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Iran and Japan play a thriller in Muscat.

Muscat
In a thrilling encounter Iran U-22 and Japan U-22 drew 3-3 in the Group C of AFC Asian U-22 championship.played in Oman Police stadium in Muscat.

Iran started the scoring through Behnam Barzay with a nice finish on he 5th minute, before Japan quickly responded with the equalizer two minutes later. Japan then took the lead on the on the half hour  for the teams finished the first half and going into dressing room with Japan leading 2-1

In the second half Kaveh Rezaei scored two quick goals , one from a penalty on the 49th minute , then the young Saipa forward scored a world class goal in the 55th, when he escaped his two markers while his back was to the goal and made a half turn before shooting in the upper left corner of the Japanese goal

Japan equalized 10 minutes later through Nakajuma by aiming at the far corner of Biranvand’s goal.

With this result , both teams shared the points while Australia managed to beat Kuwait 1-0 earlier in the day to lead the table with 3 points.

The match highlighted the two different schools of their respected countries football. The Japanese , organized , systematical and emphasis on teamwork, while Iran

came out as physically stronger , individually skillful and offensive minded. Iran managed to have control of the ball despite the Japamses trying to crowd the midfiled. Human Afazeli did a fine job varying the  tactics of the team from some free flowing football to route one , confusing the opponents and pressing them hard.

The fast paced game was full of action and to the credit of the two teams, none was content with a draw and both played offensive football. The Iranians were caught off guard several times by their over emotional football with some uncalled for tackles resulting in accumulation of yellow cards, the worst of was the one awarded to goalkeeper Biranvand.

While Iran was offensively strong , there was a few question marks on the goalkeeper and the defense. Biranvand , who was brilliant for his club in the league was guilty of ball watching on two of the 3 Japanese goals.

Match highlights

4′  Shehab Karami wastes a brilliant chance to score.
6′  Barzay scores  from a nice pass from the left 1-0
8′ Harakawa scores on the first Japanese offense. Poor covering from Biranvand left him ball watching 1-1

16′  Hajmohammadi shoots wide over the bar in front of an open goal from Kveh Rezaei nicely executed corner kick.
24′ Iismaelzadeh hits the bar after a string of beautiful passes.
30′ Japan scores after afrom and a brilliant individual run. Japaneses scorer passed Iran defenders with ease.

49′ Rezaei scores from a penalty 2-2
55′ fantastoc goal  by Kaveh Rezaei with 180 degree turn  shots to the ceiling of Japan’s , world class goal 3-2
56′ Shariyar Shirvand blopcs what seemed to be a certain Japan goal.
62 Pahlavan , the substitute , hits a ferocious shoot which the Japanese keeper parries with difficulty. .
65′ Japan scores. A diagonal  ball  from the left , leaves Biravand standing still watching the ball into the net.

 

 

JAPAN – IRAN
3 – 3

Half time score 2-1

12 January 2014
1st AFC Asian Championship
Royal Oman Police Stadium , Muscat
Attendance : 304

Referee:FAHAD JABER AL-MARRI (QATAR)

Scorers
BEHNAM BARZAY(Iran) 7′, HARAKAWA RIKI (Japan) 9′ , ASANO TAKUMA 30′ , KAVEH REZAEI 40′(Pen)& 55′, NAKAJIMA SHOYA 66′

Lineups
JAPAN    
1 KUSHIBIKI MASATOSHI ; 2 KAWAGUCHI NAOKI (13 YAJIMA SHINYA 60′), 3 YOSHINO KYOHEI,5 NISHINO TAKAHARU (C),6 YAMANAKA RYOSUKE , 7 HARAKAWA RIKI ,8 ISHIGE HIDEKI (4 MATSUBARA KEN 60′),9 SUZUKI, 10 NAKAJIMA SHOYA,16 ASANO TAKUMA (14 ARANO TAKUMA 78′), 20 UEDA NAOMICHI

EGURAMORI (Head Coach)

IRAN    
1 ALI REZA SAFAR BEIRANVAND ,3 SHAHRYAR SHIRVAND (C),5 MOHAMMAD AMIN HAJMOHAMMADI, 23 MEHDI SHIRI, 16 FARDIN ABEDINI, 13 AHMAD ZENDEHROOH, 10 AFSHIN ESMAEILZADEH (20 EHSAN PAHLAVAN 54), 14 SHAHAB KARAMI, 11 SEYED PEYMAN MIRI(17 ARSALAN MOTAHHARI 71′), 19 BEHNAM BARZAY,9 KAVEH REZAEI

HUMAN AFAZELI (Head Coach)

Yellow Cards:

Japan [1]: Matsubara 77′

Iran [6]: Abedini 21′, Shirvand 44′, Rezaei 55′, Shiri 86′, Biranvand 87′, Motahhari 90+1′

[divider]

the-afc.com

Muscat: An early contender for AFC U-22 Championship goal of the tournament from Shoya Nakajima was the pick of the bunch in a high-scoring encounter between Japan and Iran that ended in a 3-3 tie in their Group C fixture at Royal Police Stadium on Sunday.

Both sides were off the mark before the game had even reached the 10 minutes mark with Benham Barzay’s opener for Iran quickly nullified by a reply from Riki Harakawa.

Takuma Asano then put Japan ahead five minutes before the interval as the action continued at a furious pace.

The break did nothing to calm an appetite for goals with Iran striker Kaveh Rezaei bagging a brace within 10 minutes of the restart to restore Iran’s lead before Nakajima’s long range strike capped off the scoring in a thrilling contest.

“It was a tough but open game, we both scored a lot of goals and conceded a lot,” said Japan coach Makoto Teguramori, whose side will face Kuwait in his side’s next fixture on Tuesday.

“However, considering the lack of preparation, the ability of my side to score and give a tough game, was a positive factor.

“In terms of goals conceded we will need to make adjustments. My players had a good feeling and as we play more we’ll improve. The Iran coach said this was his B team, I don’t think it was a B team at all!”

Iran flew out of the blocks in the opening minutes, swarming over a tentative Japan right from the kick-off and it took forward Rezaei just four minutes to impose himself on the game.

He first played in Shahab Karami who blazed over, before playing a part in the move that led to Barzay’s opener, with the forward finding himself with space to turn and shoot in the penalty area with Japan’s defence all at sea in the seventh minute.

The goal shocked the young Blue Samurai into action as Iran’s lead lasted just two minutes as Harakawa stepped inside two challenges on the edge of the penalty area before curling the ball into the corner past an unsighted Ali Reza Beiranvand who was left motionless on his line by the ball’s vicious swerve.

From then on the match opened up into a pattern of pulsating back and forth attacks from both sides.

Nakajima shot wide when played through just after the 20 minute mark, while Iran reposted almost immediately with a deft combination between Afshin Esmaeilzadeh and Seyed Miri that resulted in the former slamming a shot against Masatoshi Kushibiki’s crossbar from 16 yards out.

With both sides attacking at will, space began to open up at the back and as Iran pushed forward in numbers, the ball broke to Asano who found himself one-on-one with Beiranvand and he clipped adroitly over the goalkeeper to give Japan the lead.

Musashi Suzuki had a good chance to add a third goal when put through on goal with under 10 minutes of the half remaining but the midfielder was denied by the Iranian custodian who dived bravely at his feet to avert the danger.

The second half continued much the same as the first period with both teams attacking with gusto and it took just two minutes after the restart before Iran restored parity as a coming together in the box between Japan captain Takaharu Nishino and Rezaei resulted in a penalty which the latter coolly converted high to the goalkeeper’s left.

And the irrepressible Rezaei then put his side in front after 55 minutes with a powerful shot from just inside the penalty area that curled into the top corner.

Although the Iranian number nine’s strike was a fine effort, it only took 10 minutes for the diminutive Nakajima to go one better with a spectacular shot from distance that arrowed into the top corner.

With the furious tempo the match had enjoyed for over an hour, it was understandable that the pace began to drop as a raft of substitutions took place, although there was still time for one final chance as a free-kick from substitute Shinya Yajima flew just inches wide of Beiranvand’s right-hand post.

“I think it was an acceptable start for our team, especially against a competitive and well-organised team like Japan, considering this was the first time this lineup played together,” said Iran coach Afazeli Human, who will take on Australia on Tuesday.

“For us, I think, the good starts we made to both halves are something we can build on. We didn’t come to draw, we wanted to win and so did Japan, that’s why it was so open.”

Fulham coach: “Dejagah must fight for his place.”

Fulham manager Martin Jol has warned winger Ashkan Dejagah that he must fight for a place in the starting XI.

The Iranian international made 24 appearances for the club last season before an ankle injury sustained against Queens Park Rangers prevented him from competing in the final two months of the campaign.

However, Dejagah has played just once for the Whites this term, in the Capital One Cup win at Burton in August, and appears to be down the pecking order at Craven Cottage.

[box title=”Martin Joll , Fulham coach” style=”bubbles” radius=”10″]”I want a number one in every position. They have to fight for their place.”[/box]

Bryan Ruiz and Damien Duff are ahead in Jol’s plans while 20-year-old Buomesca Tue Na Bangna was preferred for Saturday’s 2-0 derby defeat at the hands of Chelsea.

Martin Jol has demanded high standards from the former Wolfsburg attacker.

“I want a number one in every position,” he told the Fulham Chronicle. “On that wing I’ve got Dejagah, Damien Duff, Bryan Ruiz and Mesca. They have to fight for their place.

“The only thing I say to Dejagah is you have to show us that you’re the number one, and the same applies to Damien.”

The 27-year-old joined Fulham on a three-year deal in 2012 from Bundesliga side Wolfsburg for a reported fee of 2.5million euros. Dejagah did not feature in the Capital Cup match against Everton last night.

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.

“We can’t afford paying Brazil US$ 2 million for a match.” MohammadNabi.

Tehran

Following much criticisms towards the Iranian football federation’s failure to effectively prepare Team Melli and use the FIFA day for friendly matches, Mohammad Nabi , the Secretary General of Football Federation , announced that a training camp will be held  for Team Melli from 6th to 10th of September in Lisbon , Portugal.

The camp will include two friendly matches, and as usual, it is not known which teams Iran will be facing in those matches.

MohammadNabi was speaking on Friday’s sport show on the Iranian TV and took this opportunity to appeal to the new government for funds, not for the federation itself but to support Team Melli’s program, as he claimed.

Faced with the customary question about the failure of the federation to utilize the FIFA day in arranging quality friendly matches, the Secretary General complained about the lack of funds and programming conflicts . He was then asked by the TV show presenter, “what was Queiroz reaction to this cancelation?” , MohammadNabi said that he was unaware about the reaction of the Portuguese coach, but stressed the point that the Federation has many tasks to cater for beside Team Melli and that includes the professional leagues, Youth level competitions and many other activities and expenses. “If we have any aspiration to be amongst the best in Asia , we require the budgets of the top federations of the continent. South Korea , for example,  who were second in our group has a budget of US$ 260 to US$ 270 million, while Japan football association budget is US$300 Million. We, on the other hand, have a problem funding a short training camp for our national team.”

 

MohammadNabi said “In some countries a quarter of the Federations budget is allocated to their national teams, in our case we have to do with a $2.44 Million budget  for Team Melli against a country with US$300 million football budget. Although we had lots of financial problems, we have succeeded in many of our programs and plans. We have met with government officials last week to seek their backing and we are hopeful for a positive response.”

“Brazil requested US$ 2 million for a match in Azadi. Wes simply cannot afford such a fee , which is by the way , the going current rate for top class teams.  We all aspire to play strong and famous teams, but we are not prepared to spend a quarter of our annual budget for a single match.”

MohammadNabi like all the other Football Federation administrators failed to mention if there are any plans to generate revenues from their activities or engage in marketing or sponsorship deals, favoring the easy mean of government and public funds handouts.

According to TeamMelli.com studies, the football federations of Asian countries have the following budgets. All figures are approximate in US Dollars.

Japan =    $264 million
China =    $180 million
Indonesia= $112.5 million
Korea Rep. = $95 million
Australia = $60 million
Vietnam =   $60 million
Thailand =  $52 million
Malaysia =  $35 million
Singapore = $9.7 million
Iran =      $8.0 million

 

“Khalatbary is 70% a Perspolis player ” Rouyanian claims.

Mohammad Rouyanian , the CEO of Perspolis and the ever controversial  character known for his contentious  claims and statements, has come up with more of the same on the subject of Khalatbary.

The Team Melli forward player has been a subject of debate since he transferred from Sepahan to Ajman club in the UAE League. The re-naming of the UAE professional league created much antagonism and anger in Iran as the authorities discouraged any Iranian playing in a league under such false name labeled in defiance to the world community.

Khalatbary’s precipitously found himself in a dilemma.

Perspolis immediately took this opportunity and showed interest in the services of the player. A reported one million dollar penalty clause was included in the contract with Ajman, and hence Perspolis requested the football federation for their financial backing to pay the penalty fee and bring back the ex-Sepahan and Zob A

Khaltabry and coach Diego Maradona
Khaltabry and coach Diego Maradona

han player back to Iran. The Federation flatly refused Perspolis’ request and declared that they are not in the business of supplying funds for clubs to buy players.

Rouyanian said that Khalatbary is currently in Iran after a slight injury prevented him joining the Ajman training camp in Turkey. “There was supposed to be a meeting between our representative and Ajman club last night, however our representative was late to the meeting by more than one hour because of the heavy traffic and the meeting was cancelled !!. We will try to arrange another meeting this Saturday. Another problem has developed in this respect as my request for a visa to UAE was denied. I think there are people working behind the scene to deny me a visa (…) ” declared the belligerent Rouyanian.

 “I heard a lot of rumors about the source of money that allowed Perspolis to open negotiations with Ajman Club. Some have claimed that I am providing 5 billion toman  (US$ 407,000) from my own pocket to Perspolis to buy the player. Where do I have such money from? If I had that sort of money, what would I be doing in Perspolis? A kind person has offered us this money to help the club, it is none of your business who that person is !!!” Rouyanian expressed his disgust and continued “They take every opportunity to bad-mouth me while our rivals Sepahan and Esteghlal do not wish us get this player”.

“Right now, Khalatbary is 70% a Perspolis player” declared the defiant Perspolis CEO. However, he declined to explain or go into details on how this figure of 70% was derived.

 On the subject on another ex-Team Melli player, Rouyanian said that “He liked Ali Karimi quite a lot. He was one of the players that I always liked even before I was involved in football. However, I don’t find him of much use for our team. Karimi , a player who has always professed his love and affection for the club, should have also tolerated some of the difficulties faced.”

Ali Karimi unceremoniously declared his retirement from football right after his club Perspolis was defeated in a penalty shoot-out against Sepahan in the final of Hazfi cup last season.  A few weeks later, Karmi changed his mind and admitted that he acted in haste. Perspolis management and particularly Rouyanian, who had personal clashes with Karimi beforehand, were not amused by such act and refused to include him in the team roster after his change of mind. The appointment of Ali Daei as the coach, did not help Karimi’s case either.

Iranian Parliament: candidate for Minister of Sport disapproved.

Masoud Soltanifar , the candidate for the Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs in President Rouhani’s cabinet, failed to get the approval of the parliament.

Every Ministerial appointment in the cabinet must be approved by the Iranian parliament before assuming the office. The ministers are nominated by the President who is elected by public voting. There is no prime minister position in Iran so all government functions is carried out by the president of the country.

Football administrators, clubs and the federation had a lot of expectation from Soltanifar to help and support their activity with more budget allocation from the government,  however, Soltanifar did not get the approval of the MP’s as he gained 117 positive votes with 148 votes against his appointment. 48 MP’s abstained.

This news could be critical for Team Melli’s preparation for the World Cup next year. Already strapped out of cash, the FFIRI has cancelled the scheduled camp in Portugal and two friendly matches. Other Asian teams like Japan and South Korea used the FIFA day effectively and played friendly matches, while Team Melli was idle.

Almost all the major clubs in Iran are dependent on the financial support of the government, while many of them are directly run and owned by the state like Esteghlal and Perspolis

There is no indication who is the next in line for the candidacy of Minister of Sport after Soltanifar’s disapproval.

Endless batttle of Team Melli kit and personal conflicts.

Ando in Team Melli uhlsport kit
Ando in Team Melli uhlsport kit

Vahid Jaafary , the Middle East Area Director of the German sports goods manufacturer uhlsport Gmbh has confirmed that he is pursuing his complaints against Ali Daei and Amir Ghalenoei in courts and in the disciplinary Committee of FFIRI.

The source of the problem is related to Amir Ghalenoei allegation that uhlsport is a Mafia (…) while Ali Daei bad mouthing the company and insinuating corruptions in the deal that was signed between the German sporting goods company and the Iranian football federation.

Jaafary said that his company is taking these accusations very seriously and the people behind it are accountable. “When In Germany, Daei will be held accountable for tarnishing the image of a business without proof. You have accepted a sponsorship deal, but then someone without any proof or evidence, suddenly turns up and publically slanders the company”.

Jaafary, referring to his live debate with Ali Daei, Perspolis Manager  in Navad TV show, said “How is it possible to sponsor a whole football league if there is no commercial benefits behind it ?. But saying that , we are strong enough to take losses in order to promote our brand. That is what commerce is all about.  When Daei himself claimed unpaid wages from the Football Federation , he did everything he could to recover his money. “

In response to Daei claim that some personnel in the Federation and the League commission are working  to safeguard uhlsport interest,  Jaafary said  The some officials he was referring to is Aziz Mohammadi , but if you journalists have received any share or a commission from this deal , then this  gentleman  (Aziz Mohammadi)  has also received his share!!. Jaafary was sarcastically referring to another veiled accusation by Daei of under the table payment to the federation officials. Daei demanded that the Internal Audit of the government, investigate this contract between uhlsport and the FFIRI. In response, Jaafary said he welcomes any type of official investigation carried out by recognized authorities and welcomes scrutinizing the clauses of the contract. “We have nothing to hide and I personally, as an Iranian , would have much preferred to award our sponsorship to my country to gain the benefits rather than any other Arab country.”

 uhlsport  Gmbh Middle East director said: If it was not for the encouragement and support of  Kaffashian and  Aziz Mohammadi  in the past couple of seasons, we would have left Iran altogether. There were people who even threatened my life as we competed for business.

He told ISNA ” I was waiting to sign a sponsorship  contract with Team Melli for several years.  I read in some newspapers that Team Melli is purchasing its kit from Daei’s company. I flew from Dubai to Iran to meet with MohammadNabi and informed him that Team Melli is a known brand, are we so wretched that our national teams buy its team uniforms while other countries , less prominent than Iran in football,  are getting the kits for free and being paid for wearing the brand?  We owe it to Daei, Nabi replied to me. Later on I found out that Daei was getting paid as a coach and also getting paid for supplying the Team Melli kits.”

“Even after he left Team Melli, the team was still using his kit. Kaffashian realized that there is a much better opportunity and hence we signed a sponsorship contact with the federation. If there are better offers than ours, then we certainly have no objection for the FFIRI to sign a deal with a competitor provided it is genuine competition and not a result of smear campaign.” Jaafary said.

Jafari , addressing Ali Daei , said “ you have been a hero for Iran all your life. At one stage you even continued playing in a match with a  ruptured spleen  , but now I don’t know what happened that you will not think of the interest of your country but only your own financial benefits and personal interest. You even lodged complaints in foreign countries against your own. I hope people realize our interest and commitment in this sponsorship.” Jaafary said in his own company’s promoting against Daei.

Replying to the accusation of Amir Ghalenoei that his club Esteghlal , using uhlsport  jerseys is of a low quality and reflective , Jaafary said that “without a shadow of a doubt , none of our products are manufactured locally here in Iran. All these jerseys and kits are manufactured in China and we are willing to compare them with the best that other companies and competitors can provide including the one’s the Ghalenoei used last year in Esteghlal.”

Jafari said the jerseys they are providing Esteghlal are green phosphor, not reflective clothing as claimed by Ghalenoei .  “When the guy does not find anything viable to complain about, he complains about such things. The wrong stuff. Every season we provide the club with our catalog. We have 30 different colors in our catalog for the club to choose from. When the CEO of the club chooses such color, how can we shoulder the blame. We have not forced anything on the club.”

Daei is the owner of a large chain of Sport goods shops and manufacturer and distributor of kits. Daei Company is also the official agent for Adidas, the famous German company and a competitor of uhlsport.

Interestingly enough , uhlsport does not advertise Iranian or Team Melli kits on its website. Also the dealership for Iran has a Dubai,  UAE address, not any Iranian city. It is believed that this is the first time uhlsport will get the World Cup exposure with the sponsorship of Team Melli.

Masoud Shojaei joins a second division team.

 

Team Melli’s winger, Masoud Shojaei is rumored to have join Gerona, a second division team in the Spanish League . Shojaei was one of the players who did not receive contract extension from Osasuna after the end of the last season. He has been a free agent and looking for a Spanish club for the last few months.

Gerona just missed promotion to the La Liga last season and finished 4th.

 

Team Melli is set for a European Training Camp !

Tehran.

The secretary general of FFIRI has revealed that a possible European training camp will be held for Team Melli on the 2nd or 3rd September.  After the conclusion of the executive committee meeting of the football federation, Mohammad MohammadNabi briefed the media on various subjects discussed in that meeting.

Referring to Team Melli, MohammadNabi said that “Carlos Queiroz will be back in Iran by next week and I think (..) we will be setting camp on the 2nd September or 3rd somewhere in Europe.  We have identified that camp but we will not announce it until we sign the agreement.”

“In regards to the two friendly matches, we are awaiting the arrival of Queiroz to finalize the dates and the oppositions.  The friendly matches will probably be during the Training Camp in Europe.”  MohammadNabi added.

Asked whether some changes in personnel will affect the Technical cadre of Team Melli , the secretary general said “ No such changes are envisaged, the staff on the bench will remain the same.” The question was asked following several hints by Kaffashian that Queiroz needs to reduce the number of the coaching staff due to cost. Queiroz response was swift and strong objecting to Kaffashian’s ultimatum.

Speaking about the chances of the AFC awarding the hosting of 2019 AFC Asian Cup to Iran, MohammadNabi said that “Our chances are quite good, however the AFC must positively respond to our request.”

MohammadNabi also spoke about various domestic league issues, but on the subject of Team Melli programs, the rhetoric remains was the same.  Unsure about the dates of the camp, unsure about the which team they will be meeting in friendly matches , unsure whether the coach will say Yes or NO to the program and all this occurring with just about two weeks left to the supposed training camp the beginning of September.

Thus Team Melli program and progress will remain in the doldrums of a mix of management uncertainties and lack of funds.

Iran wins 2013 FIBA Asian Basketball Championship title

Manila , Philippines.

Iran’s Baskeyball  Team Melli  took gold madals and the championship trophy with another double-digit win in the final match of FIBA Asian Championship as they overtook the host Philippines in the final 85-71

Led by Hamed Haddadi – the Iranians won each one of their games by more than 10 points — including a 90-point difference in points in a win over Malaysia in the preliminary round — finishing with a perfect 9-0 record in the 27th Asia Championships of Basketball.
This is the 3rd title for Iran after the double in 2007 and 2009.

TeamMelli.com takes this opportunity to congratulates the fellow Iranians everywhere in the globe for this win in Basketball with a great series of performances.