Tag: Japan

2023 AFC Asian Cup to kick off in January 2024!

DOHA, March 1 ) —  AFC Asian Cup  2023 the 18th edition of the continent’s premier tournament will be held from January 12th to February 10th, 2024 in Qatar, the Qatar Football Association (QFA) announced on Tuesday. Qatar is the defending champion.

The tournament was originally scheduled to be held in China from 16 June to 16 July 2023. On 14 May 2022, the AFC announced that China would not host the tournament due to the circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and China’s Zero-COVID policy.

The QFA also announced the establishment of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of the AFC Asian Cup, and its president Ahmed Al-Thani was named as the chairman of the LOC.

In October 2022, Qatar was awarded by AFC to host the tournament, which has 24 participating teams.

The draw for the group stages will be announced by AFC based on the seeding of the teams according to the FIFA Ranking of December 2022. However, this seeding might change as the tournament comes closer. Two top teams of each group will qualify for the knock-out stages plus four best third-place teams from the six groups.

From the December 2022 FIFA World Rankings
Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4
 Qatar (60) (hosts)
 Japan (20)
 Iran (24)
Korea Rep. (25)
 Australia (27)
 Saudi Arabia (49)		  Iraq (68)
 UAE (70)
 Oman (75)
 China (80)
 Syria (90)
 Vietnam (96)		  Lebanon (100)
 Uzbekistan (77)
 Jordan (84)
 Bahrain (85)
 Palestine (93)
 Kyrgyzstan (94)		  India (106)
 Tajikistan (108)
 Thailand (111)
 Malaysia (145)
 Hong Kong (146)
 Indonesia (151)

 

Venues

Five host cities were submitted in the 2023 bid, including seven stadiums prepared for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The Lusail Stadium was proposed to host the final and a semi-final, with the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor to host the other semi-final. However, the official stadiums for the tournament have not been announced yet.

 

City/Area Stadium Capacity
Lusail Lusail Stadium 88,966
Al Khor Al Bayt Stadium 68,895
Al Rayyan Khalifa International Stadium 45,857
Ahmad bin Ali Stadium 45,032
Education City Stadium 44,667
Doha Al Thumama Stadium 44,400
Qatar University Stadium 20,600
Al Wakrah Al Janoub Stadium 44,325

Iran drops 4 places in FIFA Ranking

After Argentina’s victory in the World Cup 2022 in Qatar in its 22nd edition FIFA announced the new ranking which was highly influenced by the results of this World Cup.

According to the new announcement by FIFA, Iran’s national football team, which was in the group B with England, Wales, and the United States, was heavily defeated by England 6-2, won 2-0  against Wales, and lost narrowly to the United States 1-0, ending its matches in third place while failing to advance to the knockout stages. Iran dropped four places compared to the previous FIFA ranking and stood at 24th place in the world ranking.

The Iranian national team is also no longer the top team in Asia and gave away that rank to Japan, which has performed marvelously as the best among Asian teams. The position of the Iranian and Japanese national football teams was changed both in Asia and in the world. Japan jumped to 20th in World Ranking four ranks above Iran. The gap that is created now means that Iran will be struggling to match the Japanese to regain the top spot. In fact, Iran will have a great challenge from the third rank team Korea Rep. too as it is breathing down Iran’s neck with a difference of 18 points only, Australia in fourth, not far behind, will also threaten to overtake Iran.

The disappointment follows the return of the ineffective and shady Mehdi Taj as the head of the football federation dominated by government loyalists and will continue as the anguished FFIRI are looking to hold on to the perpetual loser, Carlos Queiroz as the head coach of Team Melli post World Cup

The AFC Asian Cup 2023 remains the biggest challenge and barring a miracle, Iran will once again struggle to make it through to the finals or win the trophy back after 47 years.

 

 

AFC Rank
World Ranking
Team
Total Points
Previous Points
+/-
1
20
Japan
 Japan
1593.08
 1559.54 33.54
2
24
IR Iran
 Iran
1551.73
 1564.61 -12.88
3
25
Korea Republic
 Korea Republic
1539.49
 1530.3 9.19
4
27
Australia
 Australia
1533.97
 1488.72 45.25
5
49
Saudi Arabia
 Saudi Arabia
1438.13
 1437.78 0.35
6
60
Qatar
 Qatar
1393.56
 1439.89 -46.33
7
68
Iraq
 Iraq
1342.39
 1343.01 -0.62
8
70
United Arab Emirates
 United Arab Emirates
1338.48
 1337.57 0.91
9
75
Oman
 Oman
1321.24
 1320.29 0.95
10
77
Uzbekistan
 Uzbekistan
1312.64
 1309.98 2.66

 

 

Saudi Arabia set to host 2027 Asian Cup after India withdraws bid

Saudi Arabia looks set to host the 2027 Asian Cup after becoming the sole bidder for the tournament when India withdrew its bid.

LUSAIL CITY, QATAR - NOVEMBER 22: Saudi Arabia players celebrate the 2-1 win during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group C match between Argentina and Saudi Arabia at Lusail Stadium on November 22, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Clive Brunskill / Getty Images)

LUSAIL CITY, QATAR – NOVEMBER 22: Saudi Arabia players celebrate the 2-1 win during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group C match between Argentina and Saudi Arabia at Lusail Stadium on November 22, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Clive Brunskill / Getty Images)© Clive Brunskill

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said in a statement that the All India Football Federation had pulled out from the selection but did not provide any reasons for India’s decision.

In October, the AFC’s executive committee shortlisted India and Saudi Arabia as potential hosts. Iran which submitted its own bid also withdrew for unknown reasons.

“The Asian Football Confederation has been officially notified by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) of their decision to withdraw their bid from the AFC Asian Cup 2027 host selection process,” the regional body said Monday without elaborating.

Three-time champions Saudi Arabia will now probably host their first AFC Asian Cup. The AFC Congress will formally decide on the host in the Bahrain capital of Manama in February next year.

Saudi Arabia caused one of the biggest shocks in the ongoing World Cup in Qatar when they beat Argentina 2-1 in their opening match, although the team were not able to advance past the group stage.

The 2023 Asian Cup will also be hosted by Qatar. It was previously set to be held in China but the country withdrew because of its Covid-19 guidelines.

The Asian Cup is staged every four years. Qatar won the tournament’s last edition, in 2019, which was hosted by the UAE.

Results by nation

AFC Asian Cup winners 
National team Winners Runners-up Total Years won Years runners-up
 Japan 4 1 5 1992, 2000, 2004, 2011 2019
 Saudi Arabia 3 3 6 1984, 1988, 1996 1992, 2000, 2007
 Iran 3 0 3 1968, 1972, 1976 –
 South Korea 2 4 6 1956, 1960 1972, 1980, 1988, 2015
 Israel 1 2 3 1964 1956, 1960
 Kuwait 1 1 2 1980 1976
 Australia 1 1 2 2015 2011
 Iraq 1 0 1 2007 –
 Qatar 1 0 1 2019 –

Shamsaei to continue as Futsal head coach!

Iran’s national futsal team returned to Iran on Sunday from Kuwait, after losing to Japan in the finals of the 16th AFC Asian Futsal Cup. Ehsan Usooli, head of Iran’s futsal committee, who was in Kuwait with the national team, was questioned by the media at the airport who were seeking some justifications for the avoidable loss.

in response to reporters’ questions, Usooli said that  Vahid Shamsaei, the head coach, will continue to be employed according to his contract. The contract of Shamsai and his assistants with the national team is until the end of 1401 (March 2023) adding that this contract will probably be extended for another year. Shamsaei has experienced three competitions as Iran’s futsal head coach. First, in the preliminary and qualifying rounds of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup and then the Thailand Continental tournament where Iran lost to Morocco in the final, while the last one was in the appearance  AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2022 where he again tasted defeat in the final match against Japan. Currently, the Iranian national team does not have a special plan after the Asian Championship, and it seems unlikely that the Caspian tournament will be held with the participation of teams such as Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan.

Usooli did not indicate if there will be an internal review of Shamsaei’s performance and failures and his suggestion that Shamsei will be continued as a head coach indicates that there will be no performance analysis.

Shamsaei in a bold but not very wise move completely overhauled the national team getting rid of most of the players that were winners of trophies at the Asian level and performed admirably at FIFA competitions. However, that was a major mistake by the relatively inexperienced coach and it meant that Iran lost its title in a match that a more experienced coach and players would have probably won easily.

Iran loses the Futsal final to Japan.

the-afc.com
Kuwait City: Japan beat Iran 3-2 to lift the AFC Futsal Asian Cup™ Kuwait 2022 title at the Saad Al Abdullah Hall on Saturday.
Kenichiro Kogure’s side showed tremendous grit to come from behind to reclaim the trophy they last won in 2014, taking their overall tally to four titles.
Iran, who had scored 37 goals en route to reaching the final, started as aggressively as ever with Hossein Tayebi and Alireza Rafiei Pour making early attempts at goal.

As head coach Kenichiro Kogure had anticipated, Japan were forced to play defence against Iran’s incessant pressure, with their best chances coming from counter-attacks and set-pieces.
Japan captain Arthur Oliveira, however, nearly stunned the defending champions in the eighth minute when his attempt off Soma Mizutani’s pass rocked the crossbar.

Iran almost paid a price again for their aggression a minute later after committing a foul at the edge of the box, but Oliveira’s free-kick was superbly saved by Saied Momeni.
Iran, however, continued to play their style of attacking futsal and after 15 minutes of testing Guilherme Kuromoto, Saied Ahmad Abbasi collected Mahdi Karimi’s pass and let loose a superb shot into the bottom right corner to open the scoring.
Japan, the only other team to have won the AFC Futsal Asian Cup, were unfazed and drew level a minute later when Mohammedhossein Derakhshani failed to intercept Kuromoto’s long-range throw into the final third, allowing Kazuya Shimizu to equalise with a brilliant right-footed shot.
Iran looked to close the first half strongly but Tayebi and Abbasi’s efforts were denied by Kuromoto’s quick reflexes as both sides entered the halftime break with the title still very much up for grabs.
Iran’s waves of attacks continued in the opening minutes of the second half with Abbasi and Moslem Oladghobad forcing parries out of Kuromoto in the opening minutes but Rafiei Pour’s foul on Shimizu in the 27th minute gave Japan a lifeline.

Oliveira stepped up to take the free-kick and the skipper made no mistake as he smashed his effort home to put Japan ahead for the first time.
The goal stunned Iran – who had only conceded two goals in their previous five matches – into action as they increased the intensity of their attacks in search of the equaliser.

Iran would have equalised moments later through Abbasi’s strike if it weren’t for Kuromoto’s fine save, with the keeper standing tall against Salar Aghapour’s effort in the 29th minute to maintain Japan’s  lead.
With the clock ticking, Iran head coach Vahid Shamsaee employed power play for the first time in Iran’s campaign with Tayebi donning the keeper’s jersey in the 36th minute.

Tayebi came closest in the 39th minute with his strike deflecting off the upright but there was to be more woe for Iran with Abbasi slotting the ball into the back of his own net in the final 30 seconds.

Iran pulled one back through Alireza Javan Shahkali with a second left on the clock but it was meant to be Japan’s final to celebrate.

Futsal Team Melli on a roll, defeats Thailand in the semifinals.

Iran breezed to a 5-0 win over Thailand in their AFC Futsal Asian Cup™ Kuwait 2022 semi-final on Thursday.
The win took Iran to within one match of lifting the title for a record-extending 13th time with Japan – the only other team to have won the coveted crown – awaiting them in Saturday’s final.
Iran enjoyed the best of starts as they opened the scoring as early as the first minute when skipper Hossein Tayyebi collected goalkeeper Saeid Momeni’s long-range pass at the edge of the box to smash home his 10th goal of the tournament.
Despite the early setback, Thailand kept their cool and carried on with their game plan, luring Iran into their own half before launching crosses into the final third, but the defending champions were quick on their feet to protect Momeni’s goalmouth.

Iran, however, were the more dangerous side and nearly doubled their lead in the sixth minute when a series of quick exchanges in the box baffled the Thai defence, but Mohammadhossein Bazyar couldn’t get his strike on target.
Charoondej Muenthiang, one of Thailand’s key players with his speed, had several efforts but none troubled Momeni.

At the other end, Thailand custodian Katawut Hankampa denied Tayebi and Mohammadhossein Derakhshani in the closing minutes of the first half to keep his team in the match going into the break.
Iran stepped up a gear in the second half and doubled their lead in the 22nd minute with Derakhshani heading home Salar Aghapour’s cross from close range.

Two turned to three in the 24th minute when Alireza Rafiei Pour intercepted a pass, before teeing up Moslem Oladghobad (pictured below), who scored from almost 20 meters out.
Thailand should have pulled one back three minutes later when Muenthiang collected a loose ball before sending it to Jetsada Chudech who – with only the keeper to beat – slammed his effort straight into Momeni.

Iran were not as wasteful and they found their fourth in the 27th minute through Oladghobad’s strike from a kick-in set-piece, before Derakhshani netted his second goal a minute later, courtesy of Aghapour’s sublime assist.

With a mountain to climb, Thailand head coach Carlos Cesar Gago initiated power play with Panut Kittipanuwong coming off the bench in the 29th minute, but there was not to be even a consolation as Iran cruised into the final.

Huge embarrassment and chaos in the World Cup Trophy unveiling in Tehran!

Iran’s reputation in events organization and management has once again been tarnished and NOT for the first time either!

The unveiling of the FIFA World Cup Trophy in Tehran could have turned into a real tragedy due to overcrowding, chaos, and poor management by the event presenter.

After touring several countries starting from Australia and Japan, on its way to Saudi Arabia and finally to Europe, Africa, and America, the World Cup Trophy arrived in Iran for the first time. As one of the qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, The Iranians were given the opportunity to view the actual trophy.

The ceremony, in which unlimited numbers of guests like veterans, city counselors, and the many representatives from clubs were invited was abruptly cut short in the worst possible and truly embarrassing way. While this event was scheduled about a year ago and the FFIRI was aware that the World Cup Trophy tour is going to be held by passing through all qualified 32 countries, the unveiling ceremony of this trophy in Borj Milad turned into an ugly scene as a result of the wrong decisions of the organizers, and specifically the host of the show.

The shambolic presence of a countless number of people on the stage, all kissing and hugging around the trophy, while others jumped in for selfies and photo shots, became so awful it resembled the crowd in the bazaar. These scenes forced the lady representatives of FIFA, to quickly take the trophy off the stand fearing permanent damage to this expensive and exquisite piece of art.

enough is enough, we are taking the trophy and heading out!

The Lady quickly returned the trophy into a special suitcase and ran out of the hall (picture above)

According to FIFA protocols, the unveiling ceremony of the World Cup Cup was supposed to be held in the presence of six people and by a FIFA representative, but none of these regulations were observed in Iran. Instead,  in direct violation of the protocols and FIFA Guideline for this event, the show host, Javad Khiabani invited a large number of veterans to the stage all at the same time, creating a mess with people squeezing in to find space to stand.

Not satisfied by the crowds already on stage, the presenter invited even more guests to create complete chaos in the conference hall of Milad Tower in Tehran. It was so bad it could have ended in heavy cost financially and morally.

The lack of proper planning for the unveiling of this valuable trophy, which reached Iran for the first time in its 90-year history, led to the bitter words by one of the representatives of the football federation, who accused those present in the hall of “not respecting Iranian culture and customs”. The chaos occurred in the background of Iran repeatedly claiming that it is ready to help Qatar in holding part of the important event of the world cup in Iran and providing assistance and support. The pictures and videos released from the World Cup Trophy unveiling ceremony, however, paint an entirely different picture. Those were proof of the fact that the Iranian football administration is incapable of organizing the simplest of events let alone helping in organizing events such as the World Cup. Lack of respect for protocols and guidelines is one of the biggest failures but not the only one.

It seems that one year was not enough time to do proper planning for the unveiling ceremony, but in the end, this ceremony, which could have gone so smoothly and briefly, turned into a bitter experience of incompetence and disarray highlighting the lack of organization, poor insights, chaotic behavior, lack of respect and tragic poor planning model. Comparing today’s unveiling ceremony in Iran to what happened in Australia and Japan shows a huge difference in the culture, event planning, and organization. There is an obvious ocean between them and Iran.

Team Melli invited for a friendly international to Japan in June.

Now that Team Melli secured qualification to the finals stages of the FIFA World Cup 2022, the federation has started planning for the next stage and has received offers for friendly international matches.

One of these proposals is the invitation of the Japan Football Federation JFF for a friendly match in Japan on FIFA day in  June this year. Japan, whose qualification to the World Cup is not final yet, has asked for a preparatory game with Team Melli during that period. The final decision on holding this match, despite the request of the Japanese, is still not finalized.

“Some matches are already scheduled for June,” Team Melli head coach  Dragan Skocic said in his latest interview. “We also received an invitation from Japan. Let’s see what happens. There are some scheduling work that needs to be ironed out and many plans to address. The most crucial thing is to be well prepared before we fly to Doha”

FIFA World Futsal, Iran facing Uzbekistan.

The regional rivals, Iran and Uzbekistan meet on Friday evening for a place in the quarter-finals of the FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021.

The two teams have met 30 times with Uzbekistan failing to win any match against Iran. The last time the two teams met in Bangkok, the match was competitive as the Uzbeks tested Team Melli to the limit managing to score 5 times, which is a rarity against Iran in Asian Competitions.

29-Jul-21

Continental Champ Bangkok

Iran vs. Uzbekistan

7    –   5 

Scorers: Farhad Tavakoli (2), Behzad Azimi , Asghar Hassanzadeh , Mahdi Javid , Saeed Abbasi (2)

Head Coach Nazim Al-Sharia has already warned his players of any complacency especially since Uzbekistan has been preparing quite well for this world cup.

Iran will go into the match with Hossein Tayebi, the leading scorer, still not fully fit for the match against Uzbekistan in the Round of 16. The head coach said that although Tayyebi has been training with the team, he is still not 100% fit enough, and will miss the Uzbekistan match.

Saeed Ahmad Abbasi and Moslem Oulad-Ghobad, two other players who had slight injuries are fully fit and available for selection.

Meanwhile, in the FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021, the three-time Asian champions Japan enjoyed a dream start against Brazil when Shota Hoshi opened the scoring in the fourth minute but Ferrao responded almost immediately for Brazil, who turned on the power in the second half to confirm a quarter-final meeting with Morocco. Thailand was beaten comprehensively by Kazakhstan 7-0 while Vietnam fought gallantly against Russia but lost 3-2 and was eliminated.

Iran and Uzbekistan remain the only AFC representatives with the quarter-final having a place for One Asian Team only.

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