Tag: FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Qualifiers

Positive cases 3 and more bad news for Team Melli ahead of the crucial qualifiers.

A number of legionnaires invited to Team Melli training camp and the subsequent matches versus Iraq and UAE have not yet been able to join their teammates at the team’s camp in Tehran.

Mojtaba Khorshidi said “the latest situation of the legionnaires is as follows: Mehdi Taremi is still stuck in that small town in Turkey due to snowfall and poor flight conditions, and it is not yet clear what time he will leave for Iran. Karim Ansarifard has also recently arrived in Dubai after changing his flight route from Turkey to the UAE.  Sardar Azmoun has not yet traveled from Paris to Dubai.”

The Manager of Team Melli in response to the fact that these legionnaires will not arrive in time at the national team camp said: “Even if they leave now as we speak, they will be absent from training because they need to follow the health protocols process as they will have to quarantine first until the corona test result is proved negative. After the negative tests can join the squad and start training. As a result, they will be absent from today’s (Wednesday) practice. Regarding Azmoun, Nourollahi and Hajsafi, they can join the team’s camp after their corona test is negative: ‌ You know that the course of contracting Omicron is 3 to 7 days. We have to see what happens in the coming days.”

Khorshidi also mentioned the situation of 13 players who have joined the national team yesterday: “The PCR test results of these players has not arrived yet. This will probably happen in the next two hours, and after the tests are negative, they can start training. :

The Manager of the national team commented on the addition of new players to the national team camp from the waiting list: “The coaching staff has not decided yet.”

According to ISNA, since yesterday, the PCR test of three key players of Team Melli has been positive. Nourollahi, Azmoun, and Hajsafi are the players who will be absent from this camp.

Only Kamal Kamiabinia has been added to the squad from the waiting list as a replacement for Nourollahi.

Team Melli will face Iraq in two days’ time in a match that could be the qualification prize for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Iran needs three points from the next two games to book its place to Doha, Qatar

Team Melli commences the training camp.

Team Melli started training camp as of today in preparation for the matches against Iraq and the UAE at the Olympic Hotel.

 On the first day of the camp, the players from the domestic league, along with Ahmad Nourollahi and Mehdi Ghaedi both members of Shabab Al-Ahli of Dubai, began with initially going through the strict health protocols and underwent PCR testing with the technical staff of the national team. The whole camp will be quarantined until the negative results them being part of the squad.  After the test results are confirmed, the teamwork will start and the rest of the players and legionnaires, according to the schedules, will introduce themselves to the technical staff this morning and will go to quarantine to find out the results of the tests.

The Squad will be holding two sessions of training on daily basis in two groups from 15:00 to 17:00. After the legionnaires’ tests are out and assumed to be negative, the first training of the national team will be held tomorrow with the presence of all the players. According to the rules and requirements of the Asian Football Confederation, in compliance with health protocols, the national team will train behind closed doors.

Dragan Skocic has named a list of 27  players for these two matches, although the regulation allows a squad of 23 players for the match. It is announced that no players will be sent home but a list of 23 players as required by the regulation will be announced for each of the two matches.

Shahab Zahedi, who plays for Zorya in  Ukraine has finally been selected for the first time. His recently departed teammate Allhtae Sayyadmanesh is also named in the squad. The list includes one legionnaire player who is under suspension by the Federation’s disciplinary committee the case of Hossein Kanani-Zadegan was charged with offenses not related to a match but to derogatory remarks he made,  which has gone viral on social media. When quizzed about this, a spokesperson for Team Melli said that “unless we receive specific instruction from the concerned department of the federation, any player can be selected for Team Melli.”

The squad welcomes back Mehdi Taremi, another player who was in trouble after he created unnecessary problems for himself and hence left out of Team Melli’s last two matches both of which Iran has won.

FFIRI planning early qualification ceremony

While the Football fans in Iran are still awaiting the approval of the National Headquarters against Corona to attend Team Melli’s upcoming matches against Iraq and the UAE, The football federation is planning early qualification to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

the Iranian Football Federation has prepared so that it can hold the best possible ceremony with the presence of special guests. Shahabuddin Azizi Khadem, President of the FFIRI, who had two meetings with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, invited him to watch one of the matches of the Iranian national team on 27th January or 2nd February, which, according to the federation’s website, was agreed by FIFA President. Infantino has moved his headquarters to Doha to oversee the progress and preparation for the World Cup 2022.

The reduction in the number of deaths in the country due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus also raised the hopes of the Football Federation to get approval from the health authorities in the country allowing the attendance of fans in Azadi Stadium, even with limited numbers. It is alleged that the National Headquarters against Corona has verbally agreed to a 30% attendance at all football stadiums, but such instructions have not yet been transmitted t to the Ministry of Sports and then to the Football Federation. On the other hand, the coronavirus mutation called “omicron” has become a serious challenge for the presence of special guests. With 5 days left to play Iraq and 10 days to meet the UAE, Infantino has not yet officially responded to the Iranian Federation’s request to be in Tehran.

 

However, the public relations department of the Football Federation will continue monitoring developments in this issue until 24 hours before each game. Considering the possibility of Infantino’s imminent trip and the possibility of announcing his readiness, the possibility of the presence of male and female fans in the upcoming matches of the Iranian national team is not certain. Ali Azari Jahromi, the government spokesman, announced last Tuesday that a special meeting had been held between the president of the football federation, the Minister of Sports to prepare for the matches, however, with four days left, there is no sign of online sales of the tickets for the Iraq and UAE matches.

The Iranian national football team will host Iraq on the 27th of January at Azadi Stadium. The victory for Dragan Skucic’s team in each of these matches will result in the early Qualifications of Team Melli to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Team Melli : FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers updates.

The preparation for Team Melli is on its way after the return of head coach Dragan Skocic from his homeland. The Croat coach will be preparing the final list for the upcoming matches vs. Iraq and the UAE on 27th January and 1st February respectively.

There is no major changes or surprises are expected from the new list and it is pretty certain that Mehdi Taremi who missed two matches of the qualifiers, will be invited back to the team. Barring any serious injuries, the squad list will be close to the last one.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 2022
AFC ASIAN QUALIFIERS – GROUP A

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES v    SYRIA

LEBANON  v    KOREA REPUBLIC

                                                                            SAIDA MUNICIPAL STADIUM
15:00
(SAIDA)

IR IRAN   v   IRAQ

18:30
AZADI STADIUM
(TEHRAN)

Qualification possibilities.

With the 3rd rank team, UAE on 6 points, which is 10 points behind Iran, a win against Iraq will increase Iran’s points to 16 assuring qualification for the third consecutive FIFA World Cup. A win for UAE against Syria increases their point to 9, the maximum point the UAE can achieve from their remaining 3 matches is 9 only.

Team Melli will be highly motivated to register a win in Azadi and celebrate the early qualification.

Since the last two matches, the Legionnaire players have been al doing well except for a brief goal drought by Taremi, However, the Porto forward has scored in his last two consecutive matches  Azmoun is involved in a transfer struggle with Lyon being the most possible destination. Ansarifard and Hajsafy are well settled in AEK Athens and have been scoring goals too.

GROUP TEAMS BRIEFS

IRAQ

 

Iran injury vows continue. A key player in the Iraq team’s defensive line has been injured, and this has raised concerns for the team. Zargham Ismail,  is injured and will most probably not recover in time for the match against Iran, and Rabin Solaqa, another Iraqi defender who plays in the Thai league, is also infected with the Coronavirus, and there are rumors that he will not be invited to the squad. Mohammad Qasim is another key player for the Iraqis, who is also very unlikely to recover to play this crucial game. Iraqi is scheduled to play a friendly match against Uganda in Baghdad before facing Iran, after which it will depart for Tehran.

It is also believed from unofficial sources that the trio of the Iraqi national team players: Saad Natiq, Mohammad Daoud, and Alaa Mahawi, have outstanding administrative problems that prevent them from being selected for the squad to face Team Melli.

UAE

The team was in crisis after the humiliating 5-0 defeat against Qatar in the recently concluded Arab Cup. There were calls to sack Van Marwijc but the UAE FA did not find it appropriate to change the coach at this crucial stage of the competition.  UAE still stands a chance to qualify for the play-off if it can maintain the 3rd rank with 4 matches to go.

No major absentees have been announced but the final squad list for the two matches against Iraq and Iran have yet to be announced.

KOREA REP.

 

Bad news for the Koreans with their star player Son Hyung-min injury in the match against Chelse in Carabao cup semi-finals. Son will not be able to accompany his country’s national team for the World Cup qualifier due to due to a muscle injury according to the Tottenham Hotspur announcement.

Korea still has a good squad but the game against Lebanon in Sidon will be a tough test for the Koreans and three points is not a foregone conclusion. Korea Rep trails Iran by two pints at the top of the group.

SYRIA

The temporary committee in charge of managing the affairs of the Syrian Football Association announced that it had reached a final agreement with Romanian coach Tita Valerio, for the latter to continue coaching the Syrian national team, after long negotiations that brought the two sides together for more than 60 days.

For his part, Valerio confirmed that he will do his best to achieve what is required in the remaining matches in the Asian qualifiers of the World Cup, especially in the next two matches against the UAE and South Korea.

Tita indicated that he had contacted Omar Khribin and Omar Al-Soma, and confirmed the inclusion of the two strikers in the list of Syrian squad.

Meanwhile, the federation is active in recruiting players of Syrian origins in Europe. The Expatriate Committee has identified six such players of Syrian origin active in Europe, at the request of Romanian coach Valerio, who is looking into the possibility of utilizing their services in the remaining matches of World Cyp qualifiers.

Four players who are active in Sweden League: Matthias Behnan, Sherko Shehab, Almar Abraham, and Mark Gerges, have already completed the formalities and arrived in Aleppo to join the squad.

Taremi would be available for selection against UAE & Iraq.

Team Melli will host Iraq and the UAE in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 22 qualifiers on 27thy January and 1st February in a bid to register its early qualification with a few games in hand.

According to Mojtaba Khorshidi, the Manager of the national team of Iran, the camp of Team Melli will start on January 24th with the presence of domestic league players, while the legionnaires will start joining the local players a day later. Khorshidi, who was speaking to reporters at the national teams’ camp on Tuesday, was asked about the possibility of Mehdi Taremi returning to the national team: “Taremi’s problem has been resolved and we will most probably experience his presence in the squad.”

Tarami was dropped out of the national team list for the games against Lebanon and Syria and was excluded from the training camp after the challenge on social media issued to the head coach Dragan Skocic, over the “tactics” of the Iranian players. “This issue has finally been solved with the mediation of the seniors” according to Khorshidi, “Taremi will also be present in the next camp of the national team.”

The head of the national football team also said in response to the rumors about the invitation of Ali Alipour, the Iranian striker of the Portuguese Maritimo football team: “I do not know. Our duty is to write to their clubs based on Skocic’s list, but Skocic has not yet arrived in Iran and has not provided a list. They should give us the list first and see if Ali Alipour is there or not. I am as ignorant as you are and this is the first time I have heard about it”

Mojtaba Khorshidi, did not explain how did he figure out Mehdi Taremi was on the list of invited players if according to him, none was provided by Skocic !!

Players Rating : Syria vs. Iran

Team Melii players ended the match against Syria as clear winners. In arguably the best performances of the qualifiers, every player played his part well. Discipline, which marred the Team Melli performance on many previous matches, was excellent. No player was given a yellow card.

The absence of two key players in Jahanbakhsh, Taremi and Dragan Skoci on the bench, hardly dented the team display. This is evidence of a big team with a strong bench, with available players capable to replace any of their teammates no matter how important they have been. It proves that Team Melli reached a maturity that the absence of one or two key players hardly matters.

The individuals rating are as follows:

Amir ABEDZADEH:  [8.0] Was not really tested but when he was required to act, he did with confidence and control. His ball distribution and aerial balls collection was immaculate.

Shojaa KHALILZADEH  [7.8] As always, dependable and solid in defense forming a steadfast partnership and understanding with Kananizadeghan. Unlucky at set-pieces despite the large numbers of corners won by Team Melli.   
Sadegh MOHARRAMI:    [7.8] Effective as a wing-back despite the fact that he was less involved on the flanks from the previous match. Remains a valuable asset at right back.
Hossein KANANI-ZADEGAN:   [7.8] Enjoyed an easy day and had no issues defending against the lone Syrian striker. His performance with Khalizadeh in the heart of defense helped Team Melli keep a clean sheet.

Ehsan HAJSAFI:  [8.3] Despite his absence from Team Melli in a few matches, he never lost his touch. Positive and reliable. Scored the Penalty with cool despite the Syrian goalkeeper intimidations.
Vahid AMIRI  [9.0] One of the best performances seen by the winger for many years. Played a decisive role in this game. Full of energy and class Kept the ball moving to build attacks and enjoyed many forays forward down the left side. Provided a world-class assist to Azmoun. Provided many crosses which showed his quality of delivery. Created more chances than any of his teammates in another good demonstration of his quality and versatility.

Ahmad NOUROLLAHI  : [8.8] Another sterling performance. Unlucky not to be on the scoresheet after three very well taken shots on goal, which saw two being magnificently saved by the Syria keeper.
Saeid EZZATOLLAHI   [7.6] Dependable and solid in the midfield. Won many balls back swiftly for his side on the rare occasions they didn’t have it and showed his passing precision too.
Omid NOORAFKAN: [7.8] Had a quiet game although there were some signs of nervousness, especially when he losses the ball. Could be reckless at times.
Ali GHOLIZADEH : [8.9] Scored a magnificent goal that showed his wizardry. He was a constant menace for the Syrian defense. His timely use of his dribbling skills can break solid defenses. Had an excellent game. 
Sardar AZMOUN:  [8.9] Scored a wonderful goal that shows his class and how far he has improved in Europe. He remains one of the best assets of Team Melli. However, he could have scored a hat trick but for missing two easy chances. 

SUBSTITUTES:

Milad SARLAK : [7.8] Replaced Hajsafi and had a quiet match without exerting too much effort. A solid player and a valuable one to support both the defense and midfield.

Allahyar SAYYADMANESH , Mehdi GHAEDI &  Karim ANSARIFARD   NOT RATED

Skocic serves his sentence , but what about the cheaters?

Dragan Skocic, the head coach of Team Melli, got super excited after some tense moments during the match with the Lebanese national team. When Sardar Azmoun scored the equalizer, the Croat who was feeling immense pressure with his team a goal behind in the dying minutes of the match, jumped with joy running towards the Lebanese bench,  demonstrating his excitement while pointing towards the stretcher that the Lebanese players used umpteen times in the match.

The Qatari referee brandished the red card to Skocic and sent him to the stands.

The FIFA disciplinary committee issued its verdict and suspended Skocic for one match which he served against Syria. In addition, Skocic was ordered to pay 5,000 Swiss francs, which must be paid within 30 days of the date of notification.

Skocic will be able to lead Team Melli from the bench in the match against Iraq in January 2022.

While Skocic had no business encroaching into the opposing team’s area to demonstrate his anger at the host team that was not playing football like gentlemen and professionals, faking injuries, cheating, and simulating in a farce and obvious manner, the Qatari referee was an accessory, aiding and abated in this farcical act of deception. The fault ultimately falls on the world’s governing body to stop such ridiculous behavior in football. History reminds us that FIFA can and has acted before to stop such acts of anti-football. Cast your mind back to the game between Ireland and Egypt in  FIFA World Cup 1990.

The worst match at the most boring World Cup in history prompted football’s rule-makers to abolish the backpass, changing the game forever

Because of the Egyptian blatant time-wasting and killing of the game, it banned the passing of the ball to goalkeepers.

FIFA needs to act again. It is their full responsibility to act against teams like Lebanon and many others who use time-wasting by faking players’ injuries who drop dead with every tackle. There is no excuse for FIFA inaction. Anyone who has a passion for the beautiful game of football, must take a stand against such acts and make their voice heard against cheating.  While VAR and technology are being extensively used, it is about time that this type of technology or alternatives is also used to punish players who cheat. In this part of the world, there are aplenty.

A comfortable win for Iran keeps them at top of the table.

Team Melli defeated Syria 3 -0 in Amman in the first match of Group A’s return legs of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifiers. The goals were scored by Saradar Azmoun (33’),  Ehsan Hajsafi (42’)(P), and Ali Gholizadeh (89’).

With this win Iran consolidates its position at the top of the table with 16 points, opening a 10 points gap with the team in the third position UAE. Korea Rep. beat Iraq 3-0 in Doha to remain second with 14 points.

This match saw a much-improved performance from the Lebanon game 5 days ago. The changes that Skocic had to make on the lineup were sensible and effective. Beiranvand was given an off day in goal, while his deputy Abedzadeh was a very competent replacement despite not being really tested. His Aerial ball control was immaculate, but his ball distribution was quite impressive.

The midfield was more effective and distributed the ball efficiently feeding Azmoun and the flanks.  In defense, the introduction of Omid Nourafakan was satisfactory, while Sadegh Moharrami had a sterling performance.

Ahmad Nourallahi was one of Iran’s best players and it is pity that he was not on the scoresheet after several fine shoots especially near the ends of the match which the Syrian keeper remarkably saved.

Azmoun scored the opener with a marvelous assist from Vahid Amiri. Azmoun immaculate ball control, his escape from two Syrian markers, and the finishing touch was world-class.   Azmoun however, could have easily ended this match with a hat trick missing two golden opportunities in the second half.

Hajsafi made a start after some time with Team Melli, however, he has not lost any of his quality and scored well from the penalty.

The third goal by Gholizadeh was Messi-like. The Chareloi midfielder received the ball on the left and bamboozled four Syrian players before slotting the ball into the net. It was a great goal and one for the purists.

This was one of the matches that Team Melli won in performance and result. Players were disciplined and hardly made mistakes of judgment. It also helped that the Syrians came to play football and that made the match competitive and entertaining. However, the difference in class was evident from the start.

Although there were many candidates for MVP including Azmoun, Nourollahi, GHolizadeh, and Moharrami, The star of the match was Vahid Amiri. Not only did he provide a classy assist to Azmoun, his energy, runs on the flank, control of the ball, passing accuracy, and general attitude in the game were exemplary.

Syria Match review: The most challenging is the enemy within

Team Melli players under Dragan Skocic, will be meeting Syria tomorrow with all eyes on the three points and widening the gap at the top of the table of Group A of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifiers.

While on-field, this match like the rest of them in this group, is far from a forgone conclusion despite the fact that Syria is at the bottom of the table. It is going to be the same story for Team Melli. The object is to translate the superiority of the team into goals while keeping the defense tight.

However, the biggest battle for Team Melli seems to be occurring outside of the field of play and the enemy within. There seems to be an agenda to undermine the coach, Skocic. That enemy within, people working behind the curtains, have a systematic means of ruining the squad to serve their own interests. The target is Dragan Skocic.

The Croat has been criticized left, right, and center by many so-called Iranian football personalities who are perhaps blinded by self-interest or serving some agenda. These people conveniently ignore facts and figures such as playing 12 games, winning 11, and drawing 1 under the resume of Skocic, while denying the Croat coach any credit, by attributing the team’s immaculate results to individual players’ performance !!

Their objective is to force FFIRI to replace Skocic with one of their own.

Even a personality like Ali Daei, who is a living legend, has been dragged into this battle, In defense of Skocic-Taremi , Ali Daei who has been out of work in football since he left Saipa in 2019, took a side and supported Taremi but he also made some statements against Skocic which was indeed in poor taste and not appropriate for the character of Daei. Many other ex-footballers went on similar rhetorics.

Whether FFIRI will succumb to pressure to replace Skocic at some stage, is another tale for another day but suffice to say that the Croat has held his heads high, performed marvelously for Team Melli, and put Iran on the brink of qualification to the World Cup with a few games to spare.

On the field, Syria with a few key players missing will hardly deviate from their usual game plan. Tight defenses, pressure of opposition players, and hope of a goal on counterattacks. Heaven forbids if the Syrians score, as the repeat of the Lebanese Black Art of time-wasting, cheating, and faking injury, will be the tale of the day.

With Jahanbakhsh missing, Skocic will have several options available. He has Hajsafy, Torabi, and Sarlak as replacements. Last time out, Ghoddos was used from the start but it was a disappointing performance from the Brentford midfield player alongside Azmoun. Ansarifard or Rezaei are two options for Skocic while Ghoddos , if used again, would be operating behind the two strikers.

Goalkeeping was far from assuring against Lebanon. It will not be a great surprise if Beiranvand is benched and either Abedzadeh or Niazmand start instead.

The defense was solid and Vahid Amiri excelled in his left-back role.

Under the circumstances, Syria’s job to improve their record against Iran looks like a mammoth task, But football is a strange game, and surprises can happen. Skocic, however, is a Wiley coach and has prepared well for worst-case scenario.

Syrian camp in predicament with key players’ absenteeism.

the Syrian Football Federation announced yesterday that the midfielder  Mohammad Othman has left the Syrian squad in protest after sitting on the bench in the game against Iraq and will not play against Iran. “Ayaz Osman”, another Syrian player, left the camp on the eve of the game with Iraq due to injury. The Federation also added on Friday evening that Omar Kharbin, the key striker of the Syrian national team, will be absent against Iran too, because of injury. The results of medical tests show that the striker needs a week off due to an injury against Iraq. Furthermore, Esra’a Hamawiyah is suspended for receiving his second yellow card of the competition against Iraq, and he will be absent from the Iran game.

But these people are not the only ones absent from Syria against Iran, because “Mohammad Halaq” and “Saad Ahmad”, who were already injured, are not able to accompany Syria against Iran. Four of the six Syrian absentees played against Iran in the first match in Azadi which ended 1-0 for Iran

Team Melli and Syria will face off on Tuesday in the third qualifying round of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 in Amman, Jordan. Iran currently leads Group A with 13 points followed by South Korea with 11 points.

Syria Absentees

  1. Mohammad Othman
  2. Ayaz Osman
  3. Omar Kharbin,
  4. Esra’a Hamawiyah
  5. Mohammad Halaq
  6. Saad Ahmad