After the unprovoked attack by Carlos Queiroz on Rahmati following Esteghlal’s goalkeeper excellent form in the derby, the club issued a strong statement questioning Queiroz motives, his behavior and the continuous absence of punitive measure against him following a series of misdemeanors since he took over Team Melli.
With 10 days to go to the match against Turkmenistan in the FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifiers, the Portuguese coach is already embroiled in several conflicts starting with the ethics committee who have issued statements questioning him about illegal payments from UHLSports, the Team Melli Kit providers and another public war with the Secretary General of FFIRI, Alieza Asadi.
True to character, Queiroz has opened another front now, this time against Esteghlal club and Rahmati. Esteghlal, along with Persepolis are the two most popular clubs in the country and their response was rapid and very strong.
Extracts from the long statement follows:
During week, Iran’s national football team coach conducted interviews and issued several statements. His interviews and statements contents were full of cruel words both spoken and written. In those statements, Insult, humiliation, and flagrant display of antagonism, perhaps more than ever exposed Queiroz real character exhibiting his retaliatory behavior.
Carlos Queiroz has long been belittling various personalities, including the General Secretary of the Iranian Football Federation, players and sports officials, insulting and ridiculing them in the process. Unfortunately he has not been held accountable for such. In reference to the Captain of Esteghlal team, he has issued statements using ridiculous words in the hours of night and with a bizarre content that were astonishing and leads to questioning of Queiroz’s mental status and motives while creating resentment between millions of Esteghlal fans.
[pullquote align=”right”]”he has no right to publicly insult or question the character of the player.” [/pullquote]
Team Melli coach can assess the capabilities of players and consider their technical abilities to decide if he will invite a player or ignore him for selection to the squad, however he has no right to publicly insult or question the character of the player. Are these tirades, statements and direct insults that he deploys a part of his character and culture? Perhaps this time Queiroz, and pursuant to the excellent form of Mehdi Rahmati ran out of technical excuses for not inviting him and found himself short of verse in the poem, even embarrassed, so he engaged in character assassination. Unfortunately, this behavior of his, once again typifies his extreme nature and as such his demeanor has to be severely questioned.
By using such method, Queiroz is putting his motives under question. His behavior and manners are totally rejected. In other words, social consciousness and human morality dictates that a foreign guest must have respect for Iran and Persian culture. Queiroz presence in major European teams has not enhanced his reputation as such, however it managed to create a great illusion of personality in his own mind surrounding himself with such false impression that he is beyond accountability.
With all due respect we have for the position of national team coach, Queiroz has overstepped the line, and took a bite more than he can chew and bigger than his mouth.
Now it is time to address how this person manipulative behavior like raising the flag of our country in frenzy, obscene gesture towards an opponent coach , insulting behavior against a referee and many other misdemeanors, that we all conveniently brushed aside in the name of patriotism and protecting Team Melli.
[quote class=”If we did not want him, we would not have signed with him after the World Cup”] We will stop providing players to be under the control of this type of character![/quote]
It is expected from both the Football Federation and the national team coach Carlos Queiroz to withdraw that absurd statement against Rahmati or deny it if it has not occurred. It is expected that both sides to apologize to the club, the millions of supporters of Mehdi Rahmati and the player himself.
If you continue this rhetoric and the use of inappropriate language by a national team coach, Esteghlal club will hold both sides legally and morally accountable, and shall not only seek legal action with these perceived insults, but will stop providing players to be under the control of this type of character!
We believe there are more to this than technical issues or matters related to selection of players, we suspect that the coach wants a way out and by creating such turmoil and turbulent atmosphere, it seems the ideal way of exiting.
When Queiroz says that Rahmati does not possess the character, he has insulted more than the players himself but tens of National coaches and other team Melli coaches like Daei, Ivankovic , Ghotbi, Faraki and Peyrovani whom all picked and selected Rahmati for Team Melli.
In Iran , the a person is judged on his character , behavior , respect for others , esteem and not by his monetary value, of course in a country like Mozambique it could be different.
