Tag: Khodadad Azizi

25/08/202325/08/2023

Azizi and Afazeli join Team Melli coaching staff.

According to Mehr news agency, The Iranian football federation FFIRI approved the proposal by Team Melli head coach, Amir Ghalenoei to add Khodadad Azizi and Houman Afazeli to the team’s coaching staff as technical advisors with immediate effect.

After an illustrious playing career starting in Mashad for Abomoslem and then moving on to the Persepolis, the Bundesliga club, 1. FC Köln, San Jose Earthquakes in the USA, Al-Nasr (UAE), and the Austrian side Admira Wacker, Azizi took to coaching. The fast winger never replicated his success on the field while he was on the bench of Abo Moslem, Payam Khorasan, Esteghlal Ahvaz, and Shahrdari Tabriz. He hardly completed a full season with any club as a coach.

Houman Afazeli had previous coaching experience at Team Melli when he was appointed as a technical advisor and analyst. He also coached several second-tier clubs in Iran’s second division.

11/07/2022

Khodadad Azizi: The Ministry of Sports is plotting for the return of Queiroz!

Former Team Melli player, Khodadad Azizi has claimed that individuals from the Ministry or the Minister of Sports have held talks with Carlos Queiroz to take over as the head coach of Iran’s national football team. That claim has resulted in a swift response by the Ministry through its Legal Director-General who announced the right to legally sue Azizi in courts.

According to ISNA, Khodadad Azizi, who was supposed to be part of the FFIRI delegation that was to travel to Canada with Team Melli and who is named as Karim Bagheri’s replacement in the coaching staff, said in response to the recent marginalization of the national football team. “The reliable news is that gentlemen delegated by the Ministry of Sports and Hamid Sajjadi, the Minister of Sports, have held talks with Queiroz. It is interesting to note how we are stepping backward with the return of Queiroz and who is behind that? Do you want to make us a Portuguese football colony again? Let’s all stand hand in hand against this Queiroz again. Do you want this man who would tell us when to take a shower, when to stand up and when to sit down? Have you forgotten?”.

Morteza Fallah, Director-General of Legal Affairs of the Ministry of Sports and Youth, pointed to the statements of “one of the former Iranian football players” as he put it, and clarified that “these statements were made without any basis or fact. No negotiations were conducted by the Ministry of Sports and Youth with any coach. and the accusations are definitely false and we reserve the right to legally pursue these allegations.”

He added: “While the Ministry of Sports and Youth and the respected spokesperson of the government has explicitly stated that they do not and will not intervene in the technical issues and competence of the Football Federation in any way, some people, disregarding the supervisory duties of the Ministry of Sports and Youth, have made accusations against the government and the ministry that it is devoid of truth and a clear example of spreading lies.”

22/05/2022

Team Melli news update.

Team Melli is preparing fror the friendly match against the Canadian national team on the morning of June 6. As per the announcement of the Canadian Federation, 50 people can be included in the list of Iran’s squad traveling to Vancouver for this match. FFIRI has also prepared a list of names of people who can accompany Team Melli on this trip. According to the list that will be soon submitted by head coach Dragan Skocic, the FFIRI will proceed with the administrative affairs related to issuing visas. Between 23 to 25 players will be selected plus the coaching staff and the support group, medical kits, and Culinary team are expected to be included in the list. It is also expected that security agents and undercover police be part of the group keeping an eye on the players.

Dragan Skočić

The Croatian head coach of Team Melli who has recently returned to Tehran from his holiday is just about to announce the final list of the Team Melli’s squad traveling to Canada. One major absentee will be Saman Ghoddos who is still on the injury list and not fully fit for competitive matches.

Skočić is still hoping that the federation could find a second opponent in Canada as it seems that the Ecuador match is in doubt.

Karim Bagheri.

The Football Federation of Iran FFIRI has crossed out Karim Bagheri’s name from the list that was submitted to the Canadian Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, for visa application. Karim Bagheri’ was given the choice to be either a part of the Team Melli coaching staff full time or maintain his post as assistant in the Persepolis team. Due to the requirement of Team Melli at this stage, the federation did not find it feasible for Krim to hold both posts simultaneously.

Dragan Skocic, the head coach of the Iranian national team, along with the executive officials of the Football Federation, have opposed the simultaneous presence of Karim Bagheri in Persepolis and the national team regarding the national team’s qualification to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Therefore, the name of Karim Bagheri has been removed from the ranks of Skocic’s assistants, and he will definitely not accompany the national team on his trip to Canada.

Khodadad Azizi

On other hand, Mirshad Majedi, the acting head of the Football Federation, with the approval of the executive and technical committee of the Iranian national team, has agreed with the appointment of former Team Melli star Khodadad Azizi as part of the coaching staff during this trip to Canada. Azizi has been included in the list of visa applications. It seems like the possibility of his permanent presence as a replacement for Karim Bagheri is a serious possibility.

Mirshad Majedi

The acting head of the FFIRI is likely to head the delegation to Canada although it has not been confirmed yet. The Canadian Federation has requested in its contract the presence of the highest official of the federation on this trip for the possibility of negotiations of cooperation development, mutual agreement on future friendlies, and other areas of support between the two federations. Therefore, Majidi is likely to accompany the national team on their trip to Canada.

Istanbul Camp.

The Football Federation has planned a mini-camp in Istanbul which allows Skocic to train his player for at least three sessions in Istanbul. Apart from physically obtaining the visas, the squad will most probably have to travel to Vancouver through Istanbul anyway, so that created an opportunity for a mini-training camp that Skocic duly agreed uupon.

The Canadian connection.

the Football Federation of Iran and its Canadian counterpart expressed concern about some adverse comments regarding the match. The bad propaganda against Iran’s visit and the match in Vancouver are not sport-related and it is meant to negatively influence the potential attendees against the Iranian regime. In this letter, the Football Federation of Iran, according to the clauses in the contract, has demanded stern action by the authorities against any kind of political protest and anti-regime slogans in the stadium. It also demanded that the match be held in a complete sporting atmosphere and not spoiled by politics

. The Iranian Federation has stated that any political gathering during the presence of the Iranian convoy in Vancouver should be stopped and the necessary guarantees should be given in this regard. In the contract for this meeting, the host country has given a full commitment that it will not allow any formally and planned political protests. However, the Iranian Football Federation is waiting for an official response from its counterpart to ensure this. Canada responds explicitly The Canadian Federation, in response to a letter from the Iranian Football Federation, has announced that it has signed a contract with Iran as an independent body and will provide a full guarantee for the match without any political interference.

Letter of appreciation

The second letter of tFFIRI to Canada includes thanks and appreciation for the response of Soccer Canada against political meddling and its rights to arrange friendly matches as it deems necessary for Team Canada. The letter mentioned in part that Soccer Canada is an approved and independent body and that nothing could be expected but to maintain transparency and commitment to the contract signed by the country that will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Termination of this contract will only be possible under extreme conditions or unpredictable events and hence “force majeure” will be activated. If the game between the two teams is to be canceled under the “force majeure” conditions, no compensation will be awarded to either party.

Friendly with Albania

FFIRI was negotiating with several federations for friendly games in Doha amongst them was Albania. This UEFA member is currently occupying 65 places in FIFA Ranking against Iran’s 21st. Albania never qualified for any world cup in its history and hardly has any famous name on its national team. Yet, this team demanded a large fee for the match plus all expenses paid by FFIRI for the Albanian squad.

FFIRI respectfully turned down the Albanian demands, however, the audacity of the Albanians seems to be laughable!!!

05/06/201605/06/2016

Team Melli returns to Tehran to prepare for Kyrgyzstan.

Team Melli landed in the early hours of Sunday morning in Tehran returning from Skopje , Macedonia via Istanbul airport. After the 3-1 win against Macedonia , Team Melli stayed in the country and continued training and preparation for the upcoming friendly international against Kyrgyzstan.

So far , all the squad members are in a good condition with no injury reported. The squad will stay in the hotel until the match day on Tuesday 7th June. The match will be played in Azadi Stadium at 21:00 local time (15:30 GMT).

HEAD2HEAD

The two neighboring countries have a very few number of games between them and no friendly matches at all. This is the first time the two teams are meeting in a friendly. The only two matches played were during the FIFA World Cup 1998 Asian Zone qualifiers were Team Melli came out comfortable winners in both matches.

Karim Bagheri tops the scoring against Kyrgyzstan with 3 goals in 2 matches while Khodadad Azizi has two goals.

Kyrgyzstan had a bit of a revival recently and despite failing to make the top 10 teams in the FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifiers, their performances were good enough to worry the opponents and never were the punching bag team of the group as some predicted. Their best achievement was defeating Jordan in the qualifiers 1-0 , the goal scored by Anton Zemlianukhin.

Kyrgyzstan never qualified for any major tournament since independence from the Soviet Union in 1992. Their biggest defeat remains the 7-0 drubbing by Iran in Damascus.

one of the promising players emerging in Kyrgyzstan is the young Akhlidin Israilov who is playing for the second string team of mighty Dynamo Kiev in Ukraine. There are several national team players who play their football outside of Kyrgyzstan but none at major teams.

IRAN	KYRGYZSTAN



FIFA Ranking
39	111
Current Form
Last 5 matches

Matches

Venue	Matches	W	D	L	Goals	+ / –
H	1	1	0	0	3 – 1	+2
A	0	0	0	0	0 – 0	+0
N	1	1	0	0	7 – 0	+7
Total	2	2	0	0	10 – 1	+9

Date	Comp.	venue	score	Stadium	Attendance
09.06.1997	WC Qualifier	H	3 – 1	Azadi – Tehran	50000
04.06.1997	WC Qualifier	N	7 – 0	Abbasyeen Stadium , Damascus	25000

10/01/2015

Queiroz: Iran should treat Bahrain opener as final

AFC: Melbourne (January 10, 2015) Carlos Queiroz has called on Iran to treat Sunday’s AFC Asian Cup Group C opener with Bahrain as a final, with the much-travelled Portuguese coach insisting the three-time champions are now fully prepared for the meeting at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.

Iran are ranked as the number one team in Asia, although having only played two friendlies since returning from an encouraging FIFA World Cup, Queiroz had raised doubts over Iran’s chances of finally adding a fourth continental title to the hat-trick of crowns won between 1968 and 1976.

But following training in both Sydney and Melbourne which included a friendly win over Iraq last weekend, an upbeat Queiroz is now eyeing a successful start to Iran’s record-equalling 13th AFC Asian Cup appearance.

“We’re going to play this game as if it is the Asian Cup final, and for the moment, our full concentration is for the team we play tomorrow,” said Portuguese coach Queiroz following Iran’s final training session at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on Saturday.

“We have our expectations and our motivation and we are ready to compete. We are going to try and do our best to finish the game and win the game against a very good team that is Bahrain.”

Photo courtesy AFC.

Prior to last Sunday’s 1-0 win over Iraq, which was secured thanks to a first half strike from highly rated forward Sardar Azmoun, Iran had only beaten Korea Republic by the same scoreline in Tehran in November having drawn with Nigeria and lost to both Argentina and Bosnia & Herzegovina in Brazil.

“The preparation since we have arrived has been fantastic,” added Queiroz.

“We are ready to compete and fight. We have a big soul, big mind, big heart and we are ready for tomorrow.”

Iran’s outing in Melbourne represents their first game in Australia since ending the Socceroos’ 1998 FIFA World Cup hopes in 1997 when Khodadad Azizi’s late strike at the nearby Melbourne Cricket Ground earned the visitors a crucial 2-2 draw in what was then an intercontinental play-off.

The meeting also brings back memories of previous high-profile matches with Bahrain, most notably FIFA World Cup qualifiers in 2001 and 2012.

“It will be difficult against Bahrain, we have a tradition of big games, that’s football and that’s why this is the beauty of the game,” said Queiroz, who saw his side beat Bahrain 6-0 at home during the third round of qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

“All the teams come here with good expectations and huge dreams and we’re no different from the other teams. Our approach is only to be focused on the next match. We put all our concentration and our energy into the next match.”

17/11/2014

Candidates short-listed for Team Melli Youth team coach.

Tehran.

According to the Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA), FFIRI has named six candidates for coaching of the youth team. The candidates were selected based on criteria established by the Technical Committee.

The coaches are as follows:

Muhammad Ahmadzadeh
Hamid Alidousti
AmirHossein Peyrovani
Akbar Mohammadi
Khodadad Azizi
Rasool Zafarian

These individuals were selected from an initial list of 40 football coaches.

The requirement for the job included, coaching degree level A, a minimum of 4 years’ experience as a coach at youth teams level , good character reference , good technical knowledge , technical reputation, ethics and management capabilities, etc..

The requirement set is ideally suited for one Akbar Mohammadi , a name that seems to be repeatedly mentioned in any coaching job at youth level. Incumbent Akbar Mohammadi has trained Iran’s youth team but not to a great success. He was severely criticized after several failures and his selection as a head coach for Team Melli youth teams was put under question due to his low experience.

Mohammad Ahmadzadeh the most experienced candidates on the list was contacted by ISNA to comment about the job. The ex-Malavan Anzali coach, who also worked as an assistant coach at Team Melli Youth levels, said that about 20 days ago I was contacted by the Federation on the subject matter, but it was informal and not serious. They did not even ask me for a program or plan!.

On the contrary, Akbar Mohammadi who had the same call from FFIRI was asked to provide a long term plan for the youth team, as Mohammadi personally confirmed to ISNA.

AmirHossein Peyrovani could not be reached as he is presently abroad.

According to ISNA the candidates for the youth team coach, will most likely be given interviews this week, probably on Tuesday to explain and provide their plans to the Federation’s Technical Committee.

It is interesting how Khodadad Azizi, the outspoken critic of the hierarchy of football in Iran and a fiery character whose violence against a journalist was widely publicized a few years back, managed to pass the ethics & good character reference criteria set by the federation.

15/03/201415/03/2014

Khodadad Azizi “Team Melli has not improved under Queiroz”

Mehr News Agency , interviewed Khodadad Azizi in a series of interviews with past Team Melli World Cup players. Azizi who scored that famous equalizing goal in Melbourne in 1997 to shock the Australians, a goal that was enough to take Iran to the World Cup France in 1998.

The reporter asked Azizi that “in the past, you have been a supporter of Carlos Queiroz, but why have been quoted as saying that the Football Federation should not renew Queiroz’s contract ?” Confirming what he said about the contract , Azizi explained “ I do not need to praise Queiroz praise because his track record at Real Madrid and Manchester united speaks for itself as being a great coach. Also at a stage where no one thought that Team Melli can win the remaining three games to qualify for the World Cup, I was confident that this is quite likely to occur and believed in the team.”.

He continued ” I always thought that with Carlos Queiroz experience and background, he can change our football style , improve player’s productivity and performance and distance the team from depending in a lone star player. I also hoped that he will influence the team to adapt modern footballing style, playing crowds pleasing beautiful and attractive games, the type that we see on TV from European teams, but unfortunately not only we have seen nothing of that style and no new blood injected into our football , the style remained the same without any significant changes” .

Khodadad Azizi celebrating with Iranian fans in Melbourne Cricket Ground 97

“We have to remember that it is the third year of Carlos Queiroz reign in Team Melli , however our expectation for improvement of style and performance remains wanting and at large. We have seen a coach like Guus Hiddink has so much power and influence on his teams , like the way he changed the style of South Korea. That team in much less time than what Queiroz had , play the kind of football today that is one step above Asian football standard , but in our football, such improvement has not happened.”

“My take on the Queiroz era is that he has not made any significant change in the shape and style of Team Melli.”