Tag: FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

FIFA ignores calls for exclusion Iran from the World Cup.

The campaign to kick Iran out of the World Cup is still active and being pursued by various factions each looking at their own interests, however, it is pretty clear that FIFA has no interest in heeding this subject.

The Italian media, unashamedly are the flag bearers of this campaign hoping that their pathetic national team that did not qualify for the World Cup gets in from the backdoor. Iranian activists abroad are also chasing after FIFA due to the recent and ongoing brutal treatment of women and protesters in the country, the British have joined the party also claiming Iran is assisting the Russians by providing them with attack drones for use in bombing Kyiv in Ukraine. So, according to British twisted logic, Iran has to be thrown out of the World Cup while bombing Baghdad and killing thousands of civilians in the process was for the benefit of the Iraqis!

It remains to be seen if any other country will file a case against Iran’s participation in the FIFA World Cup perhaps due to the rising prices of pistachio, Oil, Gas, and Persian carpets!

The Iranian activist, who certainly have the right to campaign against the regime, are simply barking at the wrong tree. This  Team Melli is NOT a representative of the oppressive regime but a team that plays for the honor of the country regardless of who rules. The world is full of dictators and tyrants but you hardly hear that their national teams are banned or excluded from competitions except under exceptional conditions such as war and aggression against other countries. By sending letters to FIFA, the Iranian activist abroad would only make some noise nothing but.

While some Italian media had claimed that FIFA will decide on Iran’s exclusion from the World Cup in its meeting this week in New Zealand, there was no discussion about Iran’s football at Saturday’s meeting of the international body. To counter the Fake news, Marca newspaper said: “This morning’s meeting of the FIFA Supreme Council was held in Auckland, during which there was no discussion about the exclusion of the Iranian national football team from the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.”

Contrary to recent rumors and campaigns, the participation of Team Melli in the World Cup is a certainty. Iran is in Group B with England, Wales, and the USA with the first match scheduled for 21 November when Team Melli will open the campaign against England.

While Iran’s exclusion from the World Cup in the FIFA Counsel meeting was not even on the agenda, the hottest news from the meeting in Aukland was FIFA’s anger with broadcasters.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has criticized broadcasters for what he calls unacceptably low offers for rights to screen the Women’s World Cup next year

Iran ‘should be thrown out of World Cup’ over supply of Russian drones, claims English newspaper!

The English conservative right-wing “Daily Telegraph” has reported disturbing claims that Iran’s Team Melli is risking elimination from the FIFA World Cup as a result of the Iranian government supplying attack drones to the Russian forces for use in Ukraine. The full article (read below) is yet another proof if needed indeed, that politics supersedes any sporting values and fair play especially when the event negatively affects the American and European interests or the interest of other protected groups or minorities that the colonialists support for political reasons.

While decades of sanctions by the west have failed to shake the ruling clan in Iran from their fundamental values, they very much affected normal Iranians, lowering their standards of living, reducing their life expectancy, and dragging millions of ordinary Iranian women and men into poverty. Sanctions have not managed to change the regime’s policies however they managed to make them stronger. In desperation and an act of cowardice, the west is now using dirty tricks and politicizing football for its purpose. FIFA will be under severe pressure from the USA and the NATO countries to punish Iran football this time, after their military, banking & finance, Economical and political sanction have not worked for over 40 years.

The hypocrisy and double standards of the west are a true insult to the intelligence of any human being following world events. There never was a call to sanction the USA and UK for their role in invading and bond bombing countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria or their role in the genocide of the Yemeni people!

Who is the victim in this case? ….Team Melli fans all across the world and not just Iran itself. The ruling clan does not give a hoot if Team Melli travels to Doha or not. Their priority is somewhere else.

Fifa is facing calls to throw Iran out of the World Cup weeks before their opening match against England after “kamikaze” drones made by the country were used in the latest wave of attacks by Russia against Ukraine. Several people were killed, according to the Ukrainian government, during strikes that included the use of explosives-packed Shahed-136 drones which detonate upon impact with a target.

The attacks took place barely a month before England – the Government of which has been supplying arms to Ukraine to repel Vladimir Putin’s invasion of the country – take on Iran at the World Cup. Chris Bryant MP, the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Russia and former Foreign Office minister, told Telegraph Sport any nation founded to have “provided military support” for Putin’s invasion should be banished from world sport. He added: “Sporting authorities around the world and in every sport should be looking very carefully at Iran’s direct engagement and support for Putin in his illegal invasion of Ukraine. Dictatorial regimes relish sporting success. We should deny them that opportunity.”

Belarus, whose government has been supporting the invasion, were also forced to play their home games behind closed doors in a neutral country until further notice. Uefa last week refused to rule out taking further action against the latter nation after it deployed soldiers on the Belarus-Ukraine border.

Fifa has been approached for comment.

Iran already faces European Union sanctions over this week’s drone attacks if Tehran’s involvement is proven. France and Germany, both parties to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, have made it clear they believe fresh sanctions are necessary given such transfers of weaponry violate a resolution by the UN Security Council. Speaking ahead of an EU meeting in Luxembourg, Denmark’s foreign minister Jeppe Kofod said: “What we can see now: Iranian drones are used apparently to attack in the middle of Kyiv, this is an atrocity.”

Iran foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani denied his country had provided Russia with drones.

He said: “The published news about Iran providing Russia with drones has political ambitions and it’s circulated by western sources. We have not provided weaponry to any side of the countries at war.”

Iranian climber who competed without hijab goes missing

Meanwhile, a female Iranian athlete who flouted the Islamic Republic rules and competed in a climbing competition without wearing a hijab, has gone missing according to reports. Rekabi is reportedly only the second female athlete to shun the country’s strict hijab rules as protests continue to grip the country after the death of Mahsa Amini.

The footage shows Rekabi, from Tehran, competing without a headscarf and with her hair tied in a ponytail at the International Federation of Sport Climbing Asian Championships final in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, on Sunday, October 16.

Arsenal ‘interested in Mehdi Taremi transfer’ with Porto willing to sell Iran striker after World Cup as Jesus back-up

ARSENAL are reportedly interested in signing Mehdi Taremi as back-up for Gabriel Jesus.

And a deal could be on in January with Porto willing to sell the striker after the World Cup. A Bola claims Taremi, 30, has fired his way onto Mikel Arteta’s shortlist with seven goals and six assists in 11 games.

The Iran international is in his third season with Porto. And Taremi, who has a total of 56 strikes for the Portuguese giants, has already been linked with a move to Chelsea.

But it’s Arsenal who are reportedly leading the race this winter.

Sporting director Edu Gaspar usually only targets players under the age of 30.

But he is apparently willing to break his own rule this once in order to sign Taremi for title-chasing Arteta.

The Brazilian has five goals and four assists since his £45million switch from Manchester City.

And Arteta reckons only Taremi would be able to carry the torch in case of a setback in the second half of the campaign.

The striker’s representatives have already told Porto he is considering a change of scenery at the start of 2023. Sergio Conceicao’s side are no strangers to doing business in the winter market, with Luis Diaz joining Liverpool last January. And Porto are open to letting Taremi go for the right price.

But the ace will first strut his stuff for Iran at the World Cup, with their opening match in Group B against none other than Gareth Southgate’s England. Arsenal currently sit top of the table after beating Liverpool 3-2 on Sunday.

Iran players in political turmoil.

Iran are the minnows of England’s World Cup group – but are ranked 20th in the world and boast Sardar Azmoun and Mehdi Taremi in their ranks… so can Carlos Queiroz’s side cause an unlikely upset amid political turmoil back home?

  • Iran will face England on November 21 in the 2022 World Cup’s second game
  • ‘Team Melli’ are only three spots under Wales, who are ranked 19th in the world (correction: one spot under Wales)
  • Iranian players have recently voiced their support for protests over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while she was held in custody by ‘morality police’
  • Many fans wonder if players will speak out on an international stage such as the World Cup, at the potential risk of never going back to their home country
  • Star forwards like Bayer Leverkusen’s Sardar Azmoun, and Mehdi Taremi, of FC Porto, have led their support for more recognition of women’s rights in Tehran
  • Carlos Queiroz will guide Iran to their third consecutive World Cup since 2014

By ALASTAIR TALBOT FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

However, for the Iranian men’s soccer team, it’s impossible not to mesh both together amid chaos on the streets of Tehran just weeks prior to the start of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, where the 22nd-ranked team in FIFA’s World Rankings will face England, Wales and the USA in Group B.

Over the last month, extreme suppression established by Iran’s moral police, known as the ‘Islamic Religious Police,’ led to the death of 22-year-old woman Mahsa Amini, while she was held in custody.

She had been arrested for allegedly covering her head with a compulsory headscarf too loosely. Iran is currently one of the three governments using the title Islamic republic in its official naming.

In response, several star players, including Bayer Leverkusen’s Sardar Azmoun, and Mehdi Taremi, of FC Porto, made their silence known on Instagram by blacking out their profile pictures prior to the team’s final friendly against Senegal in September in Austria.

The Football Federation Islamic Republic (FFIR) of Iran had also attempted to quieten down political turmoil back home by banning fans from watching the team, as ‘Team Melli’ drew 1-1 in an empty stadium in Vienna.

Rumors had also linked the FFIR with attempting to arrange a warmup game against Russia in November. Both countries are already closely tied diplomatically due to the Ukraine war, which has made Iran and Russia allies in economic isolation.

And in late September, FIFA was urged to ban Iran from the World Cup over its sporadic recognition of women’s rights. It wasn’t long ago that Iranian women were finally allowed to watch their national team play for the first time since 1979 after pressure from international governing bodies football around the world.

‘The Islamic Republic’s authorities and its football federation must not be given the honor of participating in football’s finest tournament while it is killing its citizens on our streets,’ the Open Stadiums group – a movement of Iranian Women seeking to end discrimination and let women attend stadiums – said in a statement.

The non-profit called on FIFA to stand by its mission to promote and give light to those in need of ‘all internationally recognized human rights.’

FIFA has not yet responded to Open Stadium’s request but the world’s leading football governing body expelled Russia from the upcoming World Cup for similar reasons due to ‘irreparable and chaotic’ harm that could threaten the tournament in Qatar, as diplomatic tensions between NATO countries and Russia continue.

Iran, though, should not fret for its place in Doha, which is located right across the Persian Gulf water, as the World Cup starts on November 20.

The FFIRI should rather worry about its players’ stance in Qatar as the world’s most watched sporting competition will provide them a platform to potentially speak about the political disorder in the country.

Star striker Azmoun, who has 41 goals in 65 games for his country, has already defied the federation’s orders by sharing a now-deleted post to his 4.9million followers on Instagram in which he says ‘that I am no longer able to tolerate silence.’

He added that being excluded from the squad traveling to Doha would be ‘a small price to pay for even a single strand of Iranian women’s hair.’

The 27-year-old’s national teammates seemed to agree with his reaction, as they all wore black jackets that covered up their national team badge while the Iranian national anthem was playing in their last match against Senegal.

Furthermore, prolific striker Mehdi Taremi shared on Instagram after the September friendly that he felt ‘ashamed’ to see violent footage filmed in Iran showing women’s persecution in public.

Protests in Iran seem to be growing by the week as many activists don’t want to only push for more rights for women but also a government overthrow that has seen the country under clerical establishment the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Cries for help could be heard in Qatar, when Iran will take on England in what will only be the second game of the World Cup on November 21.

The Three Lions and the Star and Stripes will have to be wary against ‘Team Melli’ with the AFC side labeled as ‘minnows’ going into the tournament but in reality are only 0ne spot below Wales, who are currently ranked 19th in the world by FIFA.

After months of speculation, Carlos Queiroz came back to the fold to coach a side that he has found much success with after guiding them to their third consecutive World Cup – an first-time achievement for the country after Brazil in 2014 and Russia 2018.

Sardar Azmoun will lead Iran’s attack as he aims to surpass Iran’s legend Ali Daei’s 109 goals. Azmoun, 27, has 41 goals in 65 games and sits third in the all-time goal-scoring charts for Iran

Under the former Manchester United No 2, Iran had their best World Cup display in Russia, beating Morocco and tying with Portugal before losing against Spain to collect four points and narrowly crashing out as the team was unable to qualify for the 2018 knockout stages.

However, the former Portugal and Real Madrid coach replaced Dragan Skocic in September, giving himself a little more than two months to decide on his 26-man squad traveling to Doha ahead of the November 13th deadline.’This is our first step towards preparing for the World Cup,’ the 69-year-old said in Austria during the team’s preparation matches against Uruguay (1-0 win) and Senegal. ‘We will do our best both on and off the field to get ready for the competition. It’s our responsibility to improve the conditions and make progress and always move forward,’ Queiroz further told Iranian state-controlled press outlets.

Carlos Queiroz has a respected record with the Iranian national team, managing 100 matches, with 60 wins, 27 draws, and 13 defeats. Other than seven new faces in the latest squad in Austria, 16 out of 23 players went to Russia nearly four years ago, including 35-year-old Omid Ebrahimi.
The defensive midfielder, who has played his club football for Qatari-side Al Wakrah since 2021, was a force in Queiroz’s 2018 lineup but has barely featured for his country in the last three years, as his last appearance for Iran was in November 2019.

Another pillar in the Iranian side other than Azmoun and Taremi is goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand, who currently plays for Persepolis in Iran after stints in Europe for Boavista in Portugal and Royal Antwerp in Belgium. Promising 21-year-old youngster Allahyar Sayyadmanesh, who plays for Hull City, will surely be behind the prolific Taremi in the striker’s pecking order, as Queiroz prefers a 4-2-31 or 4-3-3 formation with a lone attacker up top surrounded by wingers.The forward was recently named as one of the 60 best young talents in world soccer by The Guardian. Sayyadmanesh plays for Hull

‘As a professional coach, I know that all teams in the world have progressed,’ Queiroz recently said. ‘We will also do our best to face our opponents in Qatar and will be fully prepared for the campaign.’ Azmoun and Taremi will look to add goals to their personal records as both are currently third and seventh respectively among Iran’s all-time top goal scorers, as now retired striker Ali Daei, who played for Armeni Bielefeld, Bayern Munich and Hertha Berlin, tops the list with 109 goals in 149 games between 1993 and 2006.

Ehsan Hajsafi, the team’s captain, will be featuring at his third World Cup since first being selected to represent Iran in 2008. The AEK Athens left-back has 121 caps for his country and is only 30 shy of record-holder Javad Nekounam – 151 caps – who is now retired. Brentford’s Saman Ghoddos is the only current Iranian featuring in the English Premier League after winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh moved to Dutch side Feyenoord last year from Brighton. Both are expected to start for their country in their first game against England.

And although expectations are low for the Islamic Republic, Iran are the highest-ranked Asian team in Qatar and previously appeared five times in the edition of the World Cup in its history (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018). The team holds a distinct rivalry with South Korea as both fight for the most AFC Asian Cups along with Japan. The competition is the second oldest continental football championship in the world after Copa América and Iran hold three titles.

Iran’s journey to qualify for the 2022 World Cup went relatively smoothly by topping Group A after being drawn with Iraq, Hong Kong, Cambodia, and Bahrain.

Skocic spearheaded the Iranians to the World Cup finals and won 15 of his 18 games at the helm of the Middle Eastern side after taking over as the full-time replacement for Marc Wilmots, who put the team at real risk from losing out on qualifications after draws and losses against Bahrain and Iraq. Iran became the thirteenth team to qualify for Qatar after a 1–0 win against Iraq at home in its roughly 79,000-seater Azadi Stadium in January.

‘The Persian Stars’ will face England on November 21, before playing against Wales four days later before taking on the US for the first time since 1998 in what was once dubbed as a ‘politically charged game in World Cup history.

Iran’s most recent squad

Goalkeepers: Alireza Beiranvand (Persepolis), Payam Niazmand (Sepahan), Amir Abedzadeh (Ponferradina), Hossein Hosseini (Esteghal).

Defenders: Sadegh Moharrami (Dinamo Zagreb), Ehsan Hajsafi (captain, AEK Athens), Aref Gholami (Esteghlal), Shojae Khalilzadeh (Al-Ahli), Milad Mohammadi (AEK Athens), Morteza Pouraliganji (Persepolis), Hossein Kanaanizadegan (Al-Ahli), Saleh Hardani (Esteghal), Majid Hosseini (Kayserispor), Abolfazl Jalali (Esteghal), Omid Noorafkan (Sepahan), Ramin Rezaeian (Sepahan).

Midfielders: Saeid Ezatolahi (Vejle), Saman Ghoddos (Brentford), Milad Sarlak (Persepolis), Ahmad Nourollahi (Shabab Al-Ahli), Omid Ebrahimi (Al-Wakrah).

Forwards: Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Feyenoord), Mehdi Taremi (FC Porto), Karim Ansarifard (Omania), Vahid Amiri (Persepolis), Mehdi Torabi (Persepolis), Ali Gholizadeh (Charleroi), Sardar Azmoun (Bayern 04 Leverkusen).

Azmoun’s injury is a worry as World Cup is fast approaching

News of Sardar Azmoun’s injury has been widly circulating in the German social media. According to a fan report and quoted by Fars news agency, Sardar Azmoun, the Team Melli and Bayer Leverkusen’s striker suffered a complication while warming up against Porto in the UEFA Champions League match just before being substituted in.
Azmoun suffered from a strained biceps muscle, had an MRI Thursday morning, and the result of the tests by the German club’s doctors show that the player requires 4 to 5 weeks of rest. With this situation, the Team Melli striker does not have any particular problem to participate in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 after completing his treatment and recuperation period.

With the fact that there are only 45 days left until Iran’s first match against England on Monday 21st November, according to the diagnosis of the Medical Staff of Azmoun’s injury, declaring that the player’s injury will be resolved by then., however, Azmoun will be critically short of match practice and/or recovery training for the first match at least.

Bayer Leverkusen’s medical team will update the club on regular basis. Team Melli has yet to comment on the situation.

GARETH SOUTHGATE has travelled to Vienna to watch Iran play Senegal.

 

The England manager is busy preparing for the Qatar World Cup after the Three Lions’ Nations League campaign concluded with a 3-3 draw against Germany.

And with England set to take on Iran in their opening World Cup fixture, Southgate is doing his homework in person. He was joined by his assistant manager Steve Holland at the behind closed doors match. Southgate, 52, was likely casting an eye over Iran’s dangermen to work out how to nullify Carlos Queiroz’s side.

The England boss looked in good spirits despite mounting pressure on his team and took time to pose for photos with fans ahead of kick-off. Despite a run of six matches without a win Southgate has belief in his squad and is re-assured by the leadership qualities some players have shown in recent days.

He said after the Germany match: “Some of the more senior players have been outstanding. “They asked for a meeting on their own to talk things through. For me, that was such a positive sign. The best football teams have a real core of players that drive things.

“To have the right sort of messages filtering through to the group to keep people on track is crucial. We need to stay calm. “We have been through times like this before but they are all learning together. The message is we must stick to what we do. “You will have pressure in a World Cup. It may be in a group game or in a quarter-final. It is better we feel it and learn how to feel about it.

England are joined by Iran, Wales, and the USA in the Group. Iran and England have never met at the international level.

There was no word from Southgate after the end of the match.

Daily Mail : SPECIAL REPORT: Iran are in chaos

SPECIAL REPORT: Iran are in chaos ahead of the World Cup as unrest grows in the country… protestors ejected from Uruguay friendly by police, our reporter was banned from attending and players were ‘forced to delete’ their support online

  • Iran having struggles with protests in the country ahead of World Cup in Qatar
  • Protesters were ejected from their friendly match against Uruguay by police
  • Players appear to have been ‘forced to delete their support on social media  

 

By IAN HERBERT FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED: 

It really should not happen to a former Real Madrid manager and one-time assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson but Carlos Queiroz was laying out the cones for an Iran training session in an obscure Vienna suburb last Thursday afternoon, having played a part in heading off a diplomatic incident.

The session, for a team who beat Uruguay 1-0 in a World Cup warm-up the following night, seemed to bring pleasure to a 69-year-old who has been re-hired to stop the rot in the Iran national side — even though he is being paid a mere £50,000 for a four-month contract which expires after the World Cup. His six coaches are on less than £30,000 between them.

The diplomatic role is trickier, given that Iran is in the midst of huge and escalating public protest after the death in custody of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by the state’s morality police for allegedly improperly wearing a hijab and headscarf. Football worries the Iranian state because the nation’s football players have a habit of speaking their minds.

Against this backdrop, The Mail on Sunday arrived here last Wednesday to find we were among several western media organizations to have had our accreditation for the game withdrawn — on the orders of the Iranian state, according to several sources. The game was all ready to be played behind closed doors at the insistence of the Iranians, who were technically the hosts.

Our subsequent approach to the Iranian FC vice-president Mahdi Mohammadnabi, at the team hotel, revealed just how terrified officials are about taking any step that the state apparatus might disapprove of. Mohammadnabi, a shambling figure in a shabby coat and cheap training gear, said nothing to us or Persian-speaking colleagues, apart from refusing us access to Queiroz.

  • Iranians have been protesting after Mahsa Amini was arrested by the state morality police

The manager then emerged from a hotel dining area to say he would speak beside the training pitch to the few reporters present. This appeared to be a test of whether there were enemies in Iran’s midst. Within 18 hours our accreditation was mysteriously restored. Threats of having to surrender mobile phones never materialized.

Queiroz appears to have the power to act as a de-facto independent foreign envoy for Iran and maintain a semblance of credibility for its hapless FA. He is not afraid to speak because he does not live in fear of the state, as the FA officials do. He does not have a family in Iran to worry about. The Iranian state badly needs him, too, though as yet Queiroz has gone nowhere towards commenting on the treatment of women such as Amini.

Iran seem to have thought that protest would never follow them to St Polten, a sleepy town 50 miles west of Vienna where this surreal match took place.

But dissent stalked the place. Around 150 supporters of each side who were given entry, supposedly as VIPs, included two men who held up an image of Amini during the second half. They were immediately apprehended by Austrian police officers and frog-marched out of the stadium through a VIP lounge.

  • The Mail on Sunday’s press passes were restored allowing them to speak to Queiroz

Austrian police spokesman Raimund Schwaigerlehner told The Mail on Sunday yesterday that the protesters had left the stadium ‘voluntarily.’ Once removed, they insisted they had had every right to protest peacefully. It was an extraordinary scene to observe in a democratic European country. The Austrians, tied up in knots by the Iranian state, also made the bizarre claim that any protest must ‘be registered with the competent authority’ up to 48 hours before it takes place. This was merely two men with an A4-size poster.

On the field of play, some degree of sanity has been preserved after the implosion of the team under Croatian manager Dragan Skocic, Queiroz’s predecessor — who some players viewed with contempt. There were stories of training sessions involving little more than a ‘crossbar challenge’. One source felt the Iranians were particularly keen to get the proven Queiroz back because of the politically charged nature of Group B. ‘The thought of losing both to the USA and England is unthinkable for the Iranian state,’ the source said.

Queiroz certainly has his work cut out, having been re-installed just two months before the tournament. He hinted on Thursday that the team will still be playing friendlies in the week before they take on England. There has been talk of a friendly against Russia in Doha that week, though Tehran seems a more likely venue.

 

  • Queiroz insists that Iran are going to compete at the World Cup and are not ‘no-hopers’

The manager dismissed Iran’s tag as the no-hopers of their group. ‘I don’t care about what others think. I care about us,’ said Queiroz. ‘I can’t control other people’s opinions. We have our strengths and qualities, but we have weaknesses like all teams. The time comes to speak on the pitch.’

The re-appointment of Queiroz has created a huge sudden sense of expectation and a first-ever advance to the knockout stages is now expected at home. The impressive 1-0 win over a strong Uruguay, with Porto forward Mehdi Taremi scoring, will heighten expectation. Iran are a technically effective side who press hard and, on the basis of Friday night, can whip the ball around rapidly. They are also up for a battle, as defender Hossein Kanaani, a big influence, proved by going nose to nose with Luis Suarez after a disagreement.

But the political controversy will stalk Iran and the world cannot be shut out in Doha, where protest groups are likely to gather. Queiroz will field a battery of questions.

  • One player that has given support is former Bayern Munich midfielder Ali Karimi

Some of those Iranian players who have found their voice — such as former Bayern Munich midfielder Ali Karimi, with 11.4million Instagram followers — are now retired. But Zobeir Niknafs, who plays for Tehran side Esteghlal, shaved his head in an Instagram post which was a vivid display of solidarity with the protests.

The core of Queiroz’s squad have also made it clear they will not be silenced. No fewer than seven, including the stars of the win over Uruguay, have changed Twitter profile pictures to black markers, in their own gesture of support. When the team return to the St Polten stadium on Wednesday for another friendly behind closed doors, against Senegal, protests about Amini’s death are expected outside. Austrian Police will be reluctant to be drawn into arrests in a nation where the right to protest is sacrosanct. This is how it will be from now on. Iran, a side of great promise, will take fireworks wherever they go.

Mehdi Taj desperately seeking Queiroz !

Mehdi Taj once again succeeded in winning the majority votes (exactly the same number as his last election!) in the general assembly of the FFIRI to become The President in the 8th election and to manage the affairs of the country’s highest football institution for a period of two and a half years.

His selection fueled the rumor of the termination of Dragan Skocic’s contract as the head coach of the Team Melli once again leaving the Croatian coach in a state of stress and instability while the national team is preparing for the training camp in Austria including two much-needed friendly internationals against Uruguay and Senegal.

Skočić, who seems to take every opportunity to ensure his continuation on the bench of the best team of the Asian ranking and play in the FIFA 2022 World Cup, accommodates every request from the federation officials so that maybe the meeting with the hierarchy at the request of Hamid Estili can bring him closer and closer to this personal goal.


On the other hand, the opposition by some players in the squad such as Ehsan HajSafi, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Karim Ansarifard, Mehdi Tarimi, etc., with the continuation of the Croat man on the bench, is still strong leading HajSafi to travel all the way from Athens to Tehran for just a few hours just to cast his vote for Mehdi taj in the elections. Hajsafy’s flight schedule was so tight that he took special permission to cast his vote even before the ballots were open as his return flight departure was tight. He stayed a few hours in Tehran only and that highlighted the desperation of this group against Skočić.

Taj has blatantly shown that he has no interest in Skocic staying. After taking office, the president who returned to the football federation initiated the project of Carlos Queiroz’s return to Iran as a top priority. To ensure all matters and contract details are ironed out, Mehdi Taj had a facetime meeting with the Portuguese coach.

Queiroz was fired from his last post in two managerial/coaching posts. After he left Iran, he took over Colombia in 2019.

In the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifications, Colombia’s performance slipped disastrously, with a 0–3 home loss to Uruguay (its worst ever home loss for 82 years) before being shockingly thrashed 1–6 by Ecuador, and this finally put the end of Carlos Queiroz’s reign as Colombia’s boss.

On 8 September 2021, Queiroz was employed by Egypt FA.

Egypt qualified for the third round of the World Cup qualifications to face Senegal for a spot in the World Cup in Qatar. However, after a 1–0 win in Cairo, and a 1–0 loss in Dakar, Egypt lost in penalties; hence, they failed to reach the final competition. He later agreed with the Egyptian Football Association to terminate his contract by mutual consent.

The failure of Egypt in qualifying for FIFA  World Cup 2022 occurred despite the availability of World Class players  Mohammed Salah of Liverpool in the squad,

In audio and video calls with Mehdi Taj, Queiroz put his demands, terms, and conditions on the table to Mehdi Taj who seems to have accepted Queiroz’s personal and financial terms outright in the same manner that he did the Wilmots contract. but Taj, this time needs not only the approval of the Football Federation’s Board of Directors but also the consent of the high-profile opponents of Portuguese man, and that includes personnel in the corridors of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Queiroz left with only a handful of friends in 2019 after Iran’s drubbing by the Japanese team in the semi-finals of the AFC Asian Cup. That 3-0 loss was the biggest in over thirty years. Many members of the parliament,  the Islamic Council, are not too keen on the return of the vindictive and confrontational coach who does tend to intimidate anyone who opposes him or his ideas.

To demonstrate how evidently anti-Skoci Mehdi Taj is, In the past week since he won the election, Taj has yet to hold any meeting with Dragan Skocic or Hamid Estili and to demonstrate for all that he is still not convinced and unwilling to see the Croat at the helm of Team Melli.

The new management team of the Football Federation is actively pursuing the dismissal of Skocic, while there is still some strong support for the Croat from other borad directors such as Mirshad Majdi. However, Taj lobby seems to be gaining ground but the number of his supporters is on the rise.

Taj needs the signature of five other members of the board of directors to formalize the contract with Carlos Queiroz. Mehr reporter has been informed that seven of the board members are completely in favor of Queiroz’s return in order to appease Mehdi Taj who has put this issue at the top of his priorities.

The struggle and the politics to determine the head coach of Iran’s national team continues while the 2022 World Cup starts in nearly 75 days. The FIFA Day games schedule also shows that there are only 17 days to hold national team camps in September and November.

Assuming All matters are sorted out, any coach needs to have divine power to turn the fortunes of Team Melli which is suffering from a serious loss of confidence, form, and mental stress from the infighting between the two groups of players within the camp.

Carlos Queiroz, if selected certainly does not have such divine power as he failed to demonstrate any in the 8 years at the helm of Tema Melli. What he has, however, are two vital elements, one of which is to his personal benefit and that is his professionalism in contract negotiation. He had learned the shortfalls of the previous contracts and how easily the FFIRI repeatedly fails to honor the financial terms of contracts.  Taking that into consideration, he is dictating all the terms on a desperate Mehdi taj and that includes contract payments in US dollars deposited in a foreign bank, most possibly in Dubai plus no promises of any success in the FIFA World Cup 2022. Time is too short for proper preparation, and no one can dispute that, can they?

The second attribute is the strong no-nonsense character that he has demonstrated time and time again. He will have no second thought about kicking sulky or indisciplined players such as Taremi out of the squad. There is no such thing as players’ powers in the Queiroz dictionary. The reality is, that Iran’s football needs a decisive character like Queiroz else some immature players will wreck the ship.

Alireza Faghani on VAR system in Iran.

On the sidelines of the World Cup unveiling ceremony, Alireza Faghani, Iran’s international football referee said: “I am happy that we are one of the countries that have hosted this event and can take advantage of this opportunity. I hope this World Cup will be successful so that we can advance to the next round.”

“Our goal is to referee the Qatar FIFA World Cup final.

The most celebrated and successful Iranian international referee commented on his attendance of referees VAR system qualification: “I, along with my assistants, are the only Iranian referees who passed the course related to the use of video assistant referees VAR.
Regarding his refereeing in the domestic Premier League, he stated: “I can confirm that there have been negotiations in order for us to be available in the Premier League competitions and continue our activities.”

Faghani emphasized the need for VAR in the Premier League: If VAR comes with the current mindset, then nothing will change. When the mentalities and structure are not changed, problems will definitely remain in the league, and if some behaviors and thoughts are not corrected, this process and persistent protests to refereeing will continue.”

On the performance of young referees, he commented:” Just as the teams are focusing on youth, the refereeing community has also added some young referees. They make mistakes like veteran referees, but the point is that coaches need to treat young referees differently. These referees should be given a chance to express themselves.”

The Welsh rating Wales chances in the FIFA World Cup 2022.

How Far Can Wales Go at the Upcoming World Cup?

The Welsh, or their media at least, seemed to be hyped up for the World Cup. As usual in the football press in the West, their groundwork and background knowledge is quite poor as they seem to gauge and judge the opposition on the number of footballers playing in the English Premier League rather than proper analysis and knowledge of the team. This Welsh reporter’s article highlights the lack of depth when he considers USA Team’s chances above Iran because of two American footballers one playing with Juventus and the other in Chelsea !!

When the unfortunate Andriy Yarmolenko nodded into his own net after a wicked Gareth Bale freekick, Wales could finally return to the FIFA World Cup after 62 long years. But how far can the Dragons truly go? Oddschecker, which provides free offers for online casinos and sportsbooks, doesn’t rate Robert Page’s men’s chances very highly. Admittedly no one expects the FIFA World Cup trophy to be paraded around the streets of Cardiff a few days before Christmas, but Wales are priced alongside the likes of Serbia, Canada, and Ecuador in terms of outright betting.

That won’t bother Bale and co. one bit though. We all recall the summer of 2016 in France. During that European Championship campaign, Wales was also unfancied. They went on to top a group containing England, Russia, and Slovakia. After that, they edged out a 1-0 victory over Northern Ireland in the last 16, before the greatest result in the country’s history in the quarter-finals. That was, of course, the 3-1 victory over tournament favorites Belgium. Goals from captain Ashley Williams, Hal Robson-Kanu, and Sam Vokes were enough to seal a 3-1 victory over Roberto Martinez’s men, with the nation celebrating the victory long into the night.

Eventual winners Portugal would prove one step too far in the semifinal, cruising to a 2-0 victory. But is there anything stopping Wales from achieving a similar result in Qatar?

Getting out of the group should be the primary objective

Once again, Wales have been drawn alongside old rivals England in the group stages. The other two sides in Group B are Iran and USA. On paper, the draw could have been much worse. Admittedly, the Three Lions are the favorites to secure the top spot. But, Robert Page will be looking at the other two nations as beatable. To be fair, even England isn’t impenetrable. Wales gave them all they could handle at Euro 2016, even leading through Bale’s thunderous freekick at the halfway mark. It took Daniel Sturridge’s last gasp winner to break Welsh hearts, but don’t count them out on gaining revenge for that day in Lens.

Photo credit : Hostpry of Soccer
Photo credit: History Of Soccer

Iran are the obvious weak link in the group, and victory against Dragan Skočić’s side is imperative if there is to be a success.

The US, however, are a much trickier opponent. They boast the likes of Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic and Juventus’ Weston McKennie in their ranks, and they are expected to progress from the group stages at Wales’ expense. That fixture between the pair on the World Cup’s opening day is most definitely winnable though. And if Wales does win that game, it is highly likely that they will progress to the knockout stages.

Progress, and who knows where from there? 

If Wales can somehow make their way out of the group stages, it’s highly likely that it will be as group runners-up. That would probably set up a last-16 tussle with either Senegal or the Netherlands.

Senegal is the reigning champions of Africa, an honor they earned by defeating Mohamed Salah’s Egypt on penalties in Cameroon this winter to seal their first ever Africa Cup of Nations victory. Spearheaded by Bayern Munich’s new boy Sadio Mane, the Lions of Teranga would provide a stern test in the second round.

The Netherlands would also be quite the challenge. Wales, however, can take solace from the fact that the Oranje were eliminated at the same stage during last summer’s delayed European Championships. Second-half goals from Tomáš Holeš and Patrik Schick were enough to seal a 2-0 victory for the Czech Republic in Budapest and if the Red Dragons are to face Virgil Van Dijk and co, you can expect them to study that match in detail to prepare for the showdown.

Should Wales progress beyond the last 16, the tournament will have already been a rousing success. Anything further than that and we should all just enjoy the ride, as we all have already been doing throughout the last decade, the most successful era in the history of Welsh football.