Tag: Malavan Anzali

The Marco Polo of Iranian Football.

The 25-year-old Team Melli holding midfielder left the ninth club team of his football career. Saeed Ezatollahi, the Al Gharafa midfielder, is gradually setting an interesting record in terms of changing teams. This Iranian player, a product of Malavan Bandar Anzali Academy, has played in 9 teams so far and is now looking to join his tenth club team.

Saeed Ezatollahi has quite often played for several clubs as a loan player, and if this trend continues, he may be able to set a world record by the end of his football career. Ezatollahi started his football career with the Bandar Anzali Malavan and was able to be quickly recognized as a phenomenon in Iranian football at an early age. He soon joined the Atletico Madrid C team but never managed to attract the attention of the senior team. Rostov, Anzhi Makhachkala, Amkar, Reading, Eupen, Vejle Boldklub, and Al Gharafa Qatar then. s in which the 25-year-old Iranian midfielder has played so far.

He is likely to be one of the players selected for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar and could experience his second World Cup appearance at the age of 26 and reach the peak of his maturity. The Iranian midfielder has not yet been able to establish himself in European football even in the lower-tier leagues. Being in the top teams in this continent has not helped Ezzatollahi much, and this talented player still has many years ahead of him but he mostly failed to choose the right team while his chronic injuries and inconsistency due to absence from the team have marred his career.

While being one of the best in Asia at younger age levels, he has managed to score only one goal in 44 national games for Team Melli. Many of the club teams he has selected are indicative of p[oor advice and career management. The Marco Polo of Iranian football performances has suffered frequently due to this unstable career.

It remains to be seen what Ezzatullahi will decide and where the winds will take him next.

In the Iranian football system and hierarchy, there is no specialist department for younger players with the potential to seek learned and professional advice to steer the players in the right direction in their professional careers. All such decisions are left to agents and brokers whose only interest is financial returns. The chaotic Football Federation has suffered chronic mismanagement and corruption making it unsuitable to be a platform for the development of younger players with potential. Other sports organizations in Iran are on par with FFIRI and are useless for guidance and career development.

Youth career
2008–2010 Shahrdari Bandar Anzali
2010–2014 Malavan
2014–2015 Atlético Madrid
Senior career
Years Team Matches Goals
2012–2014 Malavan 19 0
2014–2015 Atlético Madrid C 5 0
2015–2020 Rostov 18 -2
2017 → Anzhi Makhachkala (loan) 11 0
2017–2018 → Amkar Perm (loan) 16 -1
2018–2019 → Reading (loan) 4 0
2019–2020 → Eupen (loan) 4 0
2020– Vejle 42 -5
2022– → Al-Gharafa (loan) 4 0

Dragan Skočić appointed as Head Coach of Team Melli

The Croat coach Dragan Skočić has been appointed as the new head coach of Team Melli on Thursday.

The 51 years old Croatian has just resigned from his post as head coach of Persian Gulf League club Sanat Naft after a long dispute with the Abadani club for their failure to respect the contract and failure to provide proper support for the team.

A day after Dragan Skočić announced his departure from Sanat Naft Abadan, he was appointed as Team Melli head coach.

Skočić first arrived in Iran in 2013 where he coached Malavan Anzali where he could not have much success with the team. Next season he was recruited by Foolad Khuzestan where he remained for two seasons and managed to improve the results of the team but still could not win them any trophies. He left Iran in 2016.

In 2018 Skočić turned up again in Iran where he took over the coached of Azadegan league side Khooneh be Khooneh. A season later 2019 he was coaching  Sanat Naft Abadan in July before he resigned his post on 4th February 2020.

Zlatko Kranjcar with Dragan Skocic in a league match encounter
Zlatko Kranjcar (left) with Dragan Skocic (Right) in a league match encounter

During his long managerial career, in Croatia, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, Skočić managed only a single achievement with his home club Rijeka, winning the Croatian Cup for the 2005–06 season.

Team Melli is the first National Team coaching experience of Dragan Skočić

Daei scathing attack on Iran’s football regulations

 

The peculiar and unique regulations of some of the football laws in Iran, has resulted in a scathing criticism by the outspoken Ali Daei.

The ex-Team Melli captain and the world’s top international goal scoring record holder is currently the head coach of Saba Qom. In his short tenure with Saba , he has masterfully managed to create a solid team that has been climbing up the league table all the way as high as number 3.

Ali Daei was furious after the federation has ruled against Saba Qom using Farid Karimi in the match against Malavan Anzali and the forthcoming top of the table clash against Esteghlal Tehran. Karimi was undergoing the mandatory 2 years Military Service. During this time, Tractorasazi , managed to secure his services as a football player The team from Tabriz is among the few authorized clubs in Iran who are allowed to register  players during their 2 years’ service while they are denied the chance of playing for their team. Karimi has finished his Military Service in September and as such he should have been released to his original club, Saba Qom.  Tractorsazi , however, did not release Karimi until November!

Daei questioned several acts of injustice,  according to him , that resulted in his team being knocked out of the Hazfi cup. “In which system would you find a player that belongs to the club, who has been promoted through the ranks of the club, and gets his wages from the club, conveniently turns up for the opposition and plays  in an important game in a cup competition ? ”  Daei said in a pre- match press conference today.

“Mr. Hassanzadeh, the head of the Disciplinary committee, claims that in certain cases his committee has the right to arbitrate. I want to ask him, on what basis he intervenes and approves a sanction against my player, while the law very clear states that as soon as the player has finished his service, he is free to play with his club. What part of this law is confusing to Hassanzadeh in order for him to intervene and issue a contradicting order?”

“This system of playing for a military Club is unique to Iran and quite unfair.” Daei added.

Ali Daei , is part of increasingly large number of footballers, coaches and administrators who are critical of this system of Military teams getting unfair advantage by using players of other teams. However, only a few have been  vocal about it, Ali Daei being one of them. The ex-Persepolis and Bayern Munich players is one important personality in Iran’s football whose words can make a difference.

In the Persian Gulf League , Saba Qom is currently lying fourth in the table with 25 points. Daei’s team will be facing Esteghlal Tehran lying second with 27 points on Thursday.

Sadegh Droodgar urges Khakpour to step down.

The ex-CEO of Malavan Anzali,   Sadegh Droodgar who has worked with Mohammad Khakpour in Saipa , has urged the recently appointed Head Coach of Omid Team to step down to maintain his integrity and save his reputation.

In an open letter to Khakpour, Droodgar said that the fate of Omid team which carries hope of 80 million Iranians is NOT the right place for gaining experience. In this unique letter, Ddroodgar who has a long career in administrative jobs including as recently, an executive committee member of the FFIRI, said  “This responsivity requires the most experienced, the most knowledgeable and a veteran professional coach.  Although I do not doubt your knowledge and dedication, I ask you this question. If you were in a position of responsibility that requires you to deliver the dream that has lasted for 4 decades, wouldn’t you select the most experienced and the most capable, battle hardened coach to deliver this dream?”  

“I am speaking with you as I know that you are a man of honesty and integrity. You are well aware of the circumstances surrounding this federation, its failures, frailties, outside interferences and lack of resources. It is those misfortunes that has led this federation in a hasty decision-making process and left it handicapped fearing public and media backlash. I am speaking to your conscious. As a person who has repeatedly expressed your concerns about injustice, inequality and nepotism of this football.  It is in this sense that I am questioning how would you take a serious responsibility without having the proper credentials & qualifications for it. I am sure you would have been ideal as a team manager of Omid Team but by taking the full responsibility of coaching, you are really doing an injustice to yourself and the football of this proud nation.”

“The decision to appoint you by the federation was done on haste, lack of vision, confusion amongst other adversities. You are an asset of this country and have a great future. Do not burn it this early and this easily in the first step. This football can be cruel to our national heroes like Amir Ghalenboei and Ali Daei have already experienced at Team Melli. Perhaps their fate this should have been a reality check and an eye opener for our aspiring young national coaches.”

“Do the honorable, and allow someone with much more experience to take the responsibility and carry hope of this nation to fulfill a 40 years long dream.”

 Sadegh Droodgar is reflecting many observers and veterans who are shocked by this appointment.

Saeid Ezzatollahi signs for Atletico Madrid ‘B’

The 17 years old Malavan midfielder Saeid Ezzatollahi has signed  a one season long contract for Atletico Madrid to join their “B” team.
Club Atlético de Madrid B , founded in 1966, is the reserve team of Atlético Madrid and currently plays in Segunda División B, holding home games at Nuevo Cerro del Espino. It is referred to by the club as the Academy.
Segunda División B, is the third tier league of Spain following La Liga and Segunda División. Atlético Madrid II , playing in the Group 2 consisting of  has already started the season with a win Competing in the same group is the famous reserve team Real Madrid II , the two Basques teams reserves , Athletic (Bilbao) Club II , Real Sociedad II along with other names such as Rayo Vallecano II and Las Palmas II.

PLAYER DATA

#7 SAEID EZZATOLLAHI
Name in Farsi: سعید عزت اللهی
Current club: Atlético de Madrid B
Date of birth: Oct 1, 1996
Place of birth: Bandar Anzali Iran
Age: 17
Height: 1,90 m
Nationality: Iran
Position: Midfield – Defensive Midfield
Foot: right
In the team since: Aug 27, 2014
Contract until: 30.06.2015
Transfer value:  £ 220,000 (EURO 276,420.58 )

Saeed Ezzatollahei is on Ateltico Madrid’s interest list

 

 

The director of football in Atletico Madrid club Carlos Aguilera Martín has written officially offering trials to Saeed Ezzatollahei , the promising Malavan Anzali young player.  Martin who was a defender for his club Atletico and the Spanish national team before retirement , has offered the Iranian player a chance to join the Madrid club on 31 August with the aim of offering him an employment contract if the trials are successful.

The 17 years old Malavan player has requested 10 days grace period to think about the proposal , his father said to Mehr news agency.  Ezzatollahei has represented Team Melli age group teams at several levels and is considered by many experts , as one of the brightest talents in Iran’s youth football system. This is not the first and only offer for Ezzatollahei either as his father claims that there are also 2 separate offers from Swiss clubs pending a response.