Tag: FIFA World Cup 2014

‘We’ll attack to get to World Cup last 16’

Bosnia-Herzegovina will stick to the formula that got them to the World Cup finals in Brazil and attack their rivals in a bid to get out of their qualifying group, coach Safet Susic said on Tuesday.

The Bosnians, for whom Brazil is their first major tournament as an independent nation, scored 30 goals in 10 qualifiers and former Yugoslavia forward Susic believes their attacking approach is the best way to get out of Group F against Argentina, Nigeria and Iran.

“We will play the way we have always played because it would be wrong to change our approach now, although we are aware that our style may be a tactical gamble,” Susic told the national team’s official website (www.reprezentacija.ba).

“When you have players like (Miralem) Pjanic, (Zvjezdan) Misimovic, (Edin) Dzeko and (Vedad) Ibisevic, it would be unfair to the game itself and the fans not to unleash all that talent.”

The Bosnians open their campaign against Argentina at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on 15 June, then meet Nigeria in Cuiaba on 21 June and lock horns with Iran in Salvador four days later.

Having lost 2-0 to the Argentines in a friendly in November, Susic conceded the former double World Cup winners were strong favourites to win the group, but was also confident that Bosnia would join them in the tournament’s knockout stages.

“Argentina are by far the best team in the group and will probably clinch it, but I think we have a realistic chance of going through with them because Nigeria and Iran are not better than us,” he said.

“I honestly believe we have the quality to reach the last 16 and that is our objective in the World Cup.”

Threats and sanctions against Esteghlal & Sepahan!

The question of the Football Federation taking severe disciplinary action against Sepahan and Esteghlal has raised a controversy amongst the media, the fans and clubs.

The storm was started by Seyed Hadi Ayottolahei when he was asked by ISNA football reporter on the reaction of the Football Federation against the clubs that have refused to release their players for Team Melli camp travelling to South Africa. Atyottolahei’s response, quoting ISNA, was that the federation will severely deal with the wrongdoer clubs for such act including declaring all the matches the clubs have used Team Melli players,  as a 3-0 loss and banning the clubs from players transfer activities.

The first penalty would have surely resulted in both clubs relegation.

Adel Ferodowsipour in last night NAVAD program criticized Ayottolahei’s statement and threat against the clubs calling it inappropriate. Amir Ghalenoei was more defiant and used the passionate angle and patriotic argument to defend his club against the wrath of the federation and possible sanction. Sepahan Esfahan, interestingly enough , remained quiet and preferred to channel their energy and resources towards the upcoming crucial match in the AFC Champions league, but no doubt , they will have a lot to say against these threats after the Asian competition matches are over.

While Ayottolahei was referring to FIFA rules and penal codes in support of his strong stand against the clubs, it was not clear which of those rules addressing clubs refusal to release the players to the national team , he was referring to.

TeamMelli. com decided to do carry out its own investigation into the matter to clarify the issue for the public and Team Melli fans.

We have contacted Mr. Shahin Rahmani of AFC to get a clear picture of the appropriate rules in the case of clubs and national teams, the commitments of both sides and legal requirement by FIFA.

Mr. Rahmani, provided the legal ruling by FIFA addressing the release of players for the National team for the upcoming World Cup 2014 in Brazil. Under article 10 of FIFA ruling, the following will apply

10. To protect players from burn-out before the final competition of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™, FIFA has set dates as follows:

(i) The final matchday at club level for the 30 players nominated on the release lists for the final competition of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ is 18 May 2014.

(ii) The mandatory rest period for the players on the release lists is from 19 to 25 May 2014. Any special exemptions may only be granted by the FIFA Executive Committee.

(iii) The preparation phase for the participating member associations in the final competition of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ begins on 26 May 2014.

 

We have also contacted FIFA regarding their rules on the matter. The World football governing body referred our question to the legal department of the organization because the queries have legal impacts. FIFA said “Such enquiries need to be submitted either via fax or ordinary (or courier) mail and be duly signed by the sender.” This ultra-cautious approach by the FIFA perhaps reflects their sensitivity about applying sanctions, which is understandable , but in contrast to the Iranian football official approach who condemned the clubs before all the facts were clear.

At the end, it is our firm belief that Iranian football federation has no leg to stand on regarding the sanction against the clubs when it comes to releasing the players to the national team. There is always the question of non-transparency or secret accords between the clubs and the federation that the media and the public is not aware of, and hence we cannot verify, but as far as FIFA is concerned, the players have up to 26th May 2014 to join the national team camps not 14th April as demanded by the FFIRI.

Group ‘F’ analysis by FIFA

fifa.com

Group F will feature one match that has become something of a classic fixture of and five that have never been played on the big stage before, part of the reason for which is because Bosnia-Herzegovina are making their first appearance at the FIFA World Cup™, while Iran have only ever faced their group rivals in friendlies.

As for Argentina and Nigeria, the other two combatants in the group, there is not much they do not know about each other. Their meeting next June will be the latest instalment in an exciting rivalry between the two sides, led by Lionel Messi and John Obi Mikel, who have faced off three times in major competitions at different age levels: the final of the FIFA U-20 World Cup Netherlands 2005, the gold medal match at the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament Beijing 2008 and in the group phase at South Africa 2010. On all three occasions Argentina won.

The teams
There is not much that has not already been said about two-time world champions Argentina or for that matter about Messi, who will renew his bid to lift the FIFA World Cup™ Trophy. Alejandro Sabella’s men are the favourites to top a group in which reigning African champions Nigeria will be aiming to make the experience they have acquired on their four previous appearances count. Meanwhile, Bosnia will be out to replicate the entertaining brand of football that made them the fourth-highest scorers in the European qualifiers, and Iran, coached by Portugal’s Carlos Queiroz will hope to combine solid organisation with the technical attributes they have long been known for.

Players to watch
Lionel Messi, (ARG), Sergio Aguero (ARG), Gonzalo Higuain (ARG), John Obi Mikel (NGA), Victor Moses (NGA), Victor Obinna (NGA), Edin Dzeko (BIH), Vedad Ibisevic (BIH), Miralem Pjanic (BIH), Reza Ghoochannejhad (IRN), Javad Nekounam (IRN), Karim Ansari (IRN).

The crunch match
Bosnia-Nigeria: in a section that most people will expect Argentina to win, games such as this one will be crucial in deciding who goes through to the last 16. The European side will have the challenge of performing in circumstances that will be entirely new to them, while the Nigerians will be eyeing the chance to reach the knockout phase for the first time since France 1998.

A look back
Argentina 2-1 Nigeria, 25 June 1994, Boston
This game, which will forever be remembered as Diego Armando Maradona’s last match for his country, pitted an Argentina side packed with stars such as El Diez, Claudio Caniggia, Fernando Redondo and Gabriel Batistuta against a Nigeria team very much on the up and up and featuring the likes of Rashidi Yekini, Finidi George and Emmanuel Amunike. The Africans took a surprise early lead through Samson Siasia, only for the wily Caniggia to turn the game around with a typically predatory double. The blond-haired striker’s cry of “Diego, Diego”, imploring Maradona to play the pass that would lead to his second goal, is an iconic moment for Argentina fans.

Did you know?
Bosnia-Herzegovina, who played their first official match as an independent national team in November 1995, came close to making their World Cup debut at South Africa 2010 but lost out in the play-offs to Portugal. Twenty-four of their 26 most regularly selected players ply their trade outside the country.

The stat
36 – The number of years since Argentina and Iran met for the first and only time to date. That match, which ended in a 1-1 draw, took place in Madrid on 22 March 1977 and formed part of Real Madrid’s 75th anniversary celebrations. One year later La Albiceleste won their maiden World Cup title on home soil in a competition that marked the Asian side’s world finals debut.

 

 

The tweet

 

En un Mundial ningún partido es fácil pero con esfuerzo y trabajo siempre hay recompensa. Vamos Argentina!!!

 

In a World Cup match is no easy job but there is always effort and reward. Come on Argentina!
Sergio Aguero, Argentina

The Islamic History of Salvador, the City where Bosnia and Iran will Meet up in the World Cup

mourariaMouraria Neighborhood: name taken from Romans distracted as Muslims

One of the most charming and bohemian neighborhoods of Salvador, Brazil’s third largest city and capital of the state of Bahia, is called Mouraria (the Moorish quarter), a small area full of old houses where there is an army headquarter, some university buildings and many bars. The name inherited from traditional Lisbon neighborhood brings actually a mistake. As explains local historian Cid Teixeira actually the little neighborhood of Salvador, that is just a few meters from the Arena Fonte Nova,  was initially occupied by Romans, who at that time were seen as Muslims.
But they, the Muslims, were here,  brought from Africa as slaves, and in the first half of the nineteenth century almost turned the city , that had been the Brazil’s capital, an independent Islamic republic.

In 1835, Salvador had just over 65,000 inhabitants and 40% of them were slaves (slavery was completely abolished in Brazil in 1888). Adding the mulattoes and free blacks, Afrodescendants reached 78% of the residents. And among the blacks who had achieved freedom through manumission letter provided by their masters, were the “malês”, as they were called Africans who could read and write and who dominated the Arab.

The renowned historian João José Reis, author of “Slave Rebellion in Brazil: The Muslim Uprising of 1835 in Bahia (Taylor & Francis, 1995), explains in his book that most of the slaves sent to city of Salvador in previous years came from the ports of Luanda, Benguela and Cabinda, which currently comprise the territory of Angola. But at the time of the rebellion, 30% of the slaves who lived in Salvador came from the Gulf of Guinea, through the ports of Porto Novo, Lagos and Badagri, the last two of the current Nigeria, (which is coincidentally in the same group of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iran).

forte são marcelo

Forte de São Marcelo, where Malês leaders were detained

Arriving at Bahia, these new slaves were called different names, depending on the language thy spoke. The largest of these groups was formed by Nagôs, that although they were supporters of Orisha worship professed the Muslim faith.

Besides the struggle against slavery, common to all blacks and some whites, nagôs maintained resistance to the imposition of the Catholic faith and to the extent that they could buy their freedom began to meet and discuss strategies for liberation. The nagôs planned a revolt that would explode on January 25, 1835. Under the leadership of Muslims Manuel Calafate, Aprígio, Pai Inácio, bought weapons and wrote their plans in Arabic to avoid detection. But they were betrayed by a black woman who reported their plans to the authorities.

Even with bared plans, the Malês went on the attack against the dominant forces in January, 6. A group of between 600 and 1,500 men (the amount varies in historical documents) faced police and National Guard, who were much more numerous. No one knows exactly what the movement’s leaders had in mind, if only iberation of all black people or the proclamation of independence in relation to Brazil, but some historians see evidence that under the Malês, Bahia could have become an Islamic republic.

Dozens of Malês were killed in combat, four leaders were executed and others were detained at Fort Sea (Forte de São Marcelo, one of the attractions of Salvador). And the Revolt of Malian went down in history as the greatest rebellion led by Muslims in the Americas.

Nigerian Onazi: Eagles Can Go All The Way In Brazil

 

SS Lazio of Italy midfielder Ogenyi Onazi is confident the Super Eagles can go all the way in Brazil at the FIFA World Cup if the players have self belief.Onazi says the Super Eagles must also be totally focussed on the job at hand instead of concentrating on particular teams, warning that all the qualified teams have the chance to win the trophy.

”No matter how small, we have to accept the fact that all the countries who have qualified to play at the World Cup do have some a chance. Football is an interesting and dicey game. We have to go out with the belief that we can do it,” Onazi said in an interview with mtnfootball.

Onazi is however not worried about playing Argentina who have beaten the Super Eagles three times in three clashes and prefers not to think about how the team prepares for the tournament instead of the competition proper.

”We are going to take it one game at a time. For now, we have some preparatory matches to look forward to before the World Cup. When we get to Brazil, we will worry about Iran, Bosnia and Argentina in that order.”

On if he sees the Super Eagles ending their winless streak against Argentina,Onazi says Eagles must not pay too much attention to the game.

”Like I said, we won’t play Argentina until we are done with both Iran and Bosnia. We have to avoid concentrating on one team alone and forget others that we will even face before Argentina. No doubt, Argentina are a big team and they are favourites, but that’s where it ends.”

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Super Eagles goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama believes that their first two games against Iran and Bosnia-Herzegovina at the 2014 FIFA World Cup would determine how far they would go.

Enyeama who will be making his third appearance at the FIFA World Cup for Nigeria,said that they will not underrate the two teams at the tournament.

Nigeria is in group F and would play their first game against Iran in Curitiba,before subsequent games against Bosnia-Herzegovina,then Argentina.

“Whether Iran, Bosnia and Argentina these are no easy games. All these nations we are facing,are also serious about getting results. But we will see how it goes with the Super Eagles, we will do all our best to progress from the group,” said Enyeama who has this season been the undisputed number one keeper for his clubside,Lille FC.

Enyeama equally noted that he would even want to play against France in the second round of the World Cup.

“I hope of course that we can pass the group stage. And who knows, meet France in the second round,” said Enyeama who was speaking before his side’s trip to AS Monaco

 

Three World Cup Stadiums Yet Unfinished

Mar 22, 2014

FIFA is starting a new round of inspections at World Cup stadiums in Brazil. With kick-off less than three months away, host cities are in a race against time to be ready for the tournament.
Operational inspections in six stadiums began Thursday and FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke is expected in Rio de Janeiro next week for a series of meetings to discuss preparations.

Technical teams from football’s governing body and the local organising committee visited the Itaquerão Stadium in São Paulo on Thursday and will move on to Porto Alegre, Manaus, Natal, Cuiabá and Curitiba in the coming days.

“This inspection tour will be fundamental to consolidate operational plans and for each area to confirm the operations they have planned over the last few years,” said Tiago Pães, the operations manager for stadiums at the local organizing committee.

FIFA already knows that at least two stadiums won’t be ready until about a month before the tournament starts. The Itaquerão Stadium in São Paulo will be completed in mid-May, along with the Arena da Baixada in the southern city of Curitiba.

Cuiabá also doesn’t have its stadium ready, with concern over whether there will be enough time to install the temporary structures needed for technical teams, sponsors and media.

“This is the last occasion for the organizers to take stock of the operational preparations before the respective FIFA World Cup installations begin to be implemented in all 12 host cities,” FIFA said Thursday in a statement

Goudarzi” The government does not create football Billionaires.”

20 months after the conclusion of London summer Olympic games 2012,  Iran’s National Olympic Committee (NOC) held a ceremony in honor of the Iranian athletes Olympic games medal winners .

In the ceremony attended by many dignitaries, including Iran’s vice-president Dr. Noubakht and Minister of Sport  Mahmoud Goudarzi , the athletes received gifts in appreciation of their achievements.  London summer Olympic games 2012 recorded the best medal haul for Iran since its first participation in London summer Olympic games in 1948.

The minister of youth and sports , Mahmoud Goudarzi  in an exclusive interview with Iranian Students News Agency ( ISNA ) ,  commenting on the the ceremony, said “the main objective of organizing this gathering , was organizing a major sports event as well as meeting and honoring of Olympic medal winners and that was a good thing. We applaud NOC for holding such ceremony. We were honored to be present at the event and thank the heroes of Iran who were exemplary representatives and true credits for the sport and their country.”

Commenting on Vice-President attendance at the ceremony , the Minster highlighted the objective of one of the highest government ranks in  the country to be among the athletes and sport  administrators, is to see for himself the current status and the needs of sport.

“Tonight’s ceremony was attended by Dr. Noubakht  , which was a positive move. The Vice-President was well briefed about some of the problems and shortcomings facing the various sports and also to get to know the athletes closely and keep in touch with them .  Dr. Noubakht promised to help solve the country’s sport problems.”

On the program of Team Melli , the minster said ” We have special programs for successful participation of our  national team in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. God willing,  we are looking forward for a successful participation and honorable representation of the Iranian people who look up to this team . Some people say that I do not care much for football . I do not accept that at all. It is completely false.”

“When it comes to financial support , I have to tell you all that the government will NOT finance clubs to create football billionaires. We are not interested in that aspect. The income of the  rich footballers that the fans are aware of , the money exchanged in the clubs for transfer of players,  has not come from the government coffers.T he government does not create football Billionaires, I can assure of that. Some other supporters perhaps pour money into the clubs to buy players or take care of their wages. We at governmental level , cannot and will not afford that.”

“We have to face reality. Football is the most popular sport in the world including our own country, The support has to be appropriate but not on the expense of other sports. It is our firm policy to support all sport , especially those that bring us honor at international levels.”

Asked about the future and privatization of Esteghlal and Persepolis , the Minister got agitated and responded “Why do you keep asking about Persepolis and Esteghlal all the time ? Why not Sanat Naft, Tractorsazi , Damash Gilan? these teams need your attention as well (!!!)”

So, the the honorable minister of youth and sport , cleverly avoided the question that has been on every fans mind  since the last President Ahmadinejad promised , which is the timescale of these 2 popular clubs privatization.

World Cup 2014: Curitiba stadium earns Fifa reprieve

Brazilian city Curitiba , which will host Team Melli’s first match , will remain a venue for this year’s World Cup but world governing body Fifa said progress must continue at the “highest pace”.

The Arena da Baixada in the south of the country was one of six venues to miss an initial 31 December deadline. Organizers brought in hundreds of extra workers to meet building requirements and avoid being the first ground to be dropped from a World Cup.  The 40,000 stadium will stage four group matches at the tournament.

Last month Fifa warned that Curitiba could be excluded unless work speeded up, with secretary-general Jerome Valcke commenting that operations were seriously behind schedule. However, after financial guarantees for the improvement works were provided, the home of Brazilian top-flight club Atletico Paranaense was cleared to continue. Valcke said: “It is essential that the works are maintained at the required levels and that a collective effort by all the stakeholders involved in Curitiba continues.

“It is a race against a very tight timeline and will require regular monitoring, but we are counting on the commitment made by Atletico Paranaense, the city and the state of Curitiba.”

At least 1,500 workers are now expected on site, and is it hoped the stadium will be completed by mid-May. Ricardo Trade, chief executive of the local organizing committee, said: “There is still a lot to be done but we have always been confident that Curitiba will deliver. “The necessary measures to finish the stadium in time for proper testing are implemented, but close monitoring is key because we have no time to lose.

“Soon it will be time to look forward and plan for the test events and finish operational details for the competition.”

[box title=”World Cup 2014 matches in Curitiba ” style=”bubbles” box_color=”#abc785″ radius=”4″]

16 June: Iran v Nigeria, Group F

20 June: Honduras v Ecuador, Group E

23 June: Australia v Spain, Group B

26 June: Algeria v Russia, Group H

[/box]

 

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.

The road to Brazil ; Statistical analysis.

 

The road to qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 was quite interesting. The qualifications rounds spanning 696 days and 16 matches , started with the first match played in Azadi against Maldives on 23rd July 2011 and it ended in Ulsan, South Korea on 18th June 2013 against Korea Rep. with both matches resulting in victory for Team Melli.

Iran won 10 out of the 16 matches (62.5%) , drawing 4 matches (25%) and losing 2 matches (12.5%)

 

Full table

Stage Team

GP

W

D

L

GF

GA

+/-

Pts
Round 4 IRAN

8

5

1

 2

 8

 2

 +6

16
Round 3 IRAN

6

3

3

0

17

5

5

12
Round 2 IRAN

2

2

0

0

5

0

5

6
   

16

10

4

2

22

5

10

34

 

All the matches played by Team Melli were under the coaching of Carlos Queiroz.

Players selections

It transpired that Queiroz used more experienced players as the average age of the squad was quite high 29.08 years, while mainly selecting players from the two most popular teams in Iran Perspolis and Esteghlal who had the lion share of the players , 12 and 10 respectively. In the season when the qualification started, Perspolis ended the season at 12th place, it worst ranking in the league , while Esteghlal were 3rd.

Next season of the WC qualifying rounds, 2012/13 Perspolis fared slightly better ending the season at 7th place in the table , while Esteghlal won the championship title.

Team Melli had 8 foreign clubs players on its list, with players such as Ghoochannejad and Shojaei playing for two clubs during the campaign.

Half of the players in this campaign were 30 years or older (18 out of 36 players) while only 3 player were 25 years or younger (less than 1%).

If the same core of the squad will be used in next year’s final rounds of the World Cup, the average age of the team will rise to 30 years or more.

 

 

Scoring Analysis.

Team Melli scored 30 goals in the campaign for qualification to the World Cup with an average of 1.88 goals per game. The Midfield players scored the majority of the goals with the Captain Javad Nekounam topping the list of the scorers with 6 goals. Forwards scored 7 goals only.

Two thirds of the goals (20 )of total goals of 30 were scored at home  (66.6%), while a third (10) was scored away from home.

13 different players scored for Team Melli in the FIFA World Cup 2014 campaign. Only 3 recognized forwards are amongst the scorers and 2 defenders.

 

Fans support

A total of 660,340 fans watch Team Melli matches home and away. All the matches of Team Melli at home were played in Azadi stadium with an official capacity of 100,000 fans. The 8 home games attracted more than half a million fans (550,100 ) while 110,240 watch Team Melli matches away.

The greatest attendance was the Home match in Azadi against Korea Rep, were 110,000 fans packed Azadi stadium in outskirt of Tehran. The lowest attendance was for the first match against the Maldives with 15,000 fans only.

On average , the home matches for Team Melli attracted 68.76% capacity.

 

Briefs

  • Team Melli scored 30 goals in the 16 matches played while conceding 7 only
  • Goal scoring average per match = 1.88 goals
  • Goal scored against average per match = 0.23 goals
  • 13 different players scored for Team Melli in the qualifying rounds.
  • The forwards scored 7 goals (23%)
  • Midfield players scored 20 goals ( 66%)
  • Defenders scored 3 goals (10%)
  • Team Melli had 10 shut-out matches in 16 where the opponents failed to score.
  • Only one team managed to score more than one goals against Iran. Qatar scored 2 goals in Azadi.
  • Total number of players used in the Qualification matches is 36
  • Average player’s age was 29.08 years
  • Oldest player was Farhad Majidi with 36 years
  • Youngest players were Karim Ansarifard and Ehsan Hajsafy  ( (23 years). Ansarifard is younger by 1 1/2 months.
  • 18 out of 36 players  (50%) were 30 years old or above
  • Only 3 players  (less than 1%) were 25 years old or below
  • 13 Players changed clubs during the World cup qualification games started in July 2011