Category: Sports & Games

Iran lose to Portugal in the 3rd place playoff.

Portugal scored another victory over Iran in the Samsung Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup 2014. The match between the two losing semi-finalists ended 3-0 for the Portuguese. 

The 3-0 win for Portugal over Iran had the same result, though different score, different day, and different style than they had earlier in the week but the win was still just as gratifying, if not more. The game was cerebral for the first two periods, neither offense scored and the defenses, even after Portugal began scoring, were magnificent. Portugal did not score until the last period but did so three times to pull away late against championship caliber Iran. The win gives Portugal 3rd place and Iran took 4th place out the 8 best teams across the continents. 

 

Portugal defeated Iran earlier in the tournament and while that could have been expected, it was also a bit of an upset as Iran is the defending Samsung Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup champion, so the outcome could have realistically gone either way, but neither side seemed disappointed to be playing in the 3rd place match after semi-final losses. The two squads fought hard in the opening frame and going into the middle of the period, neither side had scored. The second period started with some great opportunities for Portugal but the chances went unanswered and the goalless thriller continued into the middle of the frame. The momentum slowly began to shift as the Princes of Persia were asking all the questions but Portugal still had their world class keeper, Petrony, at their disposal, and the score remained tied at 0. The excitement increased as the saves piled up and the score was 0-0 going into the final break.

 

The pressure mounted for the two squads and that was evident in the 3rd period because both sides did not want to make the tiny mistake that gave their opponent the lead. The hope of an onslaught of goals was initiated by Jordan of the Selection of the Quinas when he blasted a mid-range shot past P. Hossieni to put the score at 1-0. Portugal found their confidence and added another goal, from Be Martins, that gave them a seemingly safe 2-0 lead. Be Martins got his second goal and was ecstatic to give his side an even bigger lead, at 3-0, and the Portuguese held onto that energy for the rest of the match, as they had earned third place in this gem of a tournament, when all was said and done. The final score was 3-0. 

 

Goals: 0-1: Jordan, min. 9 (3); 0-2: Be Martins, min. 6 (3); 0-3: Be Martines, min. 2 (3)

Brazil took home crown after besting Russia in o.t.

Iran drops 6 places in July 2014 FIFA Ranking

Despite participating in the 2014 FIFA World Cup , Iran continued dropping in the world ranking to no. 49 while it also lost the Asian top ranking that it maintained for the last 4 months.

A series of poor results including two losses in the World Cup , meant 6 places drop for Iran which also drained the total points which stands at 563 in the current ranking issued today. Japan leads Asia with 604 points and ranked 4 places above Iran at 45.

Australia , which will host the AFC Asian Cup 2015 had the worst drop amongst the Asian team losing 15 places after 3 losses in the World Cup.

The Asian teams did not do well at all in the World Cup as none of the 4 teams made it to the next round and all of them were the bottom of their groups.

With the uncertainty of the coaching situation in Team Melli and a fast approaching AFC Asian Cup in which most of Asian teams have already arranged friendly matches, Iran is nowhere near any scheduled friendlies , except for the proposed South Korea match which has yet to be confirmed by the FFIRI.

 

 

 FIFA Ranking July 2014

World Rank Zone Rank Team Pts +/- Pos
45 1 Japan 604 1 Up
49 2 Iran 563 -6 Down
52 3 Uzbekistan 523 7 Up
56 4 Korea Republic 501 1 Up
57 5 Jordan 500 6 Up
65 6 United Arab Emirates 466 7 Up
69 7 Oman 443 10 Up
76 8 Australia 397 -14 Down
78 9 Saudi Arabia 384 12 Up
85 10 Palestine 362 9 Up

Vote for your ‘Team Melli’ slogan

FIFA has allowed World Cup fans to vote for their teams favorite slogan   HERE

Vote for your favourite slogans

 

Iran’s Team Melli choices are as follows:

Iran
Iran
افتخار پارس
HONOR OF PERSIA
 
يك جهان ، يك ملت ، يك تيم
A WORLD, A NATION, A TEAM.
 
رويايت را محقق كن
CAPTURE THE DREAM
 
TeamMelli.com supports the first choice.
افتخار پارس
HONOR OF PERSIA

Persepolis and Khalatbary on the brink of FIFA Sanctions.

Mohammad Reza Khalatbary and his club Persepolis are on the brink of suspension after the Club failed to pay the UAE League club Ajman the reminder of the payment for the player’s transfer.

Ajman has given Persepolis one week ( 15th April) to fork out US$ 250,000 outstanding from the player’s transfer deal. Ajman has claimed that the amount is already six month overdue and will not tolerate any further delays by the Iranian club.

Khalatbary signed a 1.5 Million dollar contract with Ajman last year, however before he even played a single match for Ajman, Persepolis came calling for the Team Melli Midfielder and on the assertion of the former CEO Mohammad Rouyanian , they managed to strike a deal with Ajman for his transfer back to Iran.

The deal raised many questions in the football circles, mainly because Persepolis had acute financial difficulties which were well publicized and known among all concerned. Somehow Persepolis managed to pay the transfer fee for Khalatbary , but the club refused to disclose the source of the transfer fee. This transfer occurred at a time when many Persepolis players and staff wages were not paid for several months. The Khalatbary transfer created some discontent in the dressing room.

Now, it has been disclosed that Persepolis has not paid the full transfer fee to Ajman.  The balance of US$ 250,000 must be paid within 1 week else Ajman will file a complaint with FIFA. If Persepolis fails to adhere to the clause of the transfer agreement, FIFA can rule to suspend Persepolis from football activities, ban it from transfer market (selling or buying players) , deduct points or impose a heavy fine.

While Persepolis is in a perilous position, Khalatbary may also be suspended if FIFA deems it necessary. That would be a severe blow to Carlos Queiroz who is preparing the squad for the World Cup. The rest of the Persepolis players with Team Melli should not be affected by any FIFA ruling against their club and will be allowed to play for Team Melli.

Zamani, the agent of Khalatbary , shed some light on the transfer details. He said that the agreement between the two clubs required Persepolis to initially pay US$ 500,000 then the second payment of US$300,000. Persepolis paid US$ 400,000 initially and then with a lot of delay, it paid US$ 150,000 , which was half the agreed amount it should pay to Ajman. Eventually , Hossein Hedayti , paid the remaining US$ 150,000 “

“However , there is still US$ 250,000 remaining and an additional US$ 50,000 as interest fees due to delays in payment,”

Zamani said that “FIFA usually makes quick decisions when it is faced with cases of nonpayment of contracts. All evidence and document shows that Ajman Club has the full right and as such Persepolis might face heavy penalties from FIFA and might regret delaying the payment.”

Iran drops 4 places in FIFA Ranking March 2014

In the latest FIFA Ranking published today by the World Governing body , Iran dropped 4 places to number 42 in the world  with 692 but still maintained the lead as Asia’s top team.

Team Melli’s long inactivity ended with two consecutive matches vs. Kuwait and Guinea. Further matches are schedule to improve Iran’s ranking.

Japan was second with 622 points ranked 48 in the world.

 

Top 10 Asian nations in FIFA Ranking

World Rank

Zone Rank

Team

Points

 Posn Change
42 1  Iran 692 -4 Down
48 2  Japan 622 2 Up
55 3  Uzbekistan 565 2 Up
60 4  Korea Republic 552 1 Up
61 5  United Arab Emirates 550 -3 Down
63 6  Australia 545 -10 Down
66 7  Jordan 521 3 Up
75 8  Saudi Arabia 453 0 Equal
81 9  Oman 426 -1 Down
98 10  China PR 339 -10 Down

Iran’s World Cup first match venue in doubt

February 17, 2014

 Curitiba could be dropped as a World Cup host amid construction delays, although FIFA tells INSIDER a final decision has not yet been made.

Brazilian media reports suggest Arena de Baixada will be axed as one of the 12 host cities for the month-long summer tournament. It is scheduled to host Iran-Nigeria on June 16, Spain v Australia on June 23, Algeria-Russia on June 26 and Honduras-Ecuador on June 30.

World Cup organisers in the southern Brazilian city say they have met FIFA requirements to guarantee the delayed stadium will be completed in time. Lack of finances has impacted construction.

FIFA gave local organisers until Feb. 18 to demonstrate that the pace of construction would be accelerated on the stadium project. It would still not be finished for another two months.

FIFA told INSIDER today: “As we explained many times a decision on Curitiba will only be made on 18 February based on a report from the technical stadium experts. This is a fact, the rest is pure speculation.”

Yesterday FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke tweeted a similar comment on his Twitter page.

In his Friday column on FIFA.com, he said the situation in Curitiba was being closely monitored. “The Brazilian Government, the host city and state of Parana, FIFA and the LOC are seeking and finding solutions to help them catch up and hopefully make sure such a special city in terms of sustainability and passion for football will remain part of the FIFA World Cup line-up,” he said.
Valcke returned to Brazil on Sunday for visits to three World Cup host cities this week.

On visiting Manaus, he tweeted: “Arena Amazonia is an amazing project. We can only congratulate Manaus for what they have achieved in the past year.”

He is also checking up on World Cup preparations in Brasilia, where seven FIFA World Cup matches will be played, and Porto Alegre.

During his host city tour, the Frenchman will also meet with officials from the 32 World Cup teams in Florianopolis for a team workshop.

It’s billed as the last major milestone event in Brazil before the FIFA Congress on June 10 and 11 in Sao Paulo. The World Cup kicks off in Arena de Sao Paulo on June 12.

On Friday, Valcke will attend an LOC board meeting in Florianopolis.

Team Melli is nominated for AFC Team of the Year 2013.

 

After 6 continuous official matches victory in 2013 including FIFA World Cup 2014 qualifiers and AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015 qualifying matches, Team Melli is nominated as the AFC Team of the Year 2013 in the AFC annual  Award nominations. Competing with Team Melli is Japan National team and Iraq Youth team (U-29). Iran has several nominees in this year’s list including Team Melli Captain Javad Nekounam who is nominated as AFC Player of the Years.

Team Melli played 8 official matches in 2013 winning 7 and drawing one. In the same period Team Melli played one friendly match only and that ended in a 3-1 loss to Oman. In the process , Team Melli qualified for the finals of the two most prestigious competitions, the FIFA World Cup in Brazil in 2014 and the AFC Asian Cup in Australia i2015.

 

 

Annual Awards 2013 Nominees

AFC ANNUAL AWARDS 2013 NOMINEES

(in alphabetical order; list as of today)        

 

AFC DIAMOND OF ASIA
Dr. Chung Mong-Joon

AFC DREAM ASIA AWARD

AFC FAIR PLAY ASSOCIATION OF THE YEAR

China Football Association

Japan Football Association

Korea Football Association

AFC FUTSAL TEAM OF THE YEAR

Chonburi Bluewave (Thailand)

Sanaye Giti Pasand (Iran)

Nagoya Oceans (Japan)

AFC FUTSAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Hossein Tayebibidgoli (Sanaye Giti Pasand: Iran)

Kaoru Morioka (Nagoya Oceans: Japan)

Suphawut Thueanklang (Chonburi Bluewave: Thailand)

AFC FOREIGN PLAYER OF THE YEAR            

Dario Leonardo Conca (Guangzhou Evergrande; Argentina)

Dejan Damjanovic (FC Seoul; Montenegro)

Luiz Guilherme Da Conceicao Silva (Guangzhou Evergrande; Brazil)

AFC ASIAN INTERNATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Keisuke Honda (Japan; CSKA Moscow)

Son Heung-Min (Korea Republic; Bayer Leverkusen)

Yuto Nagatomo (Japan; Inter Milan)

AFC ASSISTANT REFEREE OF THE YEAR

WOMEN

Flynn Allyson Clare (Australia)

Sarah Ho (Australia)

Teshirogi Naomi (Japan)

MEN

Kamranifar Hassan  (Iran)

Nagi Toshiyuki (Japan)

Sagara Toru (Japan)

AFC REFEREE OF THE YEAR
WOMEN

Kamnueng Pannipar (Thailand)

Rita binti Ghani (Malaysia)

Yamagishi Sachiko (Japan)

MEN

Benjamin Williams (Australia)

Nawaf Abdulla  (Bahrain)

Yuichi Nishimura (Japan)

AFC CLUB OF THE YEAR

FC Seoul (Korea Republic)

Guangzhou Evergrande (China)

Kuwait SC (Kuwait)

AFC MEMBER ASSOCIATION OF THE YEAR

 

AFC MA OF THE YEAR FOR GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL

All India Football Federation

Japan Football Association

Vietnam Football Federation

AFC NATIONAL TEAM OF THE YEAR

WOMEN

DPR Korea U-19 National Team

Japan U-16 National Team

Korea Republic U-19 National Team

MEN

Iraq U-20 National Team

IR Iran National Team

Japan National Team

AFC COACH OF THE YEAR

WOMEN

Asako Takemoto (Japan)

Nuengrutai Srathongvian (Thailand)

Hwang In-Sun (Korea Republic)

MEN

Choi Yong-Soo (Korea Republic)

Hakeem Shakir (Iraq)

Jong Song-Chon (Korea Republic)

AFC YOUTH PLAYER OF THE YEAR

WOMEN

Jang Sel-Gi (Korea Republic)

Wang Shuang (China)

Hina Sugita (Japan)

MEN

Abbosbek Makhstaliev (Uzbekistan)

Ali Adnan Kadhim (Iraq)

Kwon Chang-Hoon (Korea Republic)

 

AFC PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Ha Dae-Sung (FC Seoul: Korea Republic)

Javad Nekonam (Esteghlal: Iran)

Zheng Zhi (Guangzhou Evergrande: China)

Team Melli beach soccer bow out in style.

Iran’s Beach soccer bowed out of the 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World cup after a gallant display against the defending Champions, Russia.

Russia , who recovered a two-goal deficit to edge Iran 6-5 , booked a FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup semi-final date with hosts Tahiti. Dmitrii Shishin, the star of a stunning upset of Brazil in the Ravenna 2011 decider, settled an engrossing game in the defending champions’ favor with just 124 seconds remaining. The game which saw both teams exchanging the lead in three periods of the match was heading for a 5-5 draw and extra time, when a hopeful mild shot form the Russian Shishin bounced off an Iranian defender leg to end up in the roof of the net with Team Melli’s goalkeeper Hosseini at full stretch, but unable to save it and .

Russia were the heavy favorites before kick-off, but they were given a grueling examination in Papeete. Moslem Mesigar and Farid Boulokbashi fired Iran into a 2-0 lead and although Egor Eremeev swiftly pulled one back, the Asians’ stellar marking and physical approach largely stifled Mikhail Likhachev’s game plan for long periods.

Yury Krasheninnikov did equalize midway through the second period, before Anatoliy Peremitin capitalised on a seldom defensive error to put Russia ahead for the first time. That advantage lasted just 12 seconds as Boulokbashi thumped home his second to ensure the teams began the concluding third at deadlock.

Mesigar completed his brace shortly after the restart to restore Iran’s lead, but Russia began to exact their superiority thereafter. Goals from Kirill Romanov and Eremeev sent the Europeans 5-4 ahead, only for Mohammad Ahmadzadeh to level the scores, against the run of play, on 32 minutes.

Likhachev urged his charges to find a winner and cometh the hour, cometh the man. That man was the ever-reliable Shishin, who netted an engrossing contest’s 11th and final goal to keep the Russian dream alive and move himself joint-top of the tournament’s scoring chart.

Russia and Tahiti, who stunned Argentina 6-1 in their quarter-final, will now have a one-day rest before meeting on Saturday for a place in the final.

RUSSIA vs. IRAN

6:5 (1:2, 2:1, 3:2)
Match 28 , Papeete ,  To’ata Stadium
Goals Russia

 

Group matches

19/09  vs Brazil  1-4

21/09 vs Senegal 5-3

23/09 vs. Ukraine 2-3

 

Beach Soccer: Iran outlast Senegal amid goal-rush

Iran revived their Tahiti 2013 hopes with an action-packed 5-3 victory over Senegal to leave Group C intriguingly poised.

Senegal scored a powerful 5-4 win over Ukraine to open their Tahiti 2013 campaign two days ago, while the west Asians knew their tournament ambitions were on the line having fallen to a 4-1 defeat to Brazil.

Iran made the perfect start with Mohammad Ahmadzadeh scoring in the second minute. Senegal thought they had equalised from the ensuing kick-off only for the goal to be ruled out by the match officials.

It was to be double anguish for Senegal soon after as Ahmadzadeh doubled the advantage with a flicked header to give Iran a 2-0 lead by the third minute mark.

It could have soon been a three-goal margin as Farid Boulobashi came within inches of perhaps the most spectacular goal of the tournament but his athletic volley crashed off the underside of the goal and onto the line.

Senegal hit the frame of the goal after the restart, and captain Ngalla Sylla halved the margin soon after.

Incredibly they equalised almost immediately with goalkeeper Peyman Hosseini conceding an own goal, only for Amir Akbari to score virtually from the kick-off for a third goal within 30 seconds.

Ahmadzadeh nabbed his second before the end of the middle period as Iran made it 4-2 for a handy advantage.

Senegal pushed hard in the dying period of a torrid encounter and came within inches of scoring on several occasions, before Sylla rocketed home a third.

But still the scoring was not over as Boulobashi netted with a sweet strike midway through the final period.

Sepp Blatter to visit Iran

Joseph “Sepp” Blatter the Swiss national President of FIFA is to pay a one day visit to Iran on  6th November 2013.

Hamed Momeni , the FFIRI coordinator has announced the scheduled visit and stated that he is in coordination with the office of the President of Iran , Hassan Rouhani to arrange an audience with the FIFA boss.

On the program for the visit , Momeni said that Blatter will have a meeting with the Minister of Youth and sports  as well as participation in the sport seminar.

Blatter next destination after the one day visit will be the UAE.