Year: 2014

11/08/201412/08/2014

Iran U-14 narrowly misses the final of AFC U14 championship

Hamedan: Iraq will meet DPR Korea in the final of the AFC U-14 Championship after a brace from captain Mohammed Ridha sealed a thrilling 3-2 win over hosts Iran in the Monday’s second semi-finals.

The come-from-behind win was Iraq’s third win in the championship as only Tajikistan have denied them so far in the competition.

Besides Ridha’s two stunners, tournament’s leading scorer Mohanad Kadhim also added one to make his total tally four goals in four matches.

Iran looked promising in the beginning and soon in the 9th minute, captain Zabihollah Kohkan headed home Iran’s first of the match.

Midfielder Mohsen Godarzi set Kohkan up from the right and his captain connected a bullet header from point-blank range to secure an early lead.

The lead lasted only for three minutes after Kadhim struck his fourth of the championship with a simple tap-in. A fierce shot from Vahid Namdari deflected at the path of unmarked Kadhim who just had to guide the ball towards its destination for a precious equaliser.

Ridha scored a brace in the second-half and both the goals were identical. The dead-ball specialist young boy struck rightfooter from 20-yard area at the top corner of the net in the 33rd and 40th minutes when Iran defenders brought down Kadhim (on both occasions) forcing Iran coach Heidar Sharifi to change his goalkeeper Mohammadreza Goli.

“He has a God-gifted talent from that area,” Iraq coach Sadd Hashim praised the double-scorer after the match.

“In training here, he has already scored 20-30 times from there so we knew that a freekick around the penalty area could be a good opportunity for us to score,”

“We knew that we have to convert our opportunities and despite going down by a goal we kept our head cool and manage to win this important match.

“We are now inches closer but still need to work a lot to get the objectives,” added the Iraq coach.

Iran reduced the deficit but in the stoppage time through defender Taha Shariati who was given licence by the coach to play upfront after they were trailing by 3-1 with few minutes left.

Shariati served the purpose but there were hardly any times left after his goal.

“We tried our best but yes few mistakes at the back cost us the match,” coach Heidar Sharifi said.

“There were two main objectives for Iran team; one is to gain experiences of playing in the international competition and help grow these young kids as footballer and the other one is to win the championship.

“We got the first one but not the second. It does not matter, the main thing is to play good football, enjoy the football you play which you saw today at the pitch,” Sharifi added addressing the journalists.

DPR Korea defeated neighbours Korea Republic 3-1 in the penalty shootout earlier on the day to set up Wednesday’s final showdown against Iraq.

10/08/2014

Heavy suspension of Sadeghian threatens his Team Melli career

Payam Sadeghian , the young Persepolis players who narrowly missed selection for the squad to the FIFA World Cup 2014 at Brazil, was given a 3 months suspension from all football activities and a heavy fine of 5 million tomans, after his sending off in the last game on Thursday against Foolad Khuzestan.

The defending champions defeated Persepolis in Ahvaz 2-0. Near the end of the game, Sadeghian protested against a referee call uttering profanity at the official who branded a straight red card to the player, Sadeghian, taking an exception to the red card then went on to physically confront the referee and managed to push him before his teammates restrained him.

That was not the end of the story with Payam Sadeghian, a player who is notoriously famous for his transgressions even with his own teammate. In the dressing room, Sadeghian broke a glass door to leave his mark at the Ghadir stadium.

The federation disciplinary committee , landed hard and took into consideration all the 3 actions by Sadeghian to sentence him heavily. Persepolis can appeal the verdict as per regulations.

The comical reaction by Mohammad Panjali , shows the extent of calamity in the Persepolis organization. Panjali is a former defender with the reds who had a successful football career with Team Melli and Persepolis in the eighties, was an exemplary player with good sportsmanship attitude and clean record. He is now Persepolis Manager. In trying to defend or cover the misdeed of his player, he accused Foolad Khuzestan and Unnamed people of trying to tarnish the reputation (…) of Sadeghian by publishing a picture of a broken glass door in Ghadir stadium using Photoshop !!!

After the sentencing, Panjali changed his tone, and asked the federation for clemency, because as he said “It will tremendously affect his team who is I dire need of such player“. Panjali also added that because Sadeghian is young, he should be given clemency!! This one is certainly new to us.

With this suspension, Sadeghian’s chances in being recalled to Team Melli again , has already taken a big hit in two fronts. His attitude as frequent offender with disciplinary problems and his anger management issues, will certainly be a big concern for Queiroz. While his suspension from football for 3 months means lack of competitive football which will reduce his chances for being selected.

Persepolis , struggling with many difficulties this season on and off the pitch had two players sent off now in the last two matches played, plus the coach was fined for criticizing the referee in the post-match press conference. The serious disciplinary problems this season is emphasized by the attitude of an angry , confrontational , and hostile coach in Ali Daei. A gentleman in his playing days and an exemplary sportsman , Daei has not managed to control Sadeghian , perhaps the most talented of the young players in Iran because he (Daei) himself is setting a very bad example and has been a poor role model for his players.

No doubt younger players always look up to their coaches for guidance and inspiration. In Persepolis case, what these players see is a coach who spends a large chunk of his time protesting with referees and other official over a throw in or a supposed foul for his team that the blind referee did not see!

Sadeghian , other younger Persepolis players , road to redemption starts with Daei. If the most highly decorated Iranian footballer in modern times does not change his hostile and livid attitude, the chances of the like of Sadegghian will be minimal.

10/08/2014

AFC U-14 Championship. Iran to Meet Iraq in the Semi.

the-afc.com

Hamedan: Iraq smashed five past Thailand to claim pole position in Group B and set up a daunting tie against hosts Iran in the semi-finals of the AFC U-14 Championship 2014.

Mohanad Ali Kadhim continued his brilliant run in front of the goal by scoring twice, while Ali Kadhim, Abbas Mohsin and Ahmad Swadi were also on the scoresheet at the Mofateh Stadium..

Iraq remained unbeaten in Group B, bagging seven points from three matches to finish top, while at the Hajibabaie Stadium, Korea Republic fought hard to edge Tajikistan 2-0 and set up to set up another potentially classic semi-final against traditional rivals DPR Korea.

It took just 10 minutes for Kadhim (Mohanad) to open Iraq’s account after they were awarded a penalty. He further extended the lead in the 37th minute after Kadhim (Ali) had made it 2-0 in the 18th minute. There were second-half goals from substitute Abbas who scored shortly before the hour mark, and a stoppage time strike from another substitute Swadi.

“It is very important to qualify as a group winner, this gives you a psychological advantage,” Iraq coach Sadd Hashim told www.the-afc.com.

“However, I’m not overly ecstatic about our performance today. There is still room for improvement, and I am sure that we will see a different Iraq team on Monday,” he added.

Thailand finished the campaign with one win and two losses but coach Somsak Senchaowanich hailed the campaign as ‘successful’.

“We played good football but failed to qualify. I am not totally dejected, we will continue to improve in the future,” he added.

Iran will play Iraq on Monday 11th August at for a place in the final match.

10/08/2014

Hadi Aghili “The crashed aircraft was the same one we used last week”

Sepahan and former Team Melli defender expressed his shock and regret at the aircraft crash that occurred this morning in the vicinity of Mehrabad airport in Tehran. The crash site is not very far from Azadi sport complex.

Aghili said “This aircraft and the crew on board was the same one that our team used last week on our trip to Tabriz. The crew of the flight was extremely pleasant and we enjoyed their services, I am horrified and shocked to hear that it crashed near Mehrabad. I am speechless. All I can say is that I really feel sorry for the innocent victims who lost their lives when it came down. My deepest condolences to their families, it could have been us on broad of that aircraft.”

The Twin engine Turboprop , Iran 140 , which is a local made version of the Ukrainian designed Antonov AN-140 crashed this morning, after departure from Mehrabad airport. Witnesses say that one of the engines was on fire and it crashed at high-speed in AzadiShar , a small residential community west of the airport. Meharabad is now the domestic airport of Tehran, while Imam Khomeini is the international airport. These type of aircraft are extensively used by football teams in their domestic travels.

Iran has a poor safety record in Civil Aviation . It has one of the highest fatality rates in Air accidents in Asia. Most of the problems are attributed to old equipment , poor maintenance and lack of spare parts , due to sanctions imposed by the Americans and European governments on Iran Civil Aviation.

09/08/2014

Mahdavikia makes the effort to support to SR initiative

the-afc.com

Hamedan: Former AFC Player and Young Player of the Year Mehdi Mahdavikia drove from the Iranian capital Tehran to Hamedan to make a surprise visit to footballers with alternate abilities who are taking part in a tournament running alongside the ongoing AFC U-14 Championship.

The Team Melli legend, who represented Iran at four AFC Asian Cups and two FIFA World Cups, spent time chatting to the participants of the event and also get to see the potential Iran stars of the future as the AFC U14 Championship hosts defeated Timor Leste 4-1 at the Hajibabaie Stadium.

“We must realise how important football is for everyone including the people with alternate abilities,” the AFC Social Responsibility Programme’s Ambassador told www.the-afc.com.

“There are many important things in life and being connected with disabled people, encouraging them and letting them play gives you satisfaction.

“The AFC has done a great job in recognising these needs and addressing their requirements and I am more than happy to be part of this,” he added.

The head of the AFC’s Social Responsibility Department Dr. Annathurai also praised the former Hamburg and Persepolis winger for showing his enthusiasm and readiness for social cause.

“Despite his busy schedule, he managed time to travel from Tehran and encourage these kids, they will never forget this moment,” he said.
“It was not sure whether he would make it or not but he himself said he would be driving from Tehran to Hamedan – which is approximately 350 kilometers away from the Iranian capital.”

Madahvikia and former China women’s international Bai Lili were appointed as AFC Grassroots Ambassadors to help the Member Associations develop their grassroots football back in 2013.

09/08/2014

Iran qualifies for the semi-finals of AFC U-14 Championship.

Hamedan:

Mohsen Godarzi scored a cracking decisive in the 40th minute as Iran edged Saudi Arabia 1-0 to enter into the semi-final of the AFC U-14 Championship as Group A runners-up.

The Saudi players gave a good fight to the hosts and after Timor-Leste scored an equaliser elsewhere at the Mofateh Stadium against DPR Korea, Iran had to suffer an anxious ending of the match.

The failure of Timor-Leste to win combined with Saudi’s inefficiency in front of Iran goal ensured that the hosts progress as group runners-up and wait for the opponents from Group B as their potential foe for the semi-final. Both the matches of Group B will be played on Saturday.

Compared to previous matches, Saudi were much better on Friday as they came close twice early in the match including a chip from midfielder Aldhuwayhi Abdulaziz which rattled the cross bar.

Iran’s midfielder Mohammad Sharifi also struck the side bar just before the half time.

As both the sides were playing entertaining football, Godrazi’s individual brilliance separated the sides after he connected a powerful leftfooter from the edge. He dribbled past two Saudi defenders before unleashing the shot which left Saudi goalie Alshamrani Anas Ibrahim clueless.

“Iran against Saudi match is always an important match and today was no different,” Iran coach Heidar Sharifi said after the match.

“We (Iran and Saudi Arabia) are considered as traditional powerhouse of Asian football and we respect each other very much.

“We knew that it was not going to be easy task against a Saudi side who are under the vigil of a master tactician Omar (Abdulla).

“But we were also determined to win and the credit goes to all the players and technical staff for this great win.

“I don’t have any preference on my semi-final opponent, whoever is our opponent we will play to win,” he added.

His counterpart Abdulla was also magnanimous in defeat.

“The good sign is that we continue to improve and that is what my objectives were in the tournament,” said the Saudi coach.

“These players are still very young and have a lot of football ahead of them so this tournament was a good learning experience for them.

“They will be much better in next AFC U-16 Championship in 2016.

07/08/2014

Sharifi “The Koreans were much stronger than us”

Haidar Sharifi , the head coach of Iran’s U-14 team currently participating in the AFC U14 Championship 2014 in Hamadan and, admitted that the “North Korean teams was stronger than us and whatever we tried , we could not shake them.”

North Korea defeated Iran U14 yesterday by one goal to nil in Haj Babaei Stadium. The goal scored from just inside the Korean half, about 50 meters out , was worthy of winning any match in style. The powerful free kick flew into the upper net from long-range. Goals like this is hardly seen at this level of football, however , the Korean superiority was evident all around and they could have easily scored a few more on Iran U14. While the Koreans played a modern type of total football and nice exchanges, Iranian players , as usual , depended on their individual skill that failed them against a well-organized and very fit Koreans. There is little doubt that the Koreans will be the major contender for the title as they have swept past the teams in the qualification with an astonishing ease.

“We are considering this defeat as a lesson learnt and hope that shortfalls are covered in the next vital match.” Sharif added.

Iran will meet Saudi Arabia on Friday and must win the match in order to qualify as the second of the group. The Saudi’s are without any points after losing the first against North Korea 2-0 and then surprisingly against Timor Leste 2-1 yesterday. Provided Korea defeats Timor Leste, Iran will qualify without having to defeat Saudi Arabia. Both matches will be played at the same time.

07/08/2014

Team Melli U-23 draws with Armenia.

Iran’s Olympic football team played a goalless draw against Armenia in Yerevan on Wednesday.

Team Melli Under 23 Football Team reached Yerevan on the 2nd of August and entered camp in Avan Academy Facilities to prepare for the two friendly games against the Armenian counterparts on Monday and Wedneasday.

On arraival and after a short rest , the squad started training in Avan Football Academy. Armenian National Team manager Bernard Challandes was on hand at the Academy. He welcomed the Iranian team and came to pitch and had chat with coaching staff.

The Armenia trip is a part of the preparation for the upcoming Asian Games 2014 in Incheon , South Korea.

In the first match played on Monday 4th August , Armenia’s Taron Voskanyan U23 , scored an injury time winnere on the 90+2nd minute from a header after a cross by Aram Loretsyan. Armenia won 1:0.

Nelo Vingada was not able to take the full squad with him for the usual reasons. Some players had Visa issues while a few were injured.

The squad will be flying back to Tehran today and the players will be joining their clubs for the league. The last part of the long-term preparation of the Olympic team will be carried out in China 10 days before the Asian Games starts in South Korea. The team will play several friendly games in China before heading directly to Incheon.

Human Afazeli , said “We are trying to arrange a couple of friendly games for the squad before flying to China for the training camp. That will be a good practise for the lads ”

07/08/201407/08/2014

Team Melli fans’ aspirations, are they being misled?

Team Melli fans: Aspirations , misleading or loss of focus

The responses to the polls conducted by Team Melli.com before the FIFA World Cup 2014, and then during and after the World Premiere football show , was really intended to gauges the response and the heartbeat of the fans across the World. In a sense, we wanted to know was what were/are the expectations of the fans and whether the results of the World Cup met their expectations.

The results of the polls caused some intriguing discussions and some amount of confusions and soul-searching.

on June 17, 2014 , we asked the fans “ What is the level of your expectation of Team Melli in the World Cup? What would you consider as a satisfying outcome?”

51% answered Qualify for the next round while 19% only said “play beautiful football:

Jus to to make sure that we understand the fans right , we asked “ How many points Iran will get in the World Cup 2014?” the overwhelming majority 71%, said 3 points or more. While only 13% said 1 point only.

Team Melli neither qualified for the Next round nor did it play a beautiful or impressive football. Almost all of the few legionnaires we had in Europe were relegated with their clubs and ended up migrating to the warmer shores of the Persian Gulf leagues. This is a sharp contrast to every other World Cup Iran took part in which many of the players found interested European suitors and ended up playing in reputable European leagues.

This time , it was clear that Team Melli had one of the worst World Cups on and off the field. It certainly fell short of the expectations of the fans and the aspiration of qualifying for the next round. However, the whole picture suddenly got blurred in our next poll when we asked:

“How would you rate Queiroz work in the 3 ½ years with Iran including the 2014 FIFA World Cup?”

51% said Good, while another 34% rated his work as “Excellent, The best choice and the best result” ! That would be a total of 84% of the voters who have expressed their satisfaction with the performance of a coach who, as the major influence in the team performance and result, attained the poor result in a team which was really pretty mediocre to say the least! If we leave emotions aside, Iran actually played some ugly footballing ranking the bottom of the 32 teams in passing and major stats.

There are many scenarios that can be assumed from such polls, depending on what angle it is looked at. One of such is that the fans have accepted the low level for Iranian football and have little ambition that this team can win the long-lost glories of the Team Melli of the seventies when it ruled Asia for decades. Therefore the slightest of a positive, such as a good defense or not allowing to be heavily defeated , is considered a great achievement !

The other scenario is the loss of confidence by the fans in Iranian football of anything domestic be it the players, Managers, Coaches and administration in general. In a scene like this, a foreign coach appears, and despite his inferior delivery, he is considered as a Messiah amongst a bunch of incompetent operators.

One more scenario can be that the fans really do not follow Iranian domestic football close enough , and who can blame them for that , hence their perspectives, information and aspirations become cloudy. The Persian Gulf League that has started this season already, was hardly exciting for anyone bar the diehards. It is safe to say that club football in Iran is going downhill and that is clearly reflected in Team Melli despite attempts to inject dual-nationality European based players.

It is really regrettable that nobody is really interested in Iranian football after the World Cup. In teammelli.com we have experienced this first had. After the plethora of the inquiries, request for information and various media activities , the disappointing performance left the rest of the world focusing on other teams and ignoring Iran and Asia altogether.

In reality, who is really interested in watching a team whose entire mission in life is to park the bus in front of the goal, and everything else such as passing , penetrating the defenses, shooting and scoring are secondary and less important elements of the game.

However, we believe that there is much more potential in Iran’s football that what is being presented to us right now.

Iran is a championship breeding nation. Iranian teams and individual athletes have proven to the world that they can compete at the highest level of any competition in many sports. However, if the fans are misled into thinking or heaven forbids, tricked to be satisfied with the current results and performances of their football teams, like we witnessed in the World Cup, then what is there to force those people at the helm to change for the better? What is the catalyst for change? The football federation and the system supporting it , think they are doing a great job and slowly but surely , convincing the fans as well , and that is precisely where the tragedy could occur!

A typical example, is the recent statement that “the AFC Asian Cup 2015 is not a priority, The World Cup 2018 is” that was quoted by Kaffashian and Queiroz. While we believe that such a statement and mentality is an insult to the aspiration of the Iranian football fans, other fans and even media reporters, might actually be tricked into believing this rhetoric. This is a notorious tactic used to buy time which has been deployed by many administrations and coaches to cover their shortfalls and lack of success. In short promising that the next championship , which is normally on a four years cycle, will be better , puts the pressure of the coaches and the administrations to deliver good results!

Any match that Team Melli is involved in , the team and the squad is representing the good name of Iran and its people. Every match is important. Every championship is important, especially and particularly the Asian Cup, where at least there is a good chance of winning the trophy. Trying to dilute this historic competition where Iran is a pioneer and three times champions , is nothing short of escapism, diversion and insult to the fans.

07/08/2014

Superior North Koreans anrrowly defeat Iran U14

Hamedan: Captain Kim Pom-hyok scored second goal in as many matches of the AFC U-14 Championship as DPR Korea edged hosts Iran 1-0 in a Group A encounter on Wednesday.

In the match played in front of strong host nation’s supporters, Kim slotted home a 25-yard freekick which decided the fate of the match.

With the win DPR Korea are almost certain of making it into the semi-final with six points from two matches. Iran, who had defeated Saudi Arabia in their first match, are still occupying the second position despite suffering defeat as they had defeated Timor-Leste who earlier stunned Saudi Arabia.

“After analysing the matches so far, I still believe that Iran are strong will make it through alongside us from Group A,” said DPR Korea coach Kim Chol-jin after the match.

“I thought it would be very difficult for us to beat the hosts but at the end of the day, we were clinical and our defenders did not give them chances so I was relaxed and did not have to make numerous changes during the match.

“Those boys who were not used will be fresh in upcoming matches,” he added.

Like the previous match against Saudi Arabia, DPR Korea relied on long balls and pile drivers and one of those from captain Kim reached the destination.

After DPR were awarded with a freekick, the dead-ball specialist took the charges and left the diving Iran goalie Meraj Esmaeili hapless as early as in the eighth minute.

Iran coach Heidar Sharifi was quick to defend his goalkeeper who, with the proper judgement, could have saved the ball.

“He was outstanding today,” said Heidar.

“There are mistakes even at the top level, you have to remember some brilliant saves he made today.

“We are not done yet, we have a match in hand and I am sure we will defeat Saudi Arabia and progress.

“In fact, I’m taking this defeat as a blessing in disguise as the young boys knew that how difficult it is to lose a match, we will rebound,” he stressed.