Tag: Bahrain

FIFA WC 2022 Asian Qualifiers Draw

The Round Two draw of the Asian Qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 concluded in the Malaysian capital on Wednesday.

The draw, conducted by FIFA Director of Competitions Christian Unger and Australian legend Tim Cahill, saw Asia’s top-ranked team Iran pooled in Group C alongside Iraq, Bahrain, Hong Kong and Cambodia.

Iran will be aiming for a third consecutive appearance in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, having narrowly missed on qualifying for the knockout stage in Russia 2018.

Japan, Asia’s best performers in the 2018 FIFA World Cup where they were defeated by Belgium in the Round of 16, were drawn in Group F with Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Myanmar and Mongolia.

The Korea Republic, who have appeared in every edition of the FIFA World Cup Finals since 1986, will have Lebanon, DPR Korea, Turkmenistan and Sri Lanka in Group H of the Asian Qualifiers.

Saudi Arabia, who defeated Egypt 2-1 to end their 2018 FIFA World Cup campaign on a high, will face Uzbekistan, Palestine, Yemen and Singapore in Group D.

Australia, who became the record fifth Asian team at a World Cup Finals after going through the Inter-Continental Playoff to earn a berth in Russia 2018, will go up against Jordan, Chinese Taipei, Kuwait and Nepal in Group B.

Qatar, who will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, were drawn in Group E alongside Bangladesh, Oman, India and Afghanistan in their bid to defend the AFC Asian Cup they won in spectacular fashion in the UAE last February.

China PR, the host for the AFC Asian Cup 2023, will have to navigate past Syria, Philippines, Maldives and Guam in Group A their bid for a second appearance in the FIFA World Cup Finals.

Group G had a distinctly Southeast Asian flavour as ASEAN rivals Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia were all drawn together, with the United Arab Emirates completing the cast.

The eight group winners and four best runners-up will advance to the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 Finals and the final round of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

The next best 24 teams from the second round of the joint qualifiers will compete in a separate competition for the remaining 12 slots in the 24-team AFC Asian Cup China 2023.

Sour grapes: UAE files a protest against Qatar Team players eligibility.

The UAE Football Federation officially challenged the eligibility of some Qatari players who appeared for the Qatar National Football team in the AFC Asian Cup 2019 hosted by UAE.

The written protest was given to AFC within the permitted time after the semi-final of the Asian Cup. The complaint  is yet another layer to Qatar’s politically-charged progress to the finals in the UAE, which as a country is part of a quartet boycotting Doha socially, economically,  and politically.

The UAE Federation has attached the required documents to confirm the validity of the appeal before 48 hours of the match finishing time, which was held on Tuesday.

According to Emarati media, the UAE football federation prepared a file containing official documents proving act of fraud by Qatar in the naturalization of several players, specifically Iraqi Bassam Al-Rawi and Sudanese AlMoez Ali.

Qatar comprehensively defeated host UAE  4-0 in the semi-finals amid shameful scenes from the hostile and abusive local fans which started from booing the national anthem of Qatar, to throwing objects at Qatar players and chanting abusive politically driven chants in the stands.

The official campaign of ill treatment of Qatar began before any ball was kicked in the tournament starting with denying access to 5 Qatari journalist and then Saoud al-Mohannadi , the Qatari official and senior Asian Cup tournament organizer was denied entry 24 hours earlier, amid a simmering diplomatic dispute between the two countries.

Saoud al-Mohannadi, is vice-president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Qatar Football Association, he is also standing for the upcoming election of AFC presidency against the current president Salman bin Khalifa.

While the Asian Cup was being played, there was hardly any day without UAE media news and editorials attacking Qatar in an orchestrated move by the authorities to undermine the gas-rich Persian Gulf State and disturb the team’s concentration. The effect of political conflict cum animosity was clearly felt in the Mohammed Bin Zayed stadium among the local fans.

Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Bahrain are the four countries that have broken diplomatic relations with Qatar and closed all their skies, ports and land access to Qatari vehicles, goods and people. There was no Qatari fans in any of the Qatar matches, however small pockets of Omani fans shown their support for Qatar during this tournament. There was no Qatari press or photographers in the UAE.

Former Team Melli player Majid Ghulamnejad passes away at 35.

Iranian football was shocked by the sudden demise of  one of the former Team Melli players. Majid Ghulamnejad, who  played 17 times for Team Melli between 2008 and 2009 has died today due to a massive heart. Gholamnejad played for Esteghlal , Saipa and Pas, and during the tenure of Ali Daei as head coach of Team Melli, the defender/midfielder was picked for Team Melli  and participated in several squad selections,

Majid Gholamnejad departed this world at the age of 35

Gholamnejad was prominent player in Saipa Asian Champions League campaign and his contribution was significant in Saipa qualifying to the Quarter finals in season 2007/08

He made his debut for Team Melli  in Manama , against Bahrain in the first match under Daei’ coaching against. Gholamnejad, was one of Daei’s discoveries.

Gholamnejad went on playing for Team Melli in several of the Asian Zone  FIFA World Cup 2010 qualifiers as well as the AFC Asian Cup 2011 qualifiers.

TeamMlli.com expresses its condolences to the Iranian football community and the family of the deceased.

 

News Update: Bandar Abbas Civil Defence authority has announced that Gholamnejad’s body was picked up from the sea near the port on the Persian Gulf . Apparently He was with a group on a diving trip.

AFC BEACH SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP 2017: GROUP A PREVIEW

Kuala Terengganu- Malaysia

Malaysia head coach Ismail Zakaria is optimistic his side can more than hold their own when the 2017 AFC Beach Soccer Championship begins in Kuala Terengganu on Saturday.

With the competition also serving as the qualifiers for April’s 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer Championship in the Bahamas, the stakes are indeed high on the east coast of Malaysia.

And despite Malaysia only having previously appeared on the world stage in 1999 at the then Beach Soccer World Championship, Ismail believes the host nation will not be overawed when they face their more illustrious opponents.

“Malaysia are progressing in this exciting game and we want to show the people in our country that we can put up a good fight against the strong teams such as Iran and Bahrain,” said Ismail during Friday’s Group A press conference.

“We are surely developing this game and instead of feeling intimidated by the experience of the other teams, we want to have an experience of our own.”

Iran Beach soccer during Training in Malaysia

Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic of Iran arrive in Malaysia as one of the pre-tournament favourites and – as 2013 title winners – are expected by many to progress beyond the Group Stage with relative ease.

However, head coach Mohammad Hoseyn Mirshamsi is refusing to attach too much relevance to previous performances and is, instead, fully focussed on the task at hand.

“We have had great preparations for the game which is growing rapidly in popularity in Iran,” he said. “I’ve been with the national team for close to two years and we need to focus on what we have to do now to be successful without looking back too much to our achievements.

“There have been a lot of changes to the national team and what we should be doing now is to gel together as a team and make it difficult for our opponents to beat us.”

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL MATCH SCHEDULE

Bahrain were the competition’s inaugural winners some 11 years ago after beating Japan in the 2006 final, but three years later, a twist of fate saw the West Asians lose out to the Japanese in the title showdown.

Bahrain head coach Joao Almeida is however refusing to believe that Japan, who are in Group C, are the only team to beat at this year’s AFC Beach Soccer Championship, saying that several other nations have what it takes to win silverware in Malaysia.

“Of course we are craving the title once again after so many years and it won’t be easy,” the Portuguese tactician declared.

“It’s been a long time and we and the other teams have changed a lot. Japan are still the most powerful team in my personal opinion but the other teams such as reigning champions Oman, Lebanon, the UAE and China will also definitely be teams to reckon with.

Warm up on beach

“Some teams will advance to the semi-finals through a lot of matches while others do so after fewer matches. This can affect our emotions but we have to check ourselves against this. What’s important is we give our best because all teams are different and have their own strengths.”

China’s previous best performances were fourth-place finishes in 2006 and 2008 when defeats to Iran proved their undoing. Although his charges are set to face the Iranians once again, head coach Ling Luhui views the competition as a potentially excellent learning curve for the East Asian side.

“I hold high opinions of the coaches of the other four teams as China are a young team in beach soccer,” said Ling. “We want to learn from them and also enjoy our games against the best teams in Asia in order to further develop ourselves.

“In 2006 and 2008, there were fewer teams participating, but now, there are more. There’s a great chance for everyone to make it further in the competition and therefore focus is the name of the game.”

Afghanistan are making only their second AFC Beach Soccer Championship appearance after a 2013 debut, and head coach Rohullah Rastagar has his sights firmly set on success.

“We have problems with our security back home and therefore we started our preparations only a month ago,” he said. “However, we do dream big, that is, to make it to the World Cup.

“All the other teams presented their kind of challenge as they are different, so I’d say all of them are tough opponents, but we hope to be ready for them come matchdays.”

Schedule & Results:

Group Stage
04-03-2017 14:30
0 – 5
   
CHINA P.R. BAHRAIN
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia
Group Stage
04-03-2017 16:00
16:00
   
AFGHANISTAN MALAYSIA
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia
Group Stage
05-03-2017 14:30
14:30
   
AFGHANISTAN CHINA P.R.
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia
Group Stage
05-03-2017 16:00
16:00
   
MALAYSIA I.R. IRAN
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia
Group Stage
06-03-2017 14:30
14:30
   
BAHRAIN MALAYSIA
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia
Group Stage
06-03-2017 16:00
16:00
   
I.R. IRAN AFGHANISTAN
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia
Group Stage
07-03-2017 14:30
14:30
   
BAHRAIN AFGHANISTAN
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia
Group Stage
07-03-2017 16:00
16:00
   
CHINA P.R. I.R. IRAN
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia
Group Stage
08-03-2017 14:30
14:30
   
MALAYSIA CHINA P.R.
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia
Group Stage
08-03-2017 16:00
16:00
   
I.R. IRAN BAHRAIN
Venue: Pitch 1, Terengganu-Malaysia

10 man Iran U19 draws first match against Qatar.

Riffa: A goal at either end for Abolfazl Razzaghpour gave Islamic Republic of Iran a 1-1 draw against defending champions Qatar in their AFC U-19 Championship Bahrain 2016 Group C encounter on Friday.

Iran defender Razzaghpour was left to rue his misfortune at the Bahrain National Stadium as he deflected an Abdullah Abdulsalam header into his own goal in the 38th minute, after it initially looked to be going wide.

Despair turned to elation in the second half though, as Razzaghpour equalised with a thumping strike despite his team being reduced to 10 men shortly after the break.

Qatar started the game promisingly although Iran were giving as good as they got in the opening exchanges.

Tarek Salman surged forward in the 3rd minute for Qatar, leaving his marker on his backside as he fired in a powerful shot that just missed the right hand post.

This set the tone for the first half, with the two teams exchanging speculative shots from distance, the majority of which drifted high or wide.

Iran’s best chance of the half came in the 28th minute, as Shahin Abbasian made good headway down the right flank before crossing deep to the far post for Ali Shojaei to knock the ball down.

Reza Karmollachaab was facing the wrong way as the ball arrived but he pulled off an acrobatic bicycle kick that arrowed towards the bottom right hand corner of the goal, only for Mohammad Albakari to dive low to his left to keep it out.

IRAN’S RAZZAGHPOUR RELIEVED AFTER FINDING REDEMPTION

Riffa: Islamic Republic of Iran defender Abolfazl Razzaghpour turned from villain to hero in less than 60 minutes when his team held Qatar to a 1-1 draw in their Group C opener at the AFC U-19 Championship Bahrain 2016 at the Bahrain National Stadium on Friday.

Razzaghpour first gifted Qatar the lead with an own goal in the 38th minute but turned saviour after netting a powerful left-footer from outside the box to earn a precious point for his side.

“I pray before each game that if I make any mistake in the game, I should remain focused to help my team in all the ways possible,” he told the-AFC.com on his thoughts after the dreadful own goal.

“I kept my concentration on the game and had told my friend midfielder, Omid Nor Afkan before to pass me the ball if he sees any space in front me so that I can take the shot with all my power.

“Thankfully, I got the space, the pass and I did not want to miss this chance.”

“We are not under any kind of pressure. We don’t think about the performances of other Iranian teams and want to think only about our match,” he said about Iran’s recent successes in football and futsal fields.

Photo: AFC

Political interference in football is unfavorable, says IRIFF

Hamid Reza A’sefi , the international spokesperson of the Football Federation has stated that his organization does not approve of political decision making in football affairs. A’sefi was speaking to ISNA on the possibilities of Iran withdrawing from the  2016 AFC U-19 Championship . The 39th edition will be held in Bahrain between 13–30 October 2016. Iran has qualified for the finals.

“The federation is not in favor of politicians making decision in football affairs. It is against our wishes and is not acceptable by international standards. However, if there are strong objections from the government on security ground, then of course we have to oblige.”  A’sefi said. “We know that playing in Bahrain is akin to playing in Saudi Arabia , as the country is a satellite state of Saudis and run under their supervision. By withdrawing from this tournament we give the Saudi the best of excuses. It is exactly the what they seek for not playing in Iran. Their propaganda machine has been active for sometime now but we should not be deceived.”

“We have no issues playing in Bahrain. of course we will demand security precaution and assurances, else there is no other concerns.” 

“As for postponing or delaying the match against South Korea because of Ta’sooa , I think it will be extremely difficult. It is a holly day in the Iranian calendar , but FIFA does not entertain such demands and with the tight schedule already , I doubt that FIFA will even respond to such request. It is unfortunate, but we have to oblige and go along with the rules of FIFA” A’sefi responded on the question if Iran will demand a change of date for the South Korea match in Azadi on October 11th.

Iran is in Group C of the  2016 AFC U-19 Championship along with Japan , Qatart and Yemen.

The matches:

14 October 2016    19:30     Qatar v Iran
17 October 2016    16:30     Iran v Japan
20 October 2016    16:30     Yemen v Iran

Iran beach soccer wins the Continental Beach Soccer Title

Iran beach soccer won the Continental Beach Soccer Tournament by beating Oman 6-3 in the final.

Iran’s goals were scored by Amir Hossein Akbari (4 goals), Seyed Ali Nazim , and Peyman Hosseini.

This was the first title for the team under coach Mohammad Hossein Mir Shamsi. Peyman Hosseini  was as the tournament’s best goalkeeper while Amir Hossein Akbari grabbed the top scorer title.

On  Wednesday, Iran booked a place at the Continental Beach Soccer Tournament final after beating Japan 5-1. .

In the group stages, the Iranian team, Bahrain 10-1 in its first match. 

 China and Thailand played for the bronze medal.

The three-day tournament was held in Ordos, China.

The top eight Asian teams namely, Iran, China, Bahrain, Japan, Vietnam, Oman, Thailand and Lebanon participated in the event.

The Iranian team takes part in the competition as part of its preparation for the 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup qualification.

Iran U19 continues its victory trail defeating Jordan 3-0

Mashad: Iran took a step closer to the 2016 AFC U-19 Championship with a 3-0 defeat of Jordan that saw the Group E hosts open up a two-point lead at the top of the table  over Kuwait, who came from a goal down to draw 1-1 with Nepal in Sunday’s earlier qualifier.

After a demoralising 10-0 humbling at the hands of hosts Iran, Nepal gave a better account of themselves in their second Group E fixture and took the lead a minute after the hour mark through skipper Bimal Gharti Magar only for Khaled Al Enezi to rescue a point for the Kuwaitis with the equaliser ten minutes later.

Kuwait’s draw allowed Iran to go two points clear at the top of the Group E standings after the hosts handed Jordan their second successive defeat as Amirhossein Peirivani’s side enjoyed a 3-0 victory as the qualifying campaign reached its penultimate round of fixtures.

Jordan, who lost 2-1 to Kuwait in Monday’s Group E opener, and Iran looked to be heading into the interval at the Samen Al Aemeh Stadium with the game locked at 0-0 until Nima Daghestani struck on the stroke of half-time to give the home side the lead.

Reza Shekari took his personal tally to three in two games when he followed up his two goals against Nepal with Iran’s second in Sunday’s crucial clash with the Jordanians before Nima Mokhtari repeated Shekari’s achievement when he scored his third of the campaign in the 63rd minute as Iran ran out comfortable 3-0 winners.

Ten group winners and five best second-placed teams will qualify for the finals while hosts Bahrain received an automatic qualification (total 16 teams).

If Bahrain finish top of their qualifying group or one of the five second best-placed teams, the next (6th) second-placed team will qualify for the final competition.

Group E

Teams
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
PTS
IRAN 2 2 0 0 13 0 13 6
KUWAIT 2 1 1 0 3 2 1 4
NEPAL 2 0 1 1 1 11 -10 1
JORDAN 2 0 0 2 1 5 -4 0

Omid starts the first WAFF U23 in a winning way.

Iran U23 football team (Omid Team) defeated its Bahraini counterpart 2-0 in the match played in Doha on Thursday in the 1st WAFF U23 Championship. Iran goals were scored in the first half by Rozbeh Cheshmi 31` and Hossein Fazeli 42`

The first goal scored by Omid team Captain Rozbeh Cheshmi with an elegant header wile Hossein Fazeli made it 2-0 before the end of the first half after he was set by a weighted header from Arsalan Motahari. Fazeli beat two defenders and then slotted easily past the advancing Bahrain keeper.

The game was a lethergic affair in what is still quite hot and sticky weather in the Persian Gulf. Omid team was the better side but never truly managed impose its full authority to turn that superiority into a handful of goals they deserved. Many goals were missed because of some real poor finishing particularly in the second half.

Bahrain players, true to their reputation, kept falling on the grass on slightest of physical contacts.

The 1st WAFF U23 Championship is taking place in Qatar from September 30th and until October 14th, 2015 at the Lekhwiya Stadium in Doha with the participation of 10 WAFF member associations including Qatar the hosting nation, alongside Jordan, Palestine and Yemen who were drawn in group A. Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain in group B. As well as UAE, Oman, and Syria in Group C.

Iran will meet Saudi Arabia next on the 4th of October in a revenge match. The Saudis have already beaten Omid team in Azadi during the AFC U23 qualifiers.

Ali Kaffashian elected as AFC vice-president.

Ali Kaffashian Naeini, the President of FFIRI has been elected as AFC Vice President at the 26th AFC Congress 2015 held in Bahrain today.

The current head of AFC President Salman bin Ebrahim AlKhalifa of Bahrain has also been re-elected for a another 4 years term in the office. Mr. Kaffashian, who stood as a candidate for the Central Asian region of the AFC , would also entitles him to be a member of the AFC Executive committee .

Kaffashian talks to TeamMelli.com

In an interview with TeamMelli.com, Mr. Kaffashian expressed his delight at being elected as the executive member of the AFC ExCo and hoped that this would lead to a stronger representation of Iran in the AFC. When asked about the newly formed Central Asian Region and its benefit to Iran football as opposed to WAFF, Mr. Kaffashian  admitted that the facilities in this region is lower than West Asia and there is a long way for it to reach the levels that can be considered close to the top of Asian Football. However , Mr. Kaffashian admitted that such regional representation is the ideal platform for the AFC executive offices.

Kaffashian-_AFC-congress

Fate of Uzbekistan Friendly match

On the friendly match against Uzbekistan,  which has been on and off , the President of FFIRI, said “the match is not cancelled however we are looking at better arrangements to suit both teams. We hope that it is finalized before we start our FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifiers.”

FIFA elections

On the subject of FIFA election , Mr. Kaffashian was asked why AFC did not allow the other candidates of FIFA Presidency candidate to take the floor and only Sepp Blatter was given the opportunity  to speak at the AFC Congress 2015 , Mr. Kaffashian said “the decision to support Joseph  Sepp Blatter has been taken sometime ago amongst the AFC member states, for this reason it would not have been appropriate to allow the others to be given the floor in this congress.” The Portuguese Luis Figo and Prince Ali Bin Hussain , two of the candidates were present in the AFC congress in Bahrain.

AFC-congress-20150430_45

Asked whether Blatter re-election will reap any particular benefits for Iran football , Mr. Kaffashian did not have anything in particular to mention. “Did he help FFIRI to recover the blocked  money of Iran share of the World Cup 2014?” I asked, “No, i think that would be beyond him. It is these banking restrictions that does not allow the free flow of funds Into Iran”

Mr. Kaffashian added that the money will shortly be transferred to the Iranian Embassy in Switzerland and from there , it will be transferred to Iran.

The jam-packed congress hall packed with delegates from the 43 members states and a large contingent of journalist from the region.