Carlos Queiroz never seems to age, with only a lengthening CV providing proof of passing time.
It makes for impressive reading, but the 62-year-old still wants to do more. "I am attracted to the idea of taking four different national teams to a World Cup because only one or two guys have done that and it would be nice for my coaching career," Mozambique-born Queiroz told ESPN FC.
It would be quite a feat, but at the moment the Portuguese coach is focusing on taking Iran -- his third national team after South Africa and Portugal -- to a second successive World Cup in Russia 2018.
The feat is harder than many people realise it to be, Queiroz argues. Though there are four automatic World Cup berths for Asia, the reality is a little different.
"In Asia, three nations have a credit card for the World Cup -- Australia, South Korea and Japan," he says with just a hint of a smile and a what-can-you-do shrug of the shoulders.
"That leaves just one place for Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Uzbekistan, China and North Korea. That is seven
Iran coach Carlos Queiroz is preparing to guide Team Melli to their second straight WC ahead of Thursday's qualifier vs. Guam.nations and almost of all these have great conditions, facilities and financial resources."
Iran -- who were under international sanctions for eight years -- have been at a disadvantage, according to Queiroz. There have been struggles to gain access to funds due from FIFA and the AFC and the consequential inability to pay for training camps and facilities. Years of cancelled friendlies also took a toll.
For Queiroz, it is becoming more difficult for Iran to compete with rivals with better financial resources. "There is real passion for the game in Iran, you don't have to ignite it," he said.
"With passion, players and desire, you have a big chance. But how many times can you work a miracle?
"Money talks everywhere, and we need resources to create a foundation. We need experience but how are you going to gain it if you don't have friendly games, if you don't have nations to play? This is a cat and mouse game and is very difficult to deal with."
Carlos Queiroz hailed Iran's spirited performance against Lionel Messi's Argentina in last year's World Cup.The sanctions were lifted in July but the former Real Madrid coach is unconvinced that things will change anytime soon.
It was against such a backdrop that Iran made it to the 2014 World Cup, clinching a spot on a warm June night at the Ulsan World Cup Stadium.
Team Melli's celebration upset the South Korean hosts, who felt it was over the top and aggressive. But according to Queiroz, who was formerly an assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manshester United, it was emotion released after a long and testing campaign.
It was not the end of stress, however. "Our preparation for the World Cup was not playing national teams but a couple of first division teams from South Africa. We are grateful, don't get me wrong, those friends were fantastic for us but it was not enough.
"We need more experience, more players who are mature to play a World Cup. We want to be there with a chance to compete and win and in the World Cup we can only do that if we have quality players and experience."
Even so, the memories of Brazil are still warm. "The performance was great. The players and the team got a lot of respect. They brought pride to the nation, there is no doubt about that," said Queiroz.
Especially against Argentina when Iran only lost 1-0 due to a piece of Lionel Messi magic in the 91st minute and could have won, had the referee given what seemed to be a pretty clear penalty when Pablo Zabaleta had fouled Ashkan Dejagah in the area 10 minutes into the second half.
"I was sure that they would not be able to score, but when you have God on the pitch, sometimes you can make miracles," said Queiroz.
"I cracked the joke then that Argentina had everything on their side. They had Messi who played for them -- Messi could have been born Iranian, but God made him to be born in Argentina.
"Then they also had the referee who was a little bit distracted when he didn't give us that penalty, that scandalous penalty. Sure, if we had scored then, it could have inspired Argentina to come back -- you never know in football. But those two combinations were difficult to deal with.
"We fought hard at the World Cup. It was OK. It was 50 percent of what I wanted."
Queiroz coached Iran to a quarterfinal appearance in the Asian Cup in January but lost the thriller against neighbours Iraq.It comes back to Russia 2018. Iran are strong favourites to top Group D and move into the final round of qualification despite a disappointing start with a 1-1 draw in Turkmenistan in June.
"More than 50 percent of the team are young and it is a new team," Queiroz said. "I expected a little more from them. In fact, the game got a bit complicated for us after we had scored. There are no excuses though. The pitch was OK for both teams, the weather was very hot.
We need to praise Turkmenistan -- they fought for the result and we lacked the experience to control the game and get the three points. But we are still in a good position to move to the next round."
On Thursday, Guam come to Tehran. The island with a population of 170,000 were genuine minnows until recently. Now the Matao are top of the group with six points from games at home to Turkmenistan and India and have climbed the rankings to 146.
Queiroz is wary of the team who are confident, ambitious and with nothing to lose. He is respectful of the job English coach Gary White has done. "They are doing well. They have a lot of players with experience in the United States leagues," said Queiroz.
"I am not surprised, because I have been there and found the Guam players to have this competitive nature and sport education which are the foundations of American sports. The coach is doing well because I saw videos and the team is very well organised with good discipline and it is going to be difficult."
For Carlos Queiroz, life as Iran coach is never easy and you sense that he quite likes it that way. "That is why we are coaches, born to suffer in life. We will do our best and that is all we can do."
John Duerden is ESPN's Asia football correspondent who also works for BBC Radio, The Guardian and World Soccer. Twitter: @JohnnyDuerden
In preparation for Guam’s fixture against Asia’s No. 1 country, I.R. Iran, on Sept. 3, the team and staff have all gotten together for a weeklong training camp at J-Green Sakai in Osaka, Japan, thanks to the generosity of the Japan Football Association.
For over a decade, JFA has been immensely supportive of football development in Guam and this was recognized in front of dozens of Japanese media in a press conference held this past Friday in Tokyo. Matao team members and staff were all present at the event to thank JFA for the organization’s assistance that has helped fuel the success of Guam’s national program today.
Guam’s football success
Gary White, or the “Gaffer,” the Guam Football Association’s technical director and head coach of the men’s national soccer team, has written:
The recognition of JFA’s support over the years of Guam’s football success comes at an opportune time, as the Matao are currently group leaders in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia and AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Joint Qualification Round 2, a feat unparalleled by many of Asia’s top countries.
Now that we’ll be facing off with Asia’s highest-ranked country in a few days in Azadi Stadium, a venue with a capacity of over 100,000, we continue to thank JFA for its support in arranging accommodations and training at the beautiful and world-class J-Green Sakai facility in Osaka, Japan.
After our match in Iran, the team looks forward to returning home for its match against Oman, a country ranked in the top 100 in the world. We hope to play in front of another sellout crowd, with fans in every corner waving Guam flags and cheering the team to another milestone victory.
The young man from Sari , Mazanderan has been making headlines in Iranian football since his arrival at Persepolis from Rah Ahan.
The 23 years old who started his professional football at Nasaji before moving to Tehran with Naft, has been a regular in several age level Team Melli teams. Playing on the flanks and at times in the midfield , he has a remarkable ability to out run his opponents , a burst of speed that is second to none , and classic dribbling skills.
Alishah came under prominence in Rah Ahan under Ali Daei who quickly identified the skills and ability of the young player promoting him to the first team and giving him much playing time ahead of senior players. Alishah did not disappoint and for the two seasons he was in Rah Ahan , he played 39 matches and scored 9 goals which is considered well above average for a player at his age in Iran.
In 2013 , Ali Daei then Persepolis coach, managed to take Alishah with him where he continued displaying his magic and goals. Alishah has been known to score some spectacular goals to compliment his other skills.
With attributes that are close to Hassan Rowshan and Mehdi Mahdavikia, having similar physique to the two Team Melli legends , Alishah can terrorize his markers , out running and out maneuvering them with ease. His finishing is also not bad either.
Despite his undeniable talent, Alishah is one notorious diver, which mars his immaculate play. He has recovered numerous yellow cards for diving in league games and also received marching orders for this lack of honesty.
Alishah has been picked by Queiroz for the first time in Team Melli for the two matches against Guam and India. He can be the perfect replacement for the departed Shaojei and the out of favor Khalatbary. If only he plays his cards right, this young man has plenty of talent to make him a star.
Carlos Queiroz gathered Team Melli squad around the hotel to conduct a early training and warm up session this Friday morning.
The new look team is short of few Legionnaires mainly the 3 Russian contingent Sardar Azmoun and Saeed Ezatollahei from Rostov and Alireza Haghighi of Rubin Kazan, while those playing in Qatar league are all present.
Guam is arriving to Tehran full of confidence after two wins out of two as they have guaranteed themselves to stay above Iran even in case of a loss. The tiny Pacific island state would have traveled an epic journey to make it to Iran. The squad is expected to arrive in Tehran a full few days before the match.
The selection of several young players has changed the complexion of Team Melli to the extent that many faces will be unfamiliar to the majority of the fans. From the old guard , Ando Teymourian , Montazaei , Dejagah , Hosseini and Khosrow Hedari are still available to add much needed experience to the squad.
The last time Queiroz used the youth team in a friendly against Uzbekistan , the new players performed admirably well and won the match. However , as soon as Queiroz reverted back to the old squad , for the official qualifiers , the team faltered against Turkmenistan and came out with a disappointing draw.
The one admirable move by Queiroz this time round is his dropping of Masoud Shojaei and Karim Ansarifard. Shojaei , for the last few years an Achilles heel of team Melli has faced massive criticism from the media and the fans in the stands for his lackluster displays. But by the sheer fact that he was playing in Europe, albeit either at end of the table teams or lower divisions, he found favors with the Portuguese coach. Finally Queiroz has faced the reality that this particular player has passed his best years.
Ansarifard has suffered similar drop of form but that is mostly attributed to his lack of consistency, changing clubs every season and not settling well with his teams. Ansarifard is still a quality player who is expected to return to form and back in favor with Team Melli after he settles down and maintain a team for a few seasons.
The match in Azadi will be Team Melli's first home game in the FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifiers.
With just more than a month left for the Indian National Team to play Iran, the ‘Giants of Asia’, in the 2018 FIFA World Cup and 2019 AFC Asian Cup Preliminary Joint Qualifier in Bengaluru, AIFF Media caught up with National Coach Stephen Constantine on a number of issues pertaining to Indian football.
INTERVIEW How much is the road ahead tough?
The road for us is as tough as I had expected it to be. Many may have thought that this was going to be a quick transition given that we beat Nepal and qualified. Many may have also severely underestimated Guam, and possibly overestimated the level that we are at the moment, which I personally feel cannot change within a short time.
Have there been changes to the squad?
I have made many changes to the philosophy of the team to the type of training that we do including introducing many bright new prospects into the squad.
But at the same time, they also need time to adjust to the pace and the level of international football. There is a huge difference between the standard of the domestic leagues to international football.
How is our team shaping up prior to the Iran match?
It’s Iran, the 41st ranked team in the world, the Giants of Asia. I feel that says it all.
The International Friendly against Nepal is the sole competitive match that our boys would have played before taking on the Asian superpowers. You need to remember that prior to the match against Nepal, most of the National Team players have not played a competitive game since June 2015 (against Guam) while the others have not played since May 31, 2015, i.e., the completion of the Hero I-League. So for some players, its more than two months while for the rest, it’s almost or even more than three months. The National Team is at a huge disadvantage.
We are playing Nepal on August 31st in an International Friendly? Is there any specific reason to play Nepal?
There were options playing against higher ranked teams but seeing that we are playing a home game, we wanted to play at home while those teams wanted to play at their home. So it didn’t materialize. Under such circumstance, it’s good we played some close to our ranking.
I know the sentiment of people wanting us to play more but none wants to play more than me.
(Interview & Photo courtesy AIFF Media)
The Armed Forces of Islamic Republic of Iran has written to the concerned departments declaring that all those players who have found to be guilty of fraud by the courts for holding fake military release certificates , will not be allowed to join Team Melli or Omid teams. The ban is valid until the completion of their service.
Team Melli will be playing against Guam at home then India away. Carlos Queiroz will be unable to select those players although in real terms , none are fixed players in the team. The players are Arash Afshin , Bakhtiyar Rahmani , Shoja'a Khalilzadeh , Hossein Mahini and Soroush Rafei. In addition , Mehrdad Pooladi who is currently out of the country , is also put on the black list and cannot play for Team Melli.
The communique from the armed forces did not specifically mention those other players who have not cheated and are currently serving their mandatory military service as required by the law. Such players are normally banned from leaving the country while serving but dispensation has been issued before on request from the FFIRI and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
Team Melli will start a short training camp next Thursday in Azadi Sports Complex in preparation for the match on 3rd September against Guam in Azadi and on the 8th in Mumbai against India.
Reza Ghoochannejad, Team Melli and Charlton Athletics forward has been put on the injured list by his club after suffering a knee injury during the club match against Nottingham forest in the Championship of English League.
Ghoochannejad who has returned to his English club after two season of being on loan in the Persian Gulf leagues, has already scored a goal for his club against Dagenham & Redbridge but was injured after he was subbed in at 64th minute against Nottingham Forest.
Charlton website has declared that Ghoochannejad "Gucci" will be out for at least one month, which will put him out of the Guam match and possibly the next one against India in Mumbai.
In less than a month, Guam has once again ascended to its highest-ever FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking – No. 146 in the world – with the latest release published by FIFA.com.
HARMON - The new ranking comes ahead of the Matao’s next set of 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia and AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Joint Qualification Round 2 fixtures – Sept. 3 against I.R. Iran in Iran and Sept. 8 against Oman in Guam.
“This is a very exciting time for Guam football – just last month I was praising Guam’s national program for reaching the 150s in the world for the first time in history,” said Richard Lai, Guam Football Association President. “Now, we’re in the 140s and ranked above countries like Hong Kong, Singapore, and Indonesia, all with a long history of football achievements in Asia. I am looking forward to see what more we can do. We couldn’t have accomplished what we have in recent years without the full support of FIFA, AFC, EAFF, the local community and business sponsors.”
With the rise in world rank, Guam is also ranked No. 22 in Asia, surpassing 25 other more established football countries in the continent.
“I’m very pleased with the progress the team continues to make in recent years, though I truly feel that Guam has not yet reached its peak,” said Gary White, head coach of the Guam men’s national team. “There really is no limit as to what Guam can achieve in international football as evidenced by the national team’s recent first-ever victories over Turkmenistan and India in June to lead Group D in the joint qualification and many other ‘first-ever’ results in recent years. In fact, before the June matches, hardly anyone took me seriously when I stated that I believed Guam would lead Group D – a group that includes Asia’s No. 1 country, I.R. Iran – at the conclusion of the opening matches of its 2018 FIFA World Cup campaign.
“With every historical milestone we achieve, we’ll continue to set our standards even higher. This is not only for the team, but for Guam’s entire national football program. There are now certain high expectations to meet each time Guam competes,” White added.
Following the FIFA World Cup Qualifier matches in September, next on the Matao’s schedule is its second fixture against Turkmenistan, scheduled for Oct. 13 in the Central Asian country, followed by a match against India on Nov. 12 in Bangalore. The team returns to Guam for a Nov. 17 match against I.R. Iran at the GFA National Training Center, before waiting until Mar. 24 next year to face Oman in Oman.
Tickets for the upcoming Guam vs Oman match scheduled for Sept. 8 may be purchased beginning this week at GFA. Ticket prices range from $20 to $40 based on seating sections.
Garry white writes:
Since learning of Guam's opponents, I, along with my coaching staff, have done a considerable amount of research coming to the final stretch before the scheduled matches. Before facing I.R. Iran on Sept. 3, the team will be in a short training camp in Japan, and after the match, will return to Guam for a home match against Oman — a 30-hour flight each way!With Guam in a considerable lead in group standings, these highly anticipated matches will be closely watched not only by fans from the competing countries, but fans and media around the world, all who have kept the discussion about Guam's progress and success alive to this day. Fans in Guam will have the rare opportunity to witness the Guam-Oman fixture live, with so much riding on the result of the match.If you haven't done so already, buy your tickets at GFA to watch the match against Oman, set to kick off at 4 p.m. on Sept. 8, following the Labor Day holiday. Not only will you be treated to an intense, high-caliber match, but your support may be the necessary fuel for the team's success, as felt during the Matao's first two FIFA World Cup Qualifier wins. The match will be in the same week as the opening Saturday of the Triple J Auto Group Robbie Webber Youth League, and will hopefully inspire the next generation of the Matao and Masakåda, Guam's senior national teams.Gary White, or the "Gaffer," is Guam Football Association's technical director and head coach of the men's national soccer team.
After much thought and deliberation by the FFIRI on the proposal by Guam FA to hold both the matches of FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifiers between Iran and Guam in Iran , Team Melli's Manager Afshin Peyrovani said today that the away match will be held in Guam as originally scheduled.
Peyrovani, in a statement to the official football federation website , said that FIFA regulations prevented both matches bein played in the same venue !
Guam has submitted an official proposal to save cost and the gigantic travel mileage the like of which can never happen anywhere else in FIFA calendar. The tiny US protectorate is currently leading the group with maximum points from two matches won against Turkmenistan and India.
Team Melli’s proposed camp in Turkey is off , according to Team Manager Afshin Peyrovani.The camp was scheduled for 2nd June to 9th in Istanbul or Ankara, however due to various logistical and financial difficulties, the camp is now canceled, Peyrovani said to the reporters.The Manager of Team Melli went in length to explain all the reasons behind the cancelation but at the end, it was apparent that money or lack of it was the main reason for cancelation of the training camp in preparation to the Turkmenistan game.Peyrovani added that Team Melli will be flying to Uzbekistan on a chartered flight and then proceed to the city of Daşoguz , Turkmenistan for the opener match of Iran’s FIFA World Cup 2018 qualification rounds. Peyrovani explained in details on who is paying for the cost of each leg of the flights!On the subject of the venue, it is apparent that the AFC competitions commission has turned down FFIRI’s protest against the venue and the match is cleared to be played at Turkmenistan’s 3rd largest city. There was no reason to reject Daşoguz just because it is 600 km away from the capital.As it is becoming fairly obvious that cost and expenditure is a major concern for FFIRI and Team Melli, expenses and cost are mentioned on every opportunity. FFIRI seems to have difficulty in meeting the requirements of the squad including logistics. Peyrovani talked about the proposal by Guam to play both legs of the matches in the Group D of the World Cup qualifiers in Iran. The suggestion from the Pacific nation is conditional on Iran paying for the expenses of the Guam squad including air fares. Peyrovani said the suggestion sounds good and it will be seriously considered. “If that is approved, one of the matches with Guam will be played in another Iranian City away from Tehran to allow the fans to watch their national team.”No doubt that the accountant in FFIRI HQ is busy counting bearing the cost of Guam in Tehran versus flying to Hagåtña in Guam some 9445 km (5869 miles) away. Both teams will be travelling a good 17 to 18 hours to reach destination considering a good connection in at least two airports for connecting flights.Typical Flight Times:Tehran to Manila 13:15 hours (transit through one of the Persian Gulf airports)Manila to Guam 3:55 hours
