Ali Karimi made on of his typical disappearing act and did not turn up for the flight to Dubai and onwards to Sydney, Australia

While all the squad was abroad the coach, there was no sign of Karimi who also did not turn up for the final practice session of the team before packing their bags for the flight. No one in the squad or federation had any information about his sudden unexplained absence. Ali Karimi is in the squad as an assistant coach to Carlos Queiroz , however , Karimi posted a fresh message in his Instagram page in Farsi saying that “If you cannot serve, then go away so as not to be considered a betrayal”

The closest explanation for this abandonment of duty by Karimi considering the posted message on social media is that Karimi has reached his low volatile point. The inclusion of Ali Karimi in Team Melli’s coaching staff was an idiotic idea by Carlos Queiroz from the start. Such appointment had nothing to do with technicality but much to do with publicity despite the Portuguese claim of trying to utilize Karimi’s experience ! Karimi, an impulsive person whose careers was littered with indiscipline and controversy in parallel to his wizardry on the field , had all sort of problem with authority and peers. Despite his value and undeniable skills, he was a player that many coaches found quite difficult to deal with. Without having any coaching experience nor qualification, he was given a coaching role that made him believe that he is truly special.

Karimi’s reaction to his appointment was quite typical of the person who thinks that because of his skills and popularity among the fans, he can pull strings, cut corners and demands special treatment different than others. In his statement after the appointment and in a tongue-in- check manner , he offered apologies to all other Iranian coaches who were qualified  and much more experienced than him, in a tone that showed traces of his arrogance he is known to possess.

Somehow, Karimi must have thought that he really has what it takes to be a coach without going through the phases and courses that is demanded by the rest of the football world. He could have stepped on Queiroz’s authority in the camp and as such, that must have brought him in loggerhead with Queiroz, who does not take too kindly to interferences by assistant coaches in his work. Queiroz relegates the job of assistant coach to merely follow his orders, not to give advice or ideas to players over stepping his authority.

Karimi must have felt frustrated when Queiroz put him to place or asked him not to interfere, thus his words in Instagram talking about not being able to help or serve. Karimi’s ego and pride will never let him be a puppet for someone else to use for his fame or popularity.

These are all speculations, but it is the closest thing to reality. Many insiders would have predicted this scenario between two strong-headed persons in Carlos Queiroz and Ali Karimi.

This is the story of the day. Don’t be surprised or shocked if everything turns out to be the extreme opposite and Karimi is on the next flight to Dubai, attending to his business interest in the UAE or if he fancied, continue to Sydney.

Team Melli will be arriving in Sydney on Tuesday evening to set up its final training camp. At the time of writing this report , there was no confirmation if Mehrdad Pooladi and Soroush Rafei are included in the squad, although the former is in Doha at the moment.