Ali Kaffashian , the head of IRIFF has downplayed the failure of Iran and Nekounam winning any awards in the annual AFC awards ceremonies of 2013. Both Team Melli and its Captain , Javad Nekounam were finalist in the categories of “Team of the Year” and the “Player of the Year” respectively , but both were beaten by rivals.

In a short radio interview on Friday morning , Kaffashian downplayed the significance of the failure of Iranian teams and individuals not winning the AFC coveted awards and instead focused on the fact that Iran has reached the top of the FIFA Ranking in Asia. Kaffashian said  “that is a significant development and we should work on it to ensure that Team Melli is well prepared for the World Cup”. Kaffashian promised that Team Melli will be playing friendly matches soon but declined to give any details.

The head of the IRIFF dismissed any notions of plots within the AFC against Iran. “Listen, the committee that selects the winners has done its job as it sees it fit. Nekounam was absent from the return leg of the AFC Champions League semi-final match and obviously the final match. That had a significant effect on his rating. We should not over-blow this issue , it is not very important. We need to move along and work towards preparing our team for World Cup and that is what matters and counts at the moment.” Kaffashian told the Radio presenter.