Mazaheri, being diagnosed positive with Cormona, Hamed Lak was added, but after about a month from the national team camp, Hamed Lak was eliminated. And Mazaheri received the vaccine along with Payam Niazmand.

Of course, given that Abedzadeh and Beiranvand are likely to be called up after the conclusion of the Belgian and Portuguese leagues, it remains to be seen which of the four goalkeepers Skocic will cross.

* League top scorer is out

With quite a heavy traffic on the team’s offensive line, Sajjad Shahbazadeh was unable to convince Skocis that he is worthy of Team Melli jersey. The League Top scorer, replaced Ghayedi in the previous camp as the Esteghlal forward contracted Corona, but he did not get the opportunity to play against Syria.

* Choose 23 players from 36 people!

Currently, 16 domestic players along with Ali Gholizadeh and Kaveh Rezaei are in Skocic’s initial list. On the other hand, legionnaires such as Alireza Beiranvand, Milad Mohammadi, Morteza Pourali Ganji, Sadegh Moharremi, Seyed Majid Hosseini, Allahyar Sayadmanesh, Mehdi Taremi, Amir Abedzadeh, Jafar Salmani, Sardar Azmoun, Saeed Ezatollahi, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Saman Ghodos, Omid Ebrahimi, Ali Karimi, Shoja Khalilzadeh and Karim Ansari-Fard are the players invited to the previous camps by Skocic. The legionnaires’ number is 18 which makes a total of 36 players currently available for Skocic.

In the last camp, 12 legionnaires were present and it was announced that due to the COVID19 conditions, it was not possible to invite Ghodod, Jahanbakhsh, and Abedzadeh due to flight restrictions, Pourali Ganji and Moharrami were not invited due to injuries and Kaveh Rezaei was tested positive for coronae. The number of Legionnaire players considered by Skocic reaches 18.

Eventually, Skocic will have to announce the names of 23 players to play in Bahrain, which will remove about 13 players from the starting lineup.

* Worrying days for Team Melli players

A look at the situation of ready players inside and outside Iran shows that the head coach must cross some famous players in all the lines. There are currently several goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and strikers on the list, each of whom is a key player in their own teams.

For example, there is heavy traffic on the offensive line. Currently, Azmoun, Tarmi, Ansarifard, Rezaei, Sayadmanesh and Ghaedi are the forwards available for Team Melli. It remains to be seen which of these forwards Skocis will choose. The Chances of Rezaei and Sayyadmanish will be slim.

In the defense, PourAli Ganji, Hosseini, Kananizadegan, Khalilzadeh, and Gholami are the five central defenders who are in the preliminary list and one person will definitely miss the line. Most probably that player will be Gholami whose club Esteghlal was one of the worst defensive teams in the AFC Champions League.

In the midfield, Kamiabinia and Sarlak have entered the preliminary list for the first time. Also, Omid Ebrahimi, Ahmad Noorollahi, Ali Karimi, Omid Nourafkan, Vahid Amiri, Ali Gholizadeh, Siamak Nemati, Saman Ghodos, Alireza Jahanbehsh, etc. are others who will eventually be invited only 8 people. Kamiabinia and Sarlak will have little chance. Jahanbakhsh has been poor all season and a fringe player for his club Brighton. Karimi and Nourafakn might struggle to make the final list too.

In the coming weeks, the sensitivity and stress among the national team players will increase, and it remains to be seen who will make the roster to Bahrain.

THE EXPECTED SQUAD

our prediction is based on the league performance of each player. the analysis of the clubs and suitability. There were few points given to the previous performances and historic records in Team Melli as this has no value in this challenging present environment.

#	Player	Club	Country
GOALKEEPERS
1	ABEDZADEH, Amir	C.S. Marítimo
2	BIRANVAND, Alireza	Royal Antwerp
3	NIAZMAND, Payam	Sepahan
DEFENDERS

4	KHALILZADEH, Shoja	Al Rayyan
5	HOSSEINI, Majeed	Trabzonspor
6	KANANI-ZADEGAN, Hossein	Persepolis
7	MOHAMMADI, Milad	Gent
8	JALALI, Abofazl	Saipa Alborz
9	MOHARRAMI, Sadegh	Dynamo Zagreb
10	POURALIGANJI, Morteza	Shenzhen FC

MIDFIELD
11	AMIRI, Vahid	Persepolis
12	EBRAHIMI, Omid	Al Ahli
13	NEMATI, Siamak	Persepolis
14	HAJSAFY, Ehsan	Sepahan
15	NOORALLAHIE, Ahmad	Persepolis
16	EZATOLLAHI, Saeid	Vejle Boldklub
17	TORABI, Mehdi	Persepolis
18	GHODOS, Saman	Brentford
FORWARDS
19	ANSARIFARD, Karim	AEK Athens
20	AZMOUN, Sardar	Zenit St. Petersburg
21	GHOLIZADEH, Ali	Chareloei
22	GHAYEDI, Mehdi	Esteghlal
23	TAREMI, Mehdi	FC Porto

06/06/2020

Mehdi Taj claims Wilmots was the Minister of Sport recommendation!

In a radio sports show yesterday, Mehdi Taj the former President of FFIRI, who is under severe scrutiny and possible criminal charges on the subject of the contract with Marc Wilmots, claimed that the Belgian Coach appointment to Team Melli was based on the recommendations given by the Ministry of Sport!

According to Mehr News Agency, the Ministry of Sports issued an official statement refuting the former FFIRI president.

“about some issues raised in the radio interview, Mr. Mehdi Taj, former President of the Football Federation, The ministry finds it necessary to explain to the public the role of the Minister of Sports and Youth in regards to Mr. Wilmots or any coach. The Minister did not introduce (…) the coach to the Football Federation, as Mr. Taj claimed in an interview Friday night. The Minister only forwarded a letter originated from the “Cultural Association of Iran and the Netherlands” in which three veteran foreign coaches were identified and this referral has been submitted to the Football Federation for review. This is a common practice for some individuals, institutions, or organizations to make suggestions or referrals to the Ministry of Sports and Youth, which in turn we direct to the federation concern” The ministry spokesperson said in the statement.

To justify further, the Ministry spoke person added: “While anyone with the slightest familiarity with correspondence and administrative literature knows that the term “review” does not mean an order of action, but the final word on the matter and decision-making is left to that federation, which of course means choosing and concluding a contract with individuals team coaches. It is the full responsibility of the football federations, to complete the necessary steps and the Ministry of Sports and Youth has not interfered in the selection of coaches.”

There is no doubt that the Ministry on the behest of the government has been running the football federation. Although technically speaking, the spokesperson is correct, as the recommendation is not an order but if this recommendation comes from your sole financier and backer, like the case in Iran, then the recommendation consciously and knowingly becomes an order.

Many believe that Carlos Queiroz would have still been the coach of Team Melli if it wasn’t to the objections and interferences of this same Minister of Youth and Sports, Soltanifar.

Marc Wilmots appointment turned out to be a serious technical and administrative disaster for Team Melli and the football federation. After two consecutive relatively smooth qualifications to the FIFA World Cup under the guidance of Queiroz, Iran’s Team Melli under Wilmots is risking elimination this time.

26/03/2020

Team Melli is still without a sponsor!

The Iranian national team is without a sponsorship deal since the FIFA World Cup 2018 Russia, as all efforts by the Football Federation to find a jersey sponsor and a commercial partner has failed to attract any interest.

The FIFA World Cup and the AFC Asian Cup are two of the most important official events in football in which the federation has been able to make a huge profit by accepting sponsors for Team Melli and covering the cost of preparation for the team. The last official contract was signed before the start of the World Cup and lasted up to the end of the tournament, although that deal was much criticized due to lack of transparency.

The Federation or the Marketing Department has repeatedly posted ads on the federation’s website and official newspapers inviting various companies and institutions, but no entity was willing to close a sponsorship with the FFIRI. As a result, Iran’s Team Melli had no sponsor for the World Cup 2022 and World Cup 2022 qualifiers.

Continuation of this problem, given the ambiguity on the resumption of World Cup qualifying matches after Corona’s eradication, could damage the national team’s preparation process as the FFIRI cannot financially meet the demands of the technical staff and the preparations required.

Much of this concern by sponsors revolves around the poor reputation of the administrators and managers of the federation. Corruption is endemic in Iran’s football and lack of transparency on the previous sponsorship deals raised many unanswered questions. Organizations prefer to stay away from this unwelcome PR.

Another stumbling block is the unreliability of the FFIRI in terms of respect for the contract. By the unilateral termination of contracts citing violations without proper evidence or legal backing, the FFIRI has set a bad precedent and created difficult situations on several occasions while it has spoiled its own reputation in the process

As such, none of these failures by inept FFIRI leadership is much of the surprise to the observers in Iran’s football. The FFIRI has a terminal lack of competent leadership as long as the extended hand of the government insists on installing puppets rather than competent administrators and inspiring leadership.

28/05/2015

Norwich to rival Celtic for NEC Nijmegen winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh

As per a report in Voetbal International, newly promoted Premier League side Norwich City are keen on signing NEC Nijmegen winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh.

The 21-year-old winger is regarded as an extremely bright prospect in European football, having netted 13 goals and register 18 assists in 31 games this season. Naturally a right-sided winger, he can also play on the left and as a number 10, but it is as a goalscoring winger where his talents truly shine through.

He has played for Nijmegen since the summer of 2013, having spent the previous part of his career in his homeland of Iran, whom he has represented 14 times at international level.

He travelled to the 2014 World Cup with Carlos Queiroz’s men, and he made three substitute appearances, although many believed he should have featured more due to his dynamism and attacking threat.

The report states that Jahanbakhsh is set to leave Nijmegen this summer, with Norwich one of three clubs interested in his signature. The other two sides are not named, although Scottish champions Celtic have previously been linked with his signature, as per the Scotsman.

Norwich can offer Premier League football, but Celtic have the allures of European football, and it will be up to the young talented prospect to decide upon his future this summer, with a transfer away from the Netherlands all-but guaranteed

15/01/201515/01/2015

Javad Nekounam breaks the record of Team Melli all time appearnces

Finally , the current Captain of Team Melli, Javad Nekounam , broke Ali Daei’s record for the most number of matches while playing his 150th match against Qatar in Sydney.

Javad Nekounam , who started his international career in 2000 while a midfield player at Pas Tehran , has been consistently playing for Team Melli in the last 14 years in which he played in 2 World Cups (2006 , 2014) and 5 AFC Asian Cup ( 2000, 2004, 2007, 2011, 2015).

Nekounam is also the 4th highest scorer in Team Melli history , behind Ali Daei, Karim Bagheri and Ali Karimi , the 3 legendary stars of Iranian football. Nekounam has accumulated 37 goals , one less than Ali Karimi who is the third on the list.

Our sincere congratulation to Nekounam on this achievement.

Season	Openin.	Subst.	Goals	Yellows	Reds
2000	1	5	0	0	0
2001	6	4	0	1	0
2002	11	1	0	1	0
2003	13	0	1	2	0
2004	18	0	7	3	0
2005	11	0	4	2	0
2006	11	0	2	2	0
2007	8	0	4	3	0
2008	8	0	4	1	0
2009	8	0	2	3	0
2010	6	0	1	1	1
2011	10	0	5	0	0
2012	8	1	1	1	0
2013	8	0	6	0	0
2014	8	1	0	3	0
2015	2	1	0	0	0
Total	137	13	37	23	1
By season \| In opening squad \| Substituted in \| Goals \| Yellow cards \| Red cards

12/01/2015

Sanctions choking Iran’s progress, says coach Queiroz

Melbourne (AFP) –

Iran coach Carlos Queiroz has voiced anger and frustration at how international sanctions are damaging his plans to build the team’s future.

“It’s been very difficult,” the former Portugal and Real Madrid manager said. “We suffer a lot to prepare friendly games and to move internationally to prepare the team and players. After the World Cup the situation is getting worse and worse.

“The players are victimised by the limitations of the sanctions.”

Sanctions imposed on Iran since its nuclear programme became public in 2002 have crippled its economy.

Queiroz complained that the knock-on effects were hampering his plans, and accused FIFA of not releasing up to $8 million in appearance money owed from last year’s World Cup in Brazil.

Queiroz’s side managed to play only two friendlies in the run-up to the Asian Cup, against South Korealast November and Iraq earlier this month.

“When we come to a competition like this, we have 80 million people dreaming about the team’s expectations, 80 million people supporting the team,” said the 61-year-old, who has brought a squad with several untested players to Australia. “But we can’t play because we don’t have the chance.

“Korea and Iraq did us a big favour, paying some of their expenses. When you come to this tournament (you see) it’s not about fair play. For those who always talk about fair play, there is no fair play.

“Fair play is to give opportunities to these kids to play international matches, to learn as all players deserve. It’s part of the FIFA spirit that politics should not interfere with the game.

“In order to change and really prepare the future of the Iranian national team, it’s time we got the all-clear from directors and the people that can help,” he added. “Iran cannot progress and it’s not fair for sport people, football players.”

Charged with rebuilding an Iran team put on the map by players such as Mehdi Mahdavikia and Ali Karimi, Queiroz’s frustration was palpable.

“Without support they cannot progress,” he shrugged. “At the end of the day when you don’t have resources to play games, it’s not fair for football, not fair for the young players of Iran.”