Bizan Zolfaghar-nasab , ex-Team Melli defender and former coach said that the defeat against Vietnam in the Asian Games 2014 was a tragedy and a serious warning for Iran’s football.

“This defeat is very bitter and completely unacceptable. If we played against Korea, Japan or KSA and we lost with such margin, we could always find a justification in the fact that the opposition have a higher standard of football, more organized , resourceful and better managed. However, when a team like Vietnam which is a third or even fourth tier footballing nation in Asia defeats us like that with such ease, then this is tragic.”

“This is a clear indication of the weakness of the coaching staff and team management.  The lack of understanding of Iranian players capabilities, the lack of analysis of the other teams, the poor management control of the team and poor welfare are the main reasons behind this defeat in my opinion.”

“This defeat is not a freak accident. Almost all the players play in the top league in Iran, some with top teams and have played for Team Melli as well. So , it is not as we have new players or rookies representing Iran. They were simply not in shape and frankly embarrassing at times against Vietnam. They were not ready.”

Bizan Zolfaghar-nasab concluded: “Vingada has been appointed based on a recommendation from Carlos Queiroz, however, so far he has not been anywhere near successful. All we can hope for at this stage is for the team to recover from this shameful defeat. This team is capable of reaching the final, on paper.”