Football: Iran well prepared to spring surprise
Independent, The (London), Nov 7, 2001 by Steve Tongue

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FOR MANY years, the only footnote that Iran contributed to the footballing history of these shores was in the chapter covering the glorious exercise in self-delusion that was Scotland's 1978 adventure in Argentina. "What will you do after the World Cup?" the incurably optimistic manager, Ally McLeod, was asked. "Retain it!" he replied.

After a little Peruvian called Cubillas had undermined the campaign, it collapsed on Ally's head in a 1-1 draw against the Iranians, whom the Scots could not beat even after being handed a ludicrous own goal. Now the Republic of Ireland, having built their own World Cup hopes of rather more solid foundations, must hope that the name of Iran is remembered more fondly after the play-off matches in Dublin on Saturday and Tehran next Thursday.



They will certainly have less excuse for the combination of ignorance and misjudgement that did for their fellow Celts. In the last five years, Iran have made considerable strides, earning greater prominence for the team as a whole and individuals like the striker Ali Daei, and midfielders Karim Bagheri and Khodadad Azizi. That trio all left home for the Bundesliga after Germans scouts had descended on the 1996 Asian Games, in which Daei was voted player of the tournament. A tall, powerful leader of the line, he signed for Arminia Bielefeld and subsequently moved to Hertha Berlin, putting the skids under Chelsea with both goals in a Champions' League victory two years ago. Now he is out of favour with the club, largely because of his international commitments, and has all the more incentive to excel over the next nine days.
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Azizi played for Cologne and scored the dramatic equaliser against Australia that broke Terry Venables' heart but uplifted 45 million others in taking Iran to the 1998 World Cup. "Just as Americans remember where they were when Kennedy was shot, so Iranians do when Sandor Pohl blew the final whistle in Melbourne," said Mehrdad Masoudi, who works for TWI in London and acts as a liaison officer for the Iran Football Federation. "In Toronto, it was 6.15 in the morning, Iranians were blowing their horns and the police did not know what was going on. It generated a sense of unity. It was an opportunity for a nation to be re-introduced to the world community."

Under Tomislav Ivic - they have a penchant for veteran Croatian coaches - Iran re-introduced themselves to World Cup football with a spirited performance in losing 1-0 to Yugoslavia, then won the politically charged game against the USA 2-1 before losing to Germany. Disappointing at the Asian Games of 2000, they made headlines at the start of the long, drawn- out World Cup qualifiers by demolishing little Guam 19-0, beating their own record of 17-0 against the Maldives.

Bagheri had a quieter day, scoring six instead of his seven in the previous rout. By that time he was, technically, a Premiership player, having appeared as a substitute for Charlton Athletic at Ipswich. Strong in the air, with a powerful shot, he lacked a little pace and was released at the end of the season. Two of the squad arriving in Ireland today are with Perugia in Italy and one with Hamburg, and the midfielder Mehrdad Minavand played at Old Trafford for Sturm Graz against Manchester United in the Champions' League last March.

The other current star is Ali Karimi, another midfielder, who has turned down a lucrative contract with Atletico Madrid to join Al Ahli in the United Arab Emirates, the country Iran beat 1-0 and 3-0 in the Asian play- offs to decide who took on the Irish. The UAE coach Tini Ruijs believes Ireland can exploit a slow midfield and defence. Masoudi, who will join his countrymen in Dublin tomorrow, believes the team's attitude will be crucial: "Iran are a very unpredictable team. It depends which Iranian team turns up. At club and national level, they are always better offensively than defensively. Tactically they can be a bit naive."

Of the coach Miroslav Blazevic, who led Croatia in the 1998 World Cup and in the Euro 2000 qualifiers against Ireland, he says: "The pressure on him is immense. There are 16 daily sports papers, like 16 Suns. But the people love him, and if he can put Iran through, he'll be a national hero for ever."

The visitors have taken their full allocation of 3,000 tickets for Lansdowne Road and whatever the result of the first leg, the return is expected to fill the Azadi ("Freedom") Stadium in Tehran. When Australia played there, the attendance was 130,000; now it is some 30,000 less, and supporters bussed in from outside the capital will queue overnight to get in. If it sounds hostile, Mousadi promises the thousand Irishmen (and women) travelling: "Irish fans will have the time of their life. It will be the first time they ever have a party without drinking."

n The Bolton midfielder Gareth Farrelly has received a late call- up to the Republic's squad for the play-off against Iran. Manager Mick McCarthy has summoned Farrelly after the withdrawal of the Wolves winger Mark Kennedy with a hamstring injury.