Human Afazeli has the most unenviable job in Iran’s football.

In two weeks’ time, a depleted Team Melli U-22 will be taking part in the first AFC Asian U-22 Championship in the Omani capital, Muscat, without its best players. The refusal by the clubs such as Persepolis , Sepahan , Zob Ahan and Naft Tehran to release their players, frustrated Ali Reza Mansourian Who sought support from the FFIRI bosses as a last refuge.

The head coach asked Ali Kaffashian to personally intervene with club coaches to allow the young guns  to be released in the services if the U-22 squad. Kaffashian was unwilling to react to Mansourian’s request as the head of the FFIRI was not willing to face the wrath of Ali Daei or any other coaches who regularly complain about national teams taking away their best players. With the World Cup training schedule already straining relations between Queiroz and IFF on one side and the clubs and their coaches on the other, Kaffashian did not want to open another front for Team Melli U-22.

Mansourian , believing that the lack of support from his peers and the clubs , is detrimental to the team’s chances in Muscat , especially since Iran’s group is the group of death , opted to submit his resignation rather than face the media and fans calling for his head in case of failure in Muscat.

Mansourian recommended Human Afazeli as the most suitable person to coach the team under the circumstances, but he also believed that his successor, whoever might be, will be taking a big risk in the light of lack of support by the federations and the club.

After an initial hitch, Afazeli agreed terms with FFIRI and immediately proceeded to build his master plan to conquer Asia albeit with a depleted team lacking its best players. Afazeli , a shrewd tactician and one of the best analyst of the game in Iran , will certainly have a difficult job ahead but it is not all doom and gloom for the aspiring coach.

A large number of players in the list have already played together in several age levels including the team taking part in the AFC U-19 championship 2012, Good understanding and comradeship is already prevailing with this group.