Carlos Queiroz conflict with the football federation is ongoing with the Portuguese coach refusing to meet his boss Mehdi Taj to resolve the problems that lead Queiroz to resign. FFIRI President has requested a meeting for Tuesday but was turned down by Queiroz.

instead, Queiroz claimed that he has not been paid for 4 months and now demanding that FFIRI immediately pay up. Mehdi Taj and the Minister of sport have been assuring the fans that Queiroz’s case will  be resolved soon and he will be back at the helm of Team Melli to prepare for the next stage of FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Taj has announced that his administration has not accepted the Portuguese head coach’s resignation from his post.

Queiroz is still out of Iran , presumably in Dubai, and has not resumed his duty with 9 weeks left to the crucial match against Qatar in Doha. The Portuguese coach did not return to Tehran with the squad after the conclusion of the failed Training camp in Dubai.

This maneuver is not a new one from Queiroz. It is the umpteen times that Queiroz has submitted his resignation which has always been for the same or similar reasons. Every other time on the past, the ex- Manchester United, Real Madrid and Portugal coach withdrew his resignations and continued his work citing new promises to improve Team Melli and his own personal conditions. Queiroz, who hardly resides in Iran, continued his work grudgingly with FFIRI but creating a toxic atmosphere in the process. He hardly had a good word for anyone and was a super critic of everything and everyone in Iranian football including the federation, clubs, coaches and ex-players.

This time, his target was Branko Ivankovic, the head coach of Persepolis who criticized the interruption of the league for the sake of setting up a Team Melli training camp in Dubai. Queiroz, never the type to accept any criticism, took an exception to the Croat and in retaliation, send all the 7 Persepolis players back to Tehran from Dubai! This move antagonized many and lead to some strong outcries not least from the fans and management of Persepolis club.

Queiroz’s misdemeanor did not end there as he took the battle against Branko to the internet and wrote some uncompromising harsh words in the social media against Persepolis coach. Brank Ivankovic opted to concentrate on his work for Persepolis and refused to respond to Queiroz’s provocations.

There is more to Queiroz’s refusal to work in Iran than his skirmish with Ivankovic, however. The Team Melli coach has grown tired of lack of support from the federation, poor management , lack of arrangement of friendly games , weak planning and finally the lack of resources. He also has had enough of the false promises by Mehdi Taj and Ali Kaffashian before him. Queiroz’s frustration was also further fueled by the non-payment of wages to his assistants.

The drama is continueing….