Tag: Turkmenistan

Omid Team to start the long road to Olympics in earnest.

Iran will kickstart their 2020 AFC U-23 Championship Qualifiers campaign from 22nd March in Tehran. The team, known as Omid Team, is under the guidance of the seasoned Croat coach Zlatko Krancjar and will lock horns against Turkmenistan in their first match before crossing swords against Yemen two days later and finally, their strongest rival, Iraq on 26th March.

Omid team held has held a series of training sessions and camps including playing friendly games against Syria and Jordan prior to the competition. Omid Team also played in a competition in Qatar where three U-23 teams took part. Iran won the title of that round ribbon tournament.

Tehran is hosting Group C of 2020 AFC U-23 Championship Qualifiers

 In preparation for the matches starting tomorrow, a post-match conference was held at the National Iranian National Football Center’s conference hall where all the coaches expressed optimism for their team’s chances while Iraqi and Yemeni coach criticized the AFC plans for the Olympic Games qualifiers.

At the beginning of the press conference, Turkmen coach Bayram Dordayiev said: “I know Iran’s football quite well, since I worked in Iran for several years. Iran’s football has a a colorful history and has produced players such as Ali Daei, Mehdi Mahdavikia and Ali Parvin in its history. Football is strong and powerful in this country. Iran is strong in the Olympics age group and has a youth team that plays well in defense and attack. We have a tough group. Iran and Iraq are powerful teams and we have information about them. Ultimately, the result of any match cannot be predicted but only the playing field will dictate the victorious and superior team.”

Iran’s coach, Zlatko Krancjar, said: “First of all, I wish to congratulate everyone on the occasion of the Persian New Year and welcome my colleagues from Turkmenistan, Yemen and Iraq to Iran. Apart from Iraq, we do not know adequate knowledge about the other two teams, we only know the Iraqi team and played two games and hopefully in the coming days we will be able to get the necessary knowledge of the other competitors.”

About the final list of 23 players in the squad, Head coach or Iran U23 team, Krancjar said  “We should announce the list beforehand. We set up this list, and the promise is that it can deliver our objectives. Some clubs did not cooperate with the team by holding their players.  Apart from the damage that was done because of that, there is no particular problem in the team. We were looking at the legionnaires, but the domestic players were better and more prepared”

Referring to the use of players outside the Iranian league, he said ” We have Reza Shekari from Russia but  we do not have Younis Delphi due to injury.”

Iraqi coach Abdul Ghani Shahid said: “We have great hopes to qualify. We succeeded in qualifying to the Rio Olympics in the last competition and hope we can repeat it again. Many think that Iraq and Iran will qualify from this group, but I believe the standards are too close to call. Asian Football Confederation has made a strange plan for the tournament. The AFC, which always pays particular attention to the quality of the players and the quality of the tournament, holds tournaments in tandem, and this affects the quality of the work. We did not use adult players in the tournament because they were engaged in the AFC Asian Cup with the senior team and subsequently entered this competition without them by using younger players.”

Yemeni coach Sammy Na’ash also spoke at the press conference “We are in a tough and strong group. The two teams from Iraq and Iran have a special lead in this group. The AFC’s planning for this tournament is not desirable, and competitions are held with the least rest for the players. We started the preparation program very late and we encountered a lot of problems, but we are doing our best to produce a good and decent performance.”

Queiroz “It is a 50/50 match against Oman”

Abu Dhabi

In the pre-match Press conference today, Carlos Queiroz has said that the group stages and the results achieved by the teams are history. He labelled his side’s AFC Asian Cup Round of 16 match against Oman as a ’50-50′ tie.

Queiroz has analysed the performance of Oman and seems to be highly impressed with Pim Verbeek’s Oman. The Portuguese head coach of Team Melli warned his players to be on their toes against the Gulf Cup champions ahead of the last 16 tie at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

“The Oman team is a very good team. They have prepared well and have achieved fantastic results over the last year or so. They played 23, 24 matches and only lost two or three.

“They have a very good coach in Pim Verbeek and we must be careful against them,” said Queiroz.

Oman may have qualified as one of the four best third-placed teams but turned heads with fighting performances against Uzbekistan and Japan before losing 2-1 and 1-0 respectively.

Their determination to qualify for the knockout stage was so great that they kept pushing right till the end against Turkmenistan on Matchday Three, with the third goal coming deep in stoppage time, with the 3-1 win sealing their place.

“They have been very impressive but having said that, I am confident that if we play our game and the players express themselves, we will progress,” Queiroz added

Focus, said the Portuguese tactician, will be key.

“The group stage results do not matter now. We played for points then but now, it is about survival. I rate the match as 50-50 with everything for the winners and nothing for the losers.

“There is no room for mistakes, regrets, apologies and tomorrows. It all comes down to 90 minutes and we must make sure we come out on top.”

Iran, stressed Queiroz, will keep the game simple.

“I always tell my players to keep it simple. Control the ball, pass the ball, don’t lose the ball and score. When we have the ball, we must always be positive and think of scoring.”

That they have done very well, having defeated Yemen 5-0 and Vietnam 2-0 before playing to a 0-0 draw with Iraq.

“We have our dreams, our aspirations and our targets. When we started, I said we had seven finals to play and tomorrow is the fourth one. I am confident my players will deliver what is expected of them.”

Verbeek’s Oman are also equally confident, despite having to face the Continent’s top ranked team.

“Rankings do not matter in a match like this. We will do everything we can to advance to the quarter-finals. My players are excited and confident,” said Verbeek, who has guided Oman to their first AFC Asian Cup knockout stage in four attempts.

“These are the kind of games we train for, whether as coaches or players. Iran are a fantastic team and they will be a challenge but as everyone saw, we are a team who fight till the end,” said Verbeek.

Ali Kaffashian investigated by FFIRI Ethics Committee

The former President of FFIRI and the AFC Vice-President was summoned by the Football Federation Ethics Committee.

According to ISNA, the issue of broadcasting rights was refered to to the Ethics Committee after the discovery of some irregularities. This will be the second time that the proceeding is opened in regards to Team Melli’s matches in the preliminary qualifying round of the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 against Guam, Turkmenistan, India and Oman in which, the former President of the Football Federation and current vice president has been accountable.

While the TV broadcast rights company MP & SILVA, as a football federation contractor, claims that they have paid $ 79,000  (totaling $ 316,000) to the football federation FFIRI for each of these games, documents of the federation does not reflect this fact and no record exists of the payment!

Accordingly, Ali Kaffashian, the head of the Football Federation’s at the time was ordered by the Ethics Committee, to submit these records to the committee.

Blatter & Kaffashian

 In his first appearance at the Ethics Committee, Kaffashian promised to submit the documents, but despite the passage of more than five months from that first hearing, he had not presented any documents yet, so the Ethics Committee ordered him to appear again before the committee on Wednesday to present the documents.

Ali Kaffashian (63 years) was the President of FFIRI for two terms from 1st March 2008 to 7th May 2016. He was succeeded by Mehdi Taj the incumbent President.

Iran the benchmark for AFC futsal championship 2018 hopefuls

the-afc.com

Tabriz: The Islamic Republic of Iran is the setting as the countdown starts for the AFC Futsal Championship 2018 with the South and Central Zone Qualifiers which kicks off on Sunday.

The South and Central zones have been merged into one qualification zone as Nepal are the only representatives from the South, bringing the total to seven teams competing for four spots in the Finals in Chinese Taipei next year.

Uzbekistan, runners-up in the previous edition, are one of the favourites to qualify.

The White Wolves had an impressive run at the 2016 tournament, topping Group A to progress into the quarter-finals where they beat Iraq 3-0, before a 3-1 penalty shootout win in the semi-finals against Thailand secured them a place in the final against Iran.

In the recent 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, history repeated itself with Iran beating Uzbekistan to claim the title.

Uzbekistan will face Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan and Nepal in Group A of the qualifiers.


Uzbekistan faced Kyrgyz Republic in the AFC Futsal Championship 2016.

Kyrgyz Republic finished sixth in the AFC Futsal Championship 2016, and an early elimination from the 2017 Asian Indoor Games leaves the Snow Leopards with much ground to cover.

However, they have not missed a single Finals since the tournament’s inception in 1999, and can be expected to provide stiff opposition.

After two failed attempts to qualify for the Finals, Turkmenistan are ready to make a difference.

Despite losing out to Afghanistan on penalties in the quarter-finals in 2016, hosting the 2017 Asian Indoor Games has helped the team improve significantly.

Having played more competitive matches, the Turkeminstan side will be aiming to outdo their previous performances.

The South zone’s sole representative Nepal will make their AFC Futsal Championship debut against Asia’s best, but in a top flight tournament, surprises cannot be ruled out.

In the three-team Group B, Iran are the ones to beat and the odds are surely against Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

The futsal powerhouse hold the record of 11 championship titles, and the team have enjoyed much success in recent years.

After winning the 2016 AFC Futsal Championship, the Iranians finished third in the FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016, before claiming their fifth Asian Indoor Games gold medal.

Dangerman Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh (pictured below), who was named the Most Valuable Player after assisting Iran beat Uzbekistan in the final, will definitely play a huge role in this qualifier.

Tajikistan’s closest attempt at the title was their 2007 campaign where they reached the quarter-finals but were halted by Uzbekistan.

They have struggled to make the cut into the knockout phase ever since, despite consecutive qualifications.

Afghanistan turned heads in the 2017 Asian Indoor Games when they defeated Uzbekistan 4-2 to claim top spot in their group to progress to the quarter-finals, but losses to eventual champions Iran in the semis and Japan in the third place play-off secured them fourth place.

A result worth highlighting, as the Lions of Khorasan have yet to make an appearance in the AFC Futsal Championship Finals stage.

Matches

October 15

Group A
Uzbekistan v Nepal
Venue: Pour Sharifi Futsal Hall, Tabriz
Kick-off: 1400

Kyrgyz Republic v Turkmenistan
Venue: Pour Sharifi Futsal Hall, Tabriz
Kick-off: 1630

Group B
Afghanistan v Iran
Venue: Pour Sharifi Futsal Hall, Tabriz
Kick-off: 1900

October 16

Group A
Nepal v Kyrgyz Republic
Venue: Pour Sharifi Futsal Hall, Tabriz
Kick-off: 1400

Turkmenistan v Uzbekistan
Venue: Pour Sharifi Futsal Hall, Tabriz
Kick-off: 1630

Group B
Tajikistan v Afghanistan
Venue: Pour Sharifi Futsal Hall, Tabriz
Kick-off: 1900

October 17

Group A
Uzbekistan v Kyrgyz Republic
Venue: Pour Sharifi Futsal Hall, Tabriz
Kick-off: 1400

Turkmenistan v Nepal
Venue: Pour Sharifi Futsal Hall, Tabriz
Kick-off: 1630

Group B
Iran v Tajikistan
Venue: Pour Sharifi Futsal Hall, Tabriz
Kick-off: 1900

IRIFF arranges a charter flight for Team Melli

IRIFF is to arrange a charter flight for Team Melli for their trip to Southern China. 

Team Melli is scheduled to play away to China on 6th September 2016 , 5 days after meeting Qatar in Azadi Stadium. ” the federation has managed to secure a charter flight for Team Melli for the long trip to Southern China .” IRIFF’s official  Gholamreza Behravan said . “This will reduce the burden of traveling and connection flights and will ensure that the players get enough rest before the match.”

IRIFF usually refrains from using charter flights due to cost, and uses commercial flights for Team Melli travels. However, in cases of difficult logistics, like the flight to Turkmenistan for the World Cup qualifiers, the federation has restored to charter flights while the air force has also supported the federation in some cases by providing military transport planes.

Behravan also said that IRIFF has requested that the match date against  South Korea on 11th October to be changed because it falls on Tasooa, a day before Ashoora. However, Behravan , admitted that chances of this happening and getting the nod from AFC and FIFA is quite remote. Such change in the carefully arranged and tight schedule of FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifiers will result in disruption for all the teams in the group and not only the two teams concerned. That raises the question of why ask in the first place if it is not a practical request?

On the league program. Behravan said that “after round 4 of the league, we will have to pause to allow Team Melli to prepare for the Qatar match. The team will conduct a training camp in Italy before playing against Qatar in Azadi.”

Dan Gasper “I’ve never felt safer, I’ve never felt more comfortable or more well respected than I have in Iran.”

Team Melli Goalkeeper’s coach and Carlos Queiroz’s right hand man was interview by FIFA.com. Among the many interesting things the American coach said in this recently published interview , was the level of comfort and safety he has felt in Iran. That is a compelling observation by an American citizen who has lived for over 6 years in Iran and one thought that the AFC should listen to refute the Saudi’s grotesque and overtly ridiculous claim of level of safety in Iran and the dangers of playing football there!

The full Interview

Gaspar: I’ve always been adventurous

(FIFA.com)

“I’ve always been adventurous. I’ve always been curious. I’ve always been a risk taker.”

Football can do wonderful things. In the case of Iran national team assistant coach and goalkeeping coach Dan Gaspar, football took a kid born in South Glastonbury, Connecticut and showed him the world.

Gaspar has been Iran head coach Carlos Queiroz’s No2 since 1993, working with the former Manchester United assistant manager in Japan, Portugal, South Africa and at home in USA.

The latest chapter in the American’s life was helping Iran seal qualification to Asia’s third round of FIFA World Cup Russia 2018™ qualifying. Team Melli completed their unbeaten run in the second round with two convincing wins at home in Tehran against India and Oman. And in the eight games of the round, Iran conceded just three goals.

So what led him to accepting the job with Iran five years ago?

“I was grateful Carlos Queiroz’s trust and belief that I could assist him in this unique project,” Gaspar told FIFA.com in an exclusive interview. “I made the decision based on how I make most of my decisions and that is I think with my brain, I feel with my heart and then I make a decision with my gut, and I went there!”

Iran are one of Asia’s powerhouses in football with three AFC Asian Cups and four World Cup qualifications and its fans are some of the most passionate you can find. The idea of taking another nation to a World Cup was enough on its own to convince Gaspar to make the move to Iran in 2011. He went to South Africa 2010 with Portugal and when asked about the experience, you can see the magnitude of it all in his eyes.

“That was an amazing experience, difficult to put into words what it means to have that kind of privilege,” Gaspar said. “When the Iranian situation was presented I realised that this could be another opportunity to participate in a World Cup and help a country achieve that.”

And he did just that. Iran qualified for Brazil 2014 and had a respectable showing at the tournament. Although they failed to advance from the group stages, they went back home with respect from the world, especially after their performance against eventual runners-up Argentina, when only a singular moment of magic from Lionel Messi in injury time was all that could separate the teams. 

“Argentina’s best player that day was the goalkeeper! Who could have imagined that we would have put enough pressure on them for their goalkeeper to have been their player of the match? I have a lot of admiration and respect for our players because they played for the honour of their country and for their love of the people and the sport.”

Adaptation
Iran navigated through Group D in Asia’s second round of Russia 2018 qualifiers with confidence and pride in a legacy left by their countrymen stretching back to the 1960s. Playing against Oman, Turkmenistan, Guam and India, on paper it may have looked like a straightforward journey for Team Melli, but with thousands of miles to travel and diverse conditions to endure, it was anything but easy. 

“It’s complicated because the environments are challenging sometimes,” Gaspar said. “In Guam, we played on a turf pitch and it’s an island with not a lot of resources but their hospitality was fantastic. We overcame the conditions that our players never were exposed to.” It was their 6-0 win in Guam that epitomised Iran’s ability to adapt and play at their highest levels.

“Iran has gone through so much turmoil for so many years, it’s amazing how they handle and process these things,” Gaspar said. “When you come from a different culture in America or Europe where everything is structured and done exactly as planned, with Iran their custom allows them to react at the moment and to resolve the situation at the moment.”

Adaptation is a theme with Iran, but it’s also something Gaspar himself has shown his whole life.

“You challenge your decisions. Did I make the right decision? Am I being responsible to my family? Nothing has ever prepared me for this from the culture I was born in. It’s all about adaptation. I’ve never felt safer, I’ve never felt more comfortable or more well respected than I have in Iran.”

Gaspar has been working with Iran for five years, the joint-longest time he’s been anywhere in his career. With Team Melli through to the third round of Russia 2018 qualifying, they have every chance of making it to their fifth World Cup and for Gaspar, it would represent the longest professional adventure of his life.

“Sometimes I question if it was the right decision, but then when I base it on my real life experiences, I realise that this is a journey I would take again.” 

‘Milestone’ match for Guam

Grant Wieman

The Guam men’s national soccer team will host the most important match in the island’s history on Tuesday when the world’s No. 43-ranked team, I.R. Iran, competes in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying game at the Guam Football Association National Training Center.

A win for No. 155 Guam would be unexpected and is probably unrealistic, but simply hosting such a prestigious match gives the Matao an opportunity that was previously impossible to imagine.

“I believe having Iran here, in a World Cup Qualification game, is the single most important milestone in Guam football history,” Guam head coach Gary White said during a press conference at the Hilton Guam Resort and Spa on Monday.

“To have a world-class team, a world-class coach, here on our shores is going to do so much for football and our development,” he continued. “… We want the local fans to see world-class football here, live, because we just don’t watch it enough.”

Guam has earned seven points in its six WCQ matches so far, each of them coming at home. They beat Turkmenistan and India and drew with Oman.

In the earlier match against Iran, in Tehran, the Matao lost 6-0.

“Playing in Iran, even though the score was what it was, the players got better as the game went on and that helped us in the next game against Oman (four days later),” White said. “Without that game, we wouldn’t have learned the lessons that we did.”

Iran Guam @ Azadi

White, called “The Gaffer” by his players, said the Matao learned the importance of starting fast and limiting mistakes during that match. Iran’s first goal that night came in the ninth minute, on a penalty kick, and Iran picked up momentum from there.

“We know they will have more possession than us. That’s just the reality,” White said. “We can’t start slowly. We can’t give them easy chances. … We look at it like it’s an FA Cup game. I know (Iran head coach Carlos Queiroz) has coached a lot of FA Cup games when he was at Manchester United. You do have second division teams that do upset premiership teams, and that’s our mentality.”

Queiroz was an assistant coach for Manchester United for several seasons in the 2000s.

Both teams will enter the game shorthanded. Iran is missing four starting field players, including their top scorer and their No. 1 goalkeeper because they couldn’t obtain visas to travel to the U.S.

The Matao will likely have three defensive starters out due to injuries, suspension and missing the trip because of other commitments.

guam

“We’re one team, we’re very unified, and we know that everyone else will have to pick up the slack,” Matao captain Jason Cunliffe said. “We hope to put on a good show and show our home fans what we’re capable of. … We’re here to fight through the very last minute. We had a tough result in Iran so we’d like to obviously change that.”

Queiroz and Iran’s captain, Andranik Teymourian, were careful with how they addressed the game. They expect to win, but they never said the word, instead speaking in phrases like “get the result that is convenient for us” and “that is on the way to our target.”

Cunliffe , Guam captain

The wording made it clear they respect Guam, both as a soccer team and host nation. It is now up to the Matao to prove they deserve that respect on the pitch.

“To play at home is a great honor against such a team,” Cunliffe said. “Growing up on this island and playing football here, I never — honestly never — thought I’d be seeing the day we’d be hosting a World Cup Qualifier against Iran. It’s amazing and it’s my job as captain to make sure the boys, while we are excited about that in terms of football, for Gaffer and for the kids, to make sure we don’t get too caught up in that because at the end of the day it’s a football match.”

“It’s 11 vs. 11 on the field for 90 minutes and while I’m sitting here telling you it’s great and we’re looking forward to it, believe me when I say that out there on the field it will be a battle and we will make it as difficult for them as possible,” Cunliffe said.

Guam will host Iran at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at GFA. Doors open at 1:30 p.m.

Team Melli line up vs. Turkmenistan

Carlos Queiroz announced the lineup against Turkmenistan for today’s match in Azadi.

Injury and absenteeism has forced into many changes. The new inexperienced line up is expected to have a tough time against the determined Turkmenistan side that has already declared they are playing for all the 3 points in Tehran.  

Iran needs a win today to go to the top of the table. Oman has a rest day in this round while India meets Guam later in the day.

 

 

HAGHIGHI, Alireza

HAJSAFY, Ehsan      POURALIGANJI, Morteza      POURGHAZ, Ezzatollah           REZAEIAN, Ramin

TORABI, Mehdi     EZZATOLLAHI, Saeid    EBRAHIMI, Omid

AMIRI, Vahid     DEJAGAH, Ashkan

REZAEI, Kaveh

More players drop out for the Turkmenistan match.

Team Melli’s Captain Andranik Teymourian is the latest player to drop out of the team as he left the camp to fly to Doha where he is supposed to get his Visa to Guam from the American embassy.

INJURY LIST

Earlier on , Pejman Montazeri , pulled out of the squad due to an injury sustained in training. In total,  5 key players will be missing from the match in Azadi as Queiroz has to reshuffle the whole defense with the absence of Hosseini, Montazeri and Ghafouri.

 

NEWS CONFERENCE

Both the coaches conducted their Pre-match conference today in Tehran, The Turkman coach Amangylych Koçumov emphasized that his team is here to win a match that ios crucial for them. “:Iran is a strong team and top team of Asia, there is no denying that fact. However, we are not here just to show up for the match but get all the 3 points. We have played each other before and both teams are familiar with each other. ”

On the status of his team readiness, Koçumov confirmed that he has no injury worries and he is in Tehran with the full squad. Turkmenistan landed in Tehran yesterday via Istanbul more than doubling the actual distance between Tehran and Ashgabat!

Meanwhile, Carlos Queiroz brought  all the four goalkeeper to his press conference!, one of the first questions was what is the message in this unusual gesture, to which Queiroz responded that this is the future of Team Melli!  Most reporters have connected this show of force as a defiance message from the Portuguese coach against all the experts who demanded that he calls the most prepared and best goalkeeper in Iran, Mehdi Rahmati. Queiroz has not hid his contempt for Rahmati and took a swipe at him only a few days ago after the brilliant display by Esteghlal Keeper in the derby. Today Queiroz said that he cannot say everything and if he does open his mouth , he will be sacked.

Queiroz is never far from controversies , fiery attitude and the will to confront everyone not to his liking.

 

FREE ADMISSION

 The attendances for Team Melli matches have been steadily in decline with no real studies conducted to find where improvements can be made. FFIRI urged Team Melli fans to flock to the Azadi stadium to support their team by allowing free admission to the stadium. However, the timing of the match , is far too early for many as it will be either during some working hours or not allowing many fans enough time to get to the stadium from work/ home to. The free entrance might encourage fans to make an effort. Less than 20,000 fans turned up to watch Team Melli’s only home game in the FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifiers against Guam on 3rd September.  The friendly international against Japan, a top team in Asia with many household international players, did even worst with less than 15,000 turning up. 

A solid performance and result by Team Melli , will certainly help to attract more fans.

Styed Jalal Hosseini on the injury list.

The centre back of Team Melli, Seyed Jalal Hosseini has lost the chance of playing against Turkmenistan in the FIFA World Cup 2018 Qualifiers and possibly the trip to Guam, after suffering a leg injury during a league match.

In the absence of Hosseni , the Naft Tehran defender, Carlos Queiroz will most probably use Morteza PouraliGanji is the role as the Chinese league Tianjin Teda player performed during Asian Cup 2015 in Australia. At the time, the other pair of the central defense, Pejman  Montazeri was not available to partner Hosseini and Pouraliganji did an excellent job deputizing for him despite his limited international exposure.