Tag: Russia

Team Melli match vs Russia called off.

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Mehdi Mohammad Nabi, a member of the Iran Football Federation’s Board of Directors, said that a planned friendly match with Russia has been called off.

The head coach of the Russian national football team Valery Karpin had said that his team will play Iran in a friendly match in Tehran or Doha on November 16. “We cannot play Russia on November 16 because we will travel to Doha on November 11. Team Melli will play a friendly match with one of the Persian Gulf countries in Doha,” Nabi said. Iran will meet Uruguay in a friendly in Austria on Friday and play Senegal four days later.

A friendly international match against Russia is announced.

www.rt.com

The Russian football federation has announced upcoming friendly matches against Kyrgyzstan and Iran, with the latter likely to take place in Tehran, according to reports.

Russian teams at all levels remain banned from UEFA and FIFA competitions following the onset of Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine – a situation that prevented the Russian team from attempting to qualify for the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

But they can play friendly internationals and will take on an Iran team that will play at the World Cup in a group alongside the USA, England, and Wales.

The Iranians will host the Russian team managed by Valeri Karpin in a game planned for November, with a date and location to be confirmed but which will likely take place in Tehran, according to Match TV.

The match against Kyrgyzstan is scheduled for September 24 in Bishkek’s Dolen Omurzakov Stadium and will be the first football meeting at this level between the two nations.  

The coaching staff of the Russian national team is happy to have the opportunity to get together again and hold a full-fledged training camp,” said manager Karpin, who later announced a provisional 35-man squad for the meeting with Kyrgyzstan.

“Iran are a World Cup participant, a team with a good rating. There are questions about the dates of the matches, Iran plays the first match on November 21 at the World Cup [against England].

“Negotiations are underway,” added Karpin when asked about an exact date.

Russian official outlines plan to tackle UEFA & FIFA bans

The Russian national team has not played since a World Cup qualifying defeat to Croatia in Split back in November.

That loss ended their hopes of qualifying directly for Qatar, although Russia was due to play Poland in a European qualifying playoff semifinal in Moscow in March, before a potential qualifying final against Sweden or the Czech Republic.

Russia is currently ranked number 35 in FIFA’s men’s ratings, with Iran in the 22nd spot and Kyrgyzstan down in 95th.

Kamranifar "Team Melli will be playing in Canada"

Commenting on the latest developments in the Team Melli camp, Hassan Kamranifar said: "We are closely coordinating with the head coach of the national team, Dragan Skocic. Our contract was finalized on Monday and will be announced to the public in the next two days. We will have a good preparation for the first Fifa day break including playing some friendly international games. This Fifa day will start from 30 May to 14 June and we will have a period of 14 days for the Team Melli training camp. We hope to play at least two to three friendly games."

In response to the question, in which country will the Team Melli camp will be held, He stated: "It will probably be in two different countries. First, we go to a country other than Qatar and then we go will camp in Qatar on the next available FIFA day in September 2022. Kamranifar continued: "First we will go to Canada and then we will travel to Qatar. The venues in Canada have also been finalized. If you allow me, it will be finalized tomorrow or the day after tomorrow and we will announce the two more games." The Secretary-General of the Football Federation said that it is better for the national team to play at least two games in Canada, despite the distance : "Yes, we talked to two other countries for friendly matches to play in Canada." There is also the issue of stadiums because the distances between Canadian cities are vast. If we are going to fly for 5-6 hours for the second game, we will return to Qatar. I cannot name the opposing team at this time. They themselves have said that the nominal contract should not be finalized."

Kamranifar also announced the possibility of facing the Albanian team and said: "European teams are involved." The Russia game has been canceled. Albania has played against Russia and we are trying to play against Albania as well"

Team melli training camp in doubt as soon as it is announced.

Team Melli will hold its first training camp under the leadership of the Croatian head coach in mid-September.

The team faces three important challenges for holding camp with the availability of players, which can overshadow the camp objectives and Team Melli preparation.

Skocic has yet to have a single training session with Team Melli since Covid19 has upset football activities worldwide. The first schedule camp for Dragan Skocic will be overshadowed by more events as FIFA has just announced the postponement of the Qualifiers from October 2020 to yet unannounced dates in 2021.

The Croatian coach will have the opportunity to face the squad for the first time. Circumstances allowing, it will help the head coach to identify the players he needs for 4 crucial and decisive matches in the qualifying round of the FIFA World Cup 2022.

In this camp, the national team will have arranged two friendly matches, the first match against Uzbekistan will be held on September 9th. The national team will play another match before that, which, according to speculation and information in the Arabic-language media, will be played against either Syria or Palestine, but nothing is certain at this time.

However, two important issues have overshadowed the camp with all the player's availabilities, which could be a problem for Skocic's as he may not be able to hold his camp with all the players.

Corona and visa restrictions

Most of the Team Melli squad consists of professional players working outside Iran, mainly in Belgium, Portugal, Qatar, etc., and a few who are playing in Russia, England and Croatia. The hardship that faced Alireza Biranvand in his trip from Iran to Belgium is a bitter reminder, and this issue has raised concerns for most legionnaires that they may have difficulty returning back to their country of work.

Some countries, such as the United Kingdom, Belgium, etc., provide a two-week quarantine for travelers to countries such as Iran to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. For this reason, Iran, like the Iraqi national team, may restrict the participation of the legionnaires to prevent any problems and difficulties for those playing in foreign leagues. The availability of foreign-based players is of course overshadowed by their availability and release by their employers. With the Leagues scheduling in Europe in such a mess, it is highly unlikely if any player is released by their clubs unless they are of now value to their squad, like Alireza Jahanbakhsh.

The AFC Champions League commitment

The AFC Champions League league will start in Qatar with four Iranian representatives competing for the coveted prize. For this reason, these four clubs will keep their players and not release them for Team Melli. Iranian clubs have never won the AFC Champions League title since its new format and are not considered as title contenders this season either, but will be always trying to upset the rivals and be at full strength.

However, in recent days there have been reports that players' passports have been submitted to the national team's department for friendly matches with Uzbekistan in Tashkent. Given that the players will have to rest for a few days on their return from the camp in Uzbekistan, the possibility of the players' absence from the four teams in the camp will be strengthened or at least they will remain with the national team for a shorter period.

Hazfi Cup.

The League Organization Committee announced that it is willing to postpone the final of the “Hazfi Cup” to a later date for the sake of  Team Melli Training Camp in Uzbekistan. However, the organizer's condition is that there should be a firm decision on the dates and confirmation from Team Melli administrators before a conclusion is made. Hazfi Cup, which is becoming a real farce in Iran’s football with chaotic and ever-changing scheduling, was to be held mid-September.

With all these problems, Team Melli may not be able to hold the camp at all and with the recent postponement announcement by FIFA in regards to the qualifiers, the Team Melli camp might also be postponed, prolonging Skocic attempt to meet Team Melli players for another few months.

Azmoun denies any approach by Napoli.

Team Melli and Zenit St. Petersburg striker,  announced that he has no information about the Italian Serie 'A' club's offer.

Sardar Azmoun, who was enjoying his most successful season before the COVID-19 outbreak, has been widely reported in the Italian press that he is a subject of interest by Napoli, and it has been announced that the Italian team is ready to pay more than 20 million euros for his services.

Regarding the offer, Sardar Azmoun said: "I don't know about Napoli's offer except for what I read in the media like everyone else. There has been no official contact from  my management on that either."

Azmoun added "I have a contract with Zenit for another year and a half. I am committed to this contract and enjoying my time here. It remains to be seen what will happen in the future."

Sardar Azmoun, who was ranked second in the Russian league goalscoring charts last season, has also excelled this season, earning Zenit the defending champions the top position of the Russian league table.

Azmoun has scored 10 goals so far this season including a hat-trick in his last game against Ural on 14th March.

Iran's Beach soccer qualifies to the Semi Finals

Iran's beach soccer team made it two out of two wins in the Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup 2019 and qualified for the Semi-Finals.

In today match, held in Dubai , the Iranian national team defeated African champion Egypt 5 - 3 with a dominant performance to keep up the pressure on the rest of the contenders in this current tournament.  In the first period of the match, the two teams were tied one by one and while Egypt took the lead, Iran soon equalized on a single beautiful tactical work and the final kick by Mustafa Kiani.

The second period was played on equal terms. With the game tied  2-2 , Iran took the initiative by further two goals by Amir Hossein Akbari and Mohammad Masoumizadeh, while Egypt scored their third goal. The third period followed with both teams being more cautious, and Egypt, which closed the playing field for most of the minutes, scored. However, the restart of Amir Hussain Akbari's single goal was compensated by the Egyptians. In the final minutes, a corner kick by Moslem Mesigar, and Amir Hosseinakbari's fifth goal rattled sealed the match for Iran with a final score of 5 -3.

Hashempour's team is 2 wins out of 2. Iran's  Beach soccer had won the first match 7-4 against Mexico. The Iranian team will face Russia in the final group stage match tomorrow evening (Thursday).

 

Iran Beach soccer starts with a victory vs. Mexico

Defending Champions Iran Beach soccer national team played its first match in the Intercontinental Cup 2019 and ended it with a comprehensive win against CONCACAF Champions Mexico.

On Tuesday, in the ninth edition of the tournament of the UAE-hosted intercontinental Beach tournament ,  Hashempour's Iranian national team defeated Mexico 7-4 in their first match for both teams.

In the first period of the match, both teams scored two goals apiece, Iran's goals were scored by Mohammad Ahmadzadeh and Mohammad Ali Mokhtari. In the second period Iran, playing a better game than the first, scored two more goals. The goals were scored by Mohammad Ali Mokhtari and Amir Hossein Akbari. The third period of the match further goals were scored by the Iranian side by Amir Hossein Akbari who scored Iran's fifth goal. Meanwhile, Mohammad Masoumizadeh scored the sixth Iranian goal while the final goal was scored by Mohammad Ahmadzadeh.

  The full results of the First Round

INTERCONTINENTAL BEACH SOCCER CUP DUBAI 2019

November 5, 2019

Group A Japan   Japan 6 - 4 Italy    Italy
Group A Spain   Spain 2 -2  (2 -1) PSO UAE Uae
Group B Egypt   Egypt 3 - 5 Russia  Russia
Group B Iran   Iran 7 - 4  Mexico  Mexico
   

The next match will be on Wednesday 19:30 Tehran time when Iran will face Egypt.

This competition is considered to be the most prestigious beach football event after the FIFA World Beach Soccer Cup under the supervision of FIFA and the World Beach Games held by Anouk (National Olympic Committees).

Hashempour: “We will show our strength once again”

Defending champions Iran are determined to claim back-to-back Intercontinental Cup crowns and equal Brazil and Russia at the top of the records

Defending champions Iran have landed in Dubai with the mission of reediting the 2018 crown and equalling Brazil and Russia as the most decorated sides at the Intercontinental Beach Soccer Cup records. After clinching the Bronze Medal at the last World Beach Games in Qatar just a couple of weeks ago, the team feels in the perfect mood to take on such a challenge.

Grit, talent and perfect teamwork, plus the support of their passionate fans, give Abbas Hashempour’s team all the necessary ingredients to go all the way in this year’s competition, taking place in Kite Beach between the 5th and 9th of November.

“Only the most powerful teams take part in the Intercontinental Beach Soccer Cup, so we are fully aware of how difficult it is to prevail in such a competitive arena. Russia, for example, is a team that can do real harm on you if you are not fully focused and fight fiercely every single second of the game. But we also are, as we have repeatedly shown, capable of winning any team in the world. This is what we have in our minds and our hearts, and we will try our best to beat all our opponents and reach the final”, Iran National Coach Abbas Hashempour explained.

The tough opposition will not be the only obstacle for Iran to accomplish their mission, though. The Persian side will be missing one of the key players, 2018 Rising Star Mohammad Moradi, due to injury, and some other players will also be back in competition after injuries, that leaves a question mark on their outcome during the coming days, but coach Hashempour believes the collective strength will help the team overcome these setbacks.

As the defending champions, the Iranian side will have all the eyes put on them, but this is not something the team is concerned about. “Everyone will be expecting a lot from us, but we are determined to show everybody why we are the champions. We want to demonstrate again how powerful we are”, the coach admitted.

Iran were drawn in Group B together with also-favourite Russia, Egypt and CONCACAF champions Mexico and will be making their debut, precisely, against the Azteca side (Tuesday 5th of November, 8:00 pm). That will mark the first step in their road to reediting the crown and claiming their third Intercontinental Beach Soccer Cup.

The Koreans are desperate for a win against Team Melli

Paulo Bento, The Portuguese coach of South Korea who led his team to a 1-0 win against Australia, is determined to lead the team to victory against Iran too. South Korea, ranked 37th in the FIFA rankings, has been out-ranked 9th, 8th and 13th spots lower against the 21st ranked Iran, who are also the top ranking team in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). In the last five matches, Korea never won against the Iranians managing only one draw and four losses. Bento in his pre-match press conference at the PFC NFC (Training Center for Football) on October 10, said "We will continue to maintain the framework and style of our team even if we play an experimental team versus Iran," he said. "We are now building a team to make the right choices in the World Cup qualifiers." Bento said, "We will consider the technical and mental aspects of the players," "We will stick with our style of play and bring in the players we need." Bento is looking forward to the success of his aces Son hung min and Hwang Joon-jo.

How much is too much for Son Heung-min?

Son Heung-min has played a lot of soccer over the last 12 months, with minutes on the field seemingly outranked only by air miles.

It has some South Koreans wondering how much is too much.

The recently completed season with Tottenham Hotspur was intense enough, with almost 50 appearances as the club placed fourth place in the Premier League and progressed to the Champions League final before losing 1-0 against Liverpool in Madrid.

Through it all, he maintained a taxing schedule with South Korea's national team that included trips to the World Cup in Russia, the Asian Games in Indonesia and the Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates. And international friendlies on top, too.

Despite all that, the 26-year-old Son was called once again by South Korea coach Paulo Bento to fly from Europe to play 90 minutes in a low-key friendly against Australia last Friday and prepare for another exhibition against Iran in Seoul on Tuesday. There have been calls for the player to be given a break but that is unlikely to happen.

Wilmots advocating an offensive strategy

Iran national football team head coach Marc Wilmots said Monday his side will play attacking football with high-pressing tactics to beat South Korea in their upcoming friendly match.
Iran and South Korea will go head-to-head at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul on Tuesday. Wilmots, who took over Iran's helm last month, said Team Melli will not sit back against the Taeguk Warriors, who have yet to suffer a defeat at home under their head coach Paulo Bento.
"The best defense is a good offense," Wilmots said at a pre-match press conference. "We will try to create many chances with a high-intensity pressing game."
Iran national football team head coach Marc Wilmots speaks at a press conference at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul on June 10, 2019, one day ahead of his team's friendly football match against South Korea. (Yonhap)
"Since 2014, Son has grown a lot with experience from big tournaments like the UEFA Champions League," he said of the Tottenham Hotspur star. "Son is showing his best performance these days using his technique and experience."
Iran, ranked 21st in the latest FIFA rankings, have been one of the top nemeses to South Korea, currently No. 37 in the world. Iran have not suffered a defeat against South Korea since 2011. They collected four consecutive 1-0 wins before taking a scoreless draw in a World Cup qualifying match in August 2017.
Wilmots, 50, said he wants to maintain Iran's undefeated streak against South Korea.
"Iran and South Korea are rivals that motivate each other," he said. "But what I hate the most is losing. Many fans will root for South Korea tomorrow, but we'll try our best."

Mehrdad Mohammadi signs for Portuguese club CD Aves

Mehrdad Mohammadi, the 25 years old Sepahan midfielder has reached an agreement with the Portuguese side Clube Desportivo Aves to play for 3 seasons starting from 2019/20 season.

Mohammadi, whose twin brother Milad plays for Russian side Akhmat Grozny, has been enjoying an exceptional season with Sepahan , playing 29 matches and scoring 6 goals. The team under Amir Ghalenoei challenged Persepolis for the title until all the way to the end of the Persian Gulf League, eventually ending as Runner up.

CD Aves , is a small club in Portugal established in 1930. They won promotion to the top division of the Portuguese league in 2017/18 season when they finished runners up in the Iranian forward Segunda Liga. They achieved the same in season 2005/06. The pinnacle of CD Aves achievements is winning the Cup (Taça de Portugal) last season 2017/18.  The coach of CD Aves is the veteran Portuguese coach Augusto Inácio who has coached Foolad Khuzestan in 2007/08 and before joining CD Aves he was in Egypt as head coach of Zamalek.

CD Aves is currently uncomfortably laying in the 14th position in the Primeira liga with 36 points and 2 matches to go. The club is still not safe from relegation as the team in 16th place, Chaves has one match in hand with 32 points.

Vila das Aves is an industrial town and civil parish (freguesia) in northern Portugal with a population of less than 10,000 people. It is about 350 km north of capital Lisbon and 70 km from the Spanish boarder.