Tag: Ali Daei

Iranian President Orders Ban on Football Legend Ali Daei to Be Lifted

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has instructed the country’s sports minister to lift the ban on football legend Ali Daei, the Etemad newspaper, which is closely aligned with the presidential office, reported on Tuesday.

This move clears the way for Daei to return to football, a decision seen by many as an attempt to quell political unrest in the country. The former national team captain, who is highly revered in Iran, was banned from football-related activities by authorities after publicly supporting the mass protests that erupted in September 2022. The protests, which were ignited by the tragic death of Mahsa Amini—an Iranian Kurdish woman who died in police custody after being detained for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress codes—saw widespread participation, including from many prominent figures such as Daei.

Daei’s popularity among the masses surged during the uprising, with many seeing him as a symbol of resistance against the government’s oppressive policies. His support for the protests, including his public calls for justice for Amini, made him a hero to many, particularly in the context of his status as a national sports icon. Despite the government’s decision to lift the ban, Daei has firmly refused to engage in any football activities under the current circumstances.

The football federation in Iran, often criticized for its ties to the government and its politicized nature, is seen by many as heavily influenced by the country’s ruling elite, including leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). This connection has prompted Daei to reject any involvement in football administration as long as the federation remains under the control of those who enforce the government’s political agenda. In earlier statements, Daei made it clear that he would not participate in football activities unless the circumstances in Iran change and the sport is allowed to function independently of political pressures.

Despite Daei’s reluctance to return to the field or take on any official roles in the current climate, his legacy as one of the greatest footballers of all time remains unquestioned. He played in Germany from 1997 to 2002, representing clubs like Arminia Bielefeld, Bayern Munich, and Hertha Berlin, and is the most-capped player in Iranian football history, with 149 international appearances until Javad Nekounam over took him. His goal-scoring achievements are also remarkable—Daei is the third-highest scorer in international football with 109 goals, behind only Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina’s Lionel Messi.

The decision to lift Daei’s ban is widely regarded as a gesture to ease tensions within the country, but it also underscores the ongoing political and social struggles within Iranian football, where figures like Daei, who are seen as independent of government influence, remain at odds with the politicized sports institutions.

Statistics: Mehdi Taremi

Mehdi Taremi’s statistics speak volumes about his value to Team Melli. A key player who has consistently delivered over the years, Taremi’s contributions were particularly significant during the 2024 season, where his goals made a substantial impact. Despite his risky move to Inter Milan in Serie A, where he struggled to secure a spot in the starting lineup, his modest club performance amidst stiff competition from world-class players did not significantly affect his performance at the national team level. As the highest scorer and top assist provider for Team Melli, Mehdi Taremi has proven to be an indispensable player for the team.

Many critics doubted Taremi’s readiness and ability to perform at the international level due to his limited playing time at the club. This skepticism was evident in a few matches with Team Melli, where he was wasteful and even missed a penalty. However, his determination and perseverance compensated for these setbacks, ensuring that his performance for Team Melli remained strong.

Mehdi Taremi’s goal tally ranks him third all-time, behind his mentor Ali Daei and teammate Sardar Azmoun. Since his debut in 2015, Taremi has scored 53 goals, solidifying his place among the greats of Iranian football.

The illustration below captures the essence of Taremi’s achievements and highlights his contributions to Team Melli’s success!

Statistics: Sardar Azmoun

Sardar Azmoun had an outstanding year with Team Melli, leading the Persians to the top of Group A in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers. Following his transition from the elite European leagues to the less prestigious Persian Gulf Football, there were concerns that the star player might experience a decline in performance, which had prompted his transfer.

However, Azmoun defied expectations. His exceptional goal-scoring ability, combined with his vision and awareness to create spectacular assists for his teammates, proved to be the driving force behind Team Melli’s success. The year 2024 stood out as one of Azmoun’s most successful years with Team Melli, showcasing his prowess and solidifying his status as a key player for the national team.

Azmoun is now the second-highest Team Melli Goal scorer after the Legendary Ali Daei.

This illustration captures the essence of Azmoun’s achievements and highlights his contributions to Team Melli’s success!

H2H: Uzbekistan

On Tuesday, Team Melli will play its final match in the FIFA World Cup 2026 round 2 qualification against Uzbekistan.

The match will determine who will lead the group as both teams have accumulated 13 points from their five matches with Iran leading by the +12 goal difference while Uzbekistan is +9.

The first time these two teams met was in the 1998 Asin Games in Bangkok, where Ali Daei single-handedly swept past the Uzbek with a hat trick, and Ali Mosavi completed the rout with a goal.

It took 14 years for Uzbekistan to register its first and only win against Iran in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.

Azmoun, Taremi, and Daei are jointly the top scorers against Uzbekistan with 3 goals each.

Group E standing

#TeamMPWDLGF/GAGDPTS
1IRAN541016-4+1213
2UZBEKISTAN541013-4+913
3TURKMENISTAN50144-14-101
4HONG KONG50144-15-111

All Time Heas2Head records

IDDateOpponentMatch TypeScoreResultScorers
21961998-12-14UzbekistanAsian Games4 – 0WDaei (3),Mousavi
23332007-07-11UzbekistanAsian Cup2 – 1WAzmoun, Taremi
23982009-09-05UzbekistanFriendly0 – 0D
24492012-06-03UzbekistanWorld Cup Qualifier1 – 0WKhalatbary
24572012-11-14UzbekistanWorld Cup Qualifier0 – 1L
24952015-06-11UzbekistanFriendly1 – 0WTorabi
25102016-10-06UzbekistanWorld Cup Qualifier1 – 0WHosseini
25162017-06-12UzbekistanWorld Cup Qualifier2 – 0WAzmoun , Taremi
25292018-05-19UzbekistanFriendly1 – 0WCheshmi
25382018-09-11UzbekistanFriendly1 – 0WTorabi
25632020-10-08UzbekistanFriendly2 – 1WAzmoun, Taremi
25942023-06-20UzbekistanCAFA Nations Cup1 – 0WAzmoun
25972023-11-21UzbekistanWorld Cup Qualifier2 – 2DRezaeian, Taremi

Summary

MPWDLGFGAGDwin%GPM
1310111851376.9%1.38

Scorers

ScorerGoals
Ali DAEI3
Sardar AZMOUN3
Mehdi TAREMI3
Jalal HOSSEINI2
Mehdi TORABI2
Javad KAZEMIAN1
Ali MOUSAVI1
MohamadReza KHALATBARY1
Rouzbeh CHESHMI1
Ramin REZAEIAN1

Azmoun has an amazing scoring record.

Sardar Azmoun scored against Palestine to reach the 50-goal mark equaling Karim Bagheri. As Azmoun has a higher Goal Per Match GPM, he stands second only to the legendary Ali Daei whose record will not be broken anytime soon.

Azmoun is only 29 years old and has a good 5-6 years left for him to reach a scoring figure close to Daei. He has been playing for a decade for Team Melli and narrowly missed selection for the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014. However, he has been present in every season since, and this year he celebrates 10 years with an amazing record of 50 goals.

Azmoun’s records show that he played an average of 7.6 matches for Team Melli every year and scored 5 goals in these 7.6 matches an average of .66 GPM. A terrific record only bettered by the legendary Ali Daei whose Goals Per Match is 0.74

Astonishingly, Sardar has yet to play in the domestic league, although he was registered with Sepahan at the start of his career. As he was playing abroad all his career, he missed many chances to play for Team Melli.

SARDAR AZMOUN CAREER
SeasonOpenin.Subst.Caps.GoalsYellowsReds
2014123100
20159211720
2016628810
2017538610
201810010210
201910010820
2020101110
2021909620
2022628200
2023617800
2024011100
Total63137650100

TEAM MELLI TOP SCORING CHART

RANKSCORERGOALSGPMACTIVE
1ALI DAEI113.74N
2SARDAR AZMOUN50.66Y
3KARIM BAGHERI50.54N
4MEHDI TAREMI45.58Y
5JAVAD NEKOUNAM41.26N
6MOHAMMAD ALI KARIMI38.29N
7KARIM ANSARIFARD29.29Y
8GHOLAMHOSSEIN MAZLOOMI19.45N

THE 100 CAPS (CENTURY) CLUB

Only 8 players in the history of Team Melli have managed to pass the 100 caps club, the latest of them is Karim Ansarifard. The list is headed by Javas Nekounam followed by Daei with Ehsan Hajsafy lurking in third place with 15 matches short of Daei. The 33-year-old Team Melli Captain has a good chance of surpassing both Daei and Nekounam as Team Melli is involved in the FIFA World Cup 2026 preliminaries with games coming thick and fast.


RankPlayerCaps
1Javad NEKOUNAM 157
2Ali DAEI 151
3Ehsan HAJSAFI 136
4Mohammad Ali KARIMI 130
5Jalal HOSSEINI 114
6Mehdi MAHDAVIKIA 111
7Andranik TEYMOURIAN 101
8Karim ANSARIFARD 101

Iran-Palestine: Match preview

  • 24 hours to go for Team Melli’s first Match.
    * Palestine will not be easy prey.
    * Ghalenoei “We will play attacking football”

Iran and Palestine will start their campaign in the 18th AFC Asian Cup 2023 at Education City Stadium at 20:30 local time. In the pre-match Press Conference, both managers followed the standard narratives and claims about the importance of the match, with Ghalenoei considering it like a Final for Team Melli!

What is certain though, is Palestine will be playing a solid defensive game, perhaps like parking a double-decker in front of their goalkeeper. The responsibility is on Ghalenoei to form a plan to break this tactic which is now being followed by many weaker teams in front of more powerful opposition.

This gameplan by Palestine, with an eye on quick counterattacks on Iran’s goal might spring a surprise on the final result. The more the Palestinian team can hold on, the more difficult is the task for Iran and that includes the psychological pressure and fan’s reaction to a deadlock.

On the other hand, an early goal by Iran will make Team Melli play at a comfortable pace and dictate the match. On paper, Iran is a much stronger team in every sense. They have the experience, the pedigree, the quality, and have been playing some eye-catching football recently. They are undefeated in two years since losing to the USA in the FIFA World Cup 2022.

Palestine has not enjoyed much success at the international level and has been winless since they defeated Bahrain 2-1 in March 2023. Palestine played eight matches since and has failed to register a win, losing 5 times and drawing 3. In those 8 matches, they scored one goal only while failing to score in seven. This team has a big problem up front. On the other hand, they have a solid defense and one that has yet to crash against the might of Australia, Uzbekistan, and Saudi Arabia.

So, expecting a goal ruch from Azmoun and Taremi, is easier said than done, hence the importance of an early goal.

Interestingly, they have two professional players who play in the Israel league. They have not featured as regulars as many other professionals occupy the starting lineup.

First time
This will be the first meeting between Iran and Palestine in the AFC Asian Cup; the last time Team Melli faced a team for the first time in the competition was on 12 January 2019 v Vietnam – scoring a 2-0 win.

Win target
Palestine is yet to register a victory in the AFC Asian Cup, having gone winless (D2 L4) in the 2015 and 2019 editions; this is their third appearance in the competition.

Unbeatable
Iran are unbeaten in each of their last 20 group stage games (W15 D5) in the AFC Asian Cup; in fact, the last time they lost the opening game in the competition was a 1-2 loss to Iraq in 1996, having won the last six such games since then on the bounce. 

Terrific duo
No player recorded more touches in the opposition box in 2019 than Iran’s duo of Sardar Azmoun (42) and Mehdi Taremi (33); Palestine’s best player in this category in the previous edition was Mahmoud Wadi with six such touches. 

Milestone
Sardar Azmoun has scored 49 goals for Team Melli. He needs just one more goal to equal Karim Bagheri who has 50 goals and is only second to the legendary Ali Daei in the list of the highest scorers of Team Melli.

Possible sanctions against athletes.

Iranian athletes could face punishment if they don’t participate in annual Quds Day marches across the country later this month, according to IranWire, in what would be yet another example of state interference in sports.

The Islamic Republic’s authorities are organizing the rallies on the last Friday of the Islamic month of Ramadan, which this year falls on April 14, in solidarity with the Palestinians.

A directive seen by IranWire and signed by Karamali Iraji, the deputy director-general of the Ministry of Sports and Youth, says that athletes are required to attend the rallies, citing the “noble cause of…the Palestinian resistance,” a resolution of the Coordination Council for Islamic Propagation and instructions by the Tehran Governorate.

The directive was agreed upon last week during a meeting between Minister of Sports and Youth Hamid Sajjadi and his deputies.

The source at the Ministry of Sports and Youth who provided the document to IranWire said that copies were sent to all provincial sports boards across the country.

The ministry is considering possible incentives for athletes who will attend the state-sanctioned rallies and punishment for those who won’t, the source said.

Iranian sports has become increasingly politicized. Most sports bodies had been taken over by political or security-military organizations, with former members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps holding key positions in clubs and federations. Many footballers were sanctioned or punished for their support of the protests including Ali Karimi, Aldi Daei, Vouria Ghafouri.

Earlier this year, the European Union imposed sanctions on Sajjadi for pressuring Iranian athletes into silence, including climber Elnaz Rekabi who competed in South Korea without mandatory headscarves amid widespread anti-government protests inside Iran.

Last month, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it had “expressed serious concerns over the past few months vis-à-vis the situation of the Iranian athletes and the Olympic community as a whole in the current context of the upheavals and demonstrations in the country.”

The IOC has urged the Iranian National Olympic Committee to “take appropriate action with the highest authorities to protect the athletes and members of the Olympic community from a humanitarian perspective.”

The statement warned that the IOC Executive Board “reserves the right to take any appropriate action” relating to the participation of the Iranian NOC and athletes in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, “depending on the developments in this situation.”

Hossein Faraki seems to be the lead candidate for Team Melli job.

With the withdrawal of Amir Ghalenoei and Mehdi Tarter, the exclusion of Yahya Golmohammadi from the initial list, and the outright rejection of the offer to coach Team Melli by Ali Daei, Hossein Faraki seems to be the leading candidate for the job.

Notwithstanding the two other candidates (Majidi & Nekounam) both of whom have discipline and stability issues in addition to lack of proper international experience required for the job, Faraki seems to tick all the boxes of FFIRI and most importantly to the authorities, being politically acceptable and loyal.

 In an interview with ISNA, Hossein Faraki acknowledged that his name was amongst several for the post of Team Melli head coach and said ” I was offered the chance for the job in a call made by FFIRI leadership. They sent me an invitation and asked me for a roadmap and plan for participating in the AFC Asian Cup 2023. Of course, there are other options and they specified a deadline for me to respond.”

He continued: “Anyway, it is the national team and it is where I played for many years and had coaching experience too. In the last one or two years, I have had proposals from several clubs, which I have not yet decided on. One of the reasons was the Corona issue, and after that, I realized that the place I want to go to, must have the right conditions and atmosphere to conduct my job. Maybe some clubs have problems and lack facilities, and I also wanted to be in a place where the conditions are available so that I can have an impact. I would like to do something for the national team if I can,”

The former coach of the national team added: “If I feel that something can be done, I will think about it. Many people would love to see me take the post and would love for this to happen to me and for me to get what I deserve. There are different opinions in this regard. Some agree and some disagree, but everyone is entitled to his opinions are it should be respected “

” So far I have not sent my program but I am in the process and will soon submit it to the federation. It will be sent by tomorrow and whatever the outcome will be, it will happen.”

“I don’t like to talk about speculation,” Farraki said about the selection of an Iranian or foreign coach for Team Melli. “Anyway, the decision maker is the Football Federation. Many of our coaches have potential and the desire of every coach is to lead the national team. We also need to motivate the Iranian coach. Foreign coaches have their own values, but under the current circumstances, it is better to give the Iranians the opportunity.

Faraki was born in Tehran on 22nd March 1957 and started his playing career with PAS Tehran from 1976 to 1992), He played for Team Melli  (22 caps/11 goals for Iran), and his coaching career included Esteghlal Tehran, Sepahan Isfahan, Persepolis Tehran

Hossein Faraki played for Team Melli in the first Iranian qualification for the World Cup in 1978. He also won third place in the AFC Asian Cup 1980 in Kuwait with the national team. Faraki served as assistant coach to Branko Ivankovic for three years. Faraki also has the experience of being the head coach of Iran’s Omid national team in 2004. He led Foolad Khuzestan to the League Title in 2012-2013. He also led the Sepahan Isfahan team to the title in 2013-2014, so within 2 years, he has led two different clubs to the championship titles in the Iran Premier Football League.

Iranian domestic coaches.

Since the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup 2022, Team Melli has had no coach or program. It is in fact, disbanded.

Mehdi Taj hinted recently that the FFIRI will be looking much closer at domestic coaches for Team Melli citing difficulty in wages payment and bank transfers.

The problem is, there are NO suitable, competent Iranian coaches who can effectively lead Team Melli.

Iranian candidates for Team Melli

Of the domestic coaches’ names, there are several that can be considered but are not necessarily capable at this time to coach at the international level. Beginning with Ali Daei and Amir Ghalenoei. They are the only two who have led Team Melli and are qualified to do so again. Daei however is in the bad book of the regime, and he himself has no interest whatsoever to coach the team again. He has also been away from football for some time. Ghalenoei, on the other hand, is active and coaching a flourishing club in Gol Gohar. Ghalenoei however, has never been popular with the establishment, and a person whose demeanors and constant finger-pointing at others for his own failures and defeats, have ranked low in popularity and competence.

On the newer generations, we have Yayha Golmohammadi, Javad Nekounam, and Alireza Mansourian. The latter is out of work since he parted company with Sanat Naft Abadan, while his coaching career is not considered successful in general. Nekounam, former Team Melli captain and record holder of most games played for Team Melli, currently is the head coach of Foolad Khuzestan. Nekounam, attitude, antics, and general lack of leadership skills, controversial, ill-spoken, and on the technical side, uncertified coach, he cannot possibly be a serious candidate.

That leaves, Yayha Golmohammadi as the most serious candidate. The current coach of Persepolis has a successful CV which includes two Persian Gulf Pro League titles in the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons with Persepolis. Political dissent and possible reluctance by the club to release him might create difficulties in getting the job at the helm of Team Melli.

Apart from these five aforementioned, no other coach comes even close to making the mark.

But national coaches are not everyone’s cup of tea.

Lack of domestic Iranian coaching talents.

Jalal Chiragpour, the former head coach of Iran’s Team Melli, rejected the idea of an Iranian coach or Queiroz or Bronco to lead Iran’s national football team. In justification,  Chiragpour said: “We want a coach who can educate the players and teach them the style and mentality of modern football; Not a coach who does not allow anyone to see the training sessions, play friendly matches behind closed doors, and not allow journalists to attend the training. Team Melli team needs a “teacher-coach”.

With less than two months left until the next FIFA day (20–28 March 2023) the window of the national team’s games, the FFFIR continues to proceed slowly and calmly and seems in no hurry to choose a head coach. Some coaches and experts believe that the federation can choose a temporary coach (Caretaker) for Nowrooz at least and finally, after the end of the current season of club competitions, can make its final decision.

Jalal Chiragpour said “I have to say a few things about the Iranian coach. If we had an Iranian coach who had received coaching degrees from outside Iran, we could count on him. In this case, we would say that this Iranian coach is more educated than FFIRI’s Education Committee.

Referring to the state of the football federation’s Education Committee, whose task is to promote local Iranian coaches,  Chiragpour said: “Iran’s Education Committee is 30 years behind the modern science of the world football. Our resources are 30 years behind the world. We still teach handouts from 1974 and earlier. That’s why I say that no Iranian coach can become the head coach of the national team because they all got their coaching certificate from an outdated, archaic training institution. If FFIRI had sent a number of coaches to five or six countries like Germany, Portugal, Brazil, England, Spain, or France five or ten years ago and paid for their training, we would have a cadre of competent and certifies coaches. Our football would have changed for the better, but because they have not done anything to train the future coaches, and the football federation does not care much for coaching education, our domestic football has fallen behind even smaller neighbors.”

Teacher-coach vs. Manager coach

Chiragpour said: a “Teacher coach” is the type of coach whose work ethic is like a teacher, educator, or instructor. “Manager-coach” is  manages the team in a professional and commercial way. He deals with ready made, skilled players who need or require only little guidance. If he does not have quality players, he buys talent and brings it to his team. Queiroz is a “Manager-coach”,

Queiroz was a manager and ordered to summon such and such a player some of them with dual nationality. Or he would find talent in Manchester. No one knew why, but he made good choices about talent. The technical committee or the board of the football federation should specify whether they want a “teacher-coach” or “manager coach”?

“Team Melli requires a Teacher Coach”  Cheraghpour stated. “the foreign coach of the national team should teach Iranian footballers. We want someone to teach these players skill sets and tactics that they are not exposed to at club levels.

Mehdi Taj “National coach is better for Team Melli”

Mehdi Taj, in a TV show, said that a national coach is much better than a foreign import to lead Team Melli.

This represents a U-turn and a change of heart from a person who has always advocated the recruitment of foreign coaches for Team Melli.

Taj admitted that the federation’s limited financial resources are a big obstacle against recruiting a foreigner. He emphasized the FIFA rule regarding the contract between coaches and football federation members of FIFA, in which a two months arrear and no payment by the federation not only gives the coach the right to unilaterally cancel the contract but also claim the rest of the contract period dues. It is believed that Marc Wilmots used this rule against FFIRI and managed to win the case. The remainder of the contract wages amounted to nearly 2 million Euros. Incidentally, it was Mehdi Taj who recruited Wilmots, and it was also Taj who failed with his administration to honor the contract with the Belgian coach by not paying him for over two months citing a lack of cash flow.

“We are considering domestic and foreign coaches,” the head of the football federation said about the final option for the national team: “There are two different views, one side has reservations about recruiting a domestic coach, while the other side fundamentally believes in them ( local coaches). We have always been proud of our domestic coaches. Mohajerani, Parveen, and Daei have worked hard for the nation, and recently, Nekounam and other coaches have also been there.”

“In the foreign dimension, for example, Queiroz has helped us a lot. We are under sanctions and are unable to pay a foreign coach,” Taj said, referring to international banking sanctions. If we have cash here, it is not practical to transfer it abroad. One of the defendants in the Wilmots case is me and other members of the board of directors. We were accused because we could not pay him. Calderon, Branco, and Stramaccioni are other examples who left and filed court cases against us because they didn’t get their money.”

It is clear that the next coach of Team Melli is going to be domestic. That cannot be good news for Team Melli fans as many believe that Iran’s domestic league has failed to produce any quality coach who is capable of leading the nation at the international level.