IRIFF is to arrange a charter flight for Team Melli for their trip to Southern China. 

Team Melli is scheduled to play away to China on 6th September 2016 , 5 days after meeting Qatar in Azadi Stadium. ” the federation has managed to secure a charter flight for Team Melli for the long trip to Southern China .” IRIFF’s official  Gholamreza Behravan said . “This will reduce the burden of traveling and connection flights and will ensure that the players get enough rest before the match.”

IRIFF usually refrains from using charter flights due to cost, and uses commercial flights for Team Melli travels. However, in cases of difficult logistics, like the flight to Turkmenistan for the World Cup qualifiers, the federation has restored to charter flights while the air force has also supported the federation in some cases by providing military transport planes.

Behravan also said that IRIFF has requested that the match date against  South Korea on 11th October to be changed because it falls on Tasooa, a day before Ashoora. However, Behravan , admitted that chances of this happening and getting the nod from AFC and FIFA is quite remote. Such change in the carefully arranged and tight schedule of FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifiers will result in disruption for all the teams in the group and not only the two teams concerned. That raises the question of why ask in the first place if it is not a practical request?

On the league program. Behravan said that “after round 4 of the league, we will have to pause to allow Team Melli to prepare for the Qatar match. The team will conduct a training camp in Italy before playing against Qatar in Azadi.”