Tag: Saudi Arabia

Mehdi Taj’s masterstroke!

Mehdi Taj and the FFIRI have to be credited for the appointment of Marc Wilmots as head coach of Team Melli replacing Queiroz.

The Iranian federation FFIRI faced many obstacles in their quest to replace Queiroz beginning from the Finances, or lack of it , to political objections, to social issues and the strong local lobbies.

The lack of funds is by now a common knowledge. Despite the lack of transparency by FFIRI including no audited balance sheet that is publically available to answer discrepancies such as the alleged disappearance of large amount of payments awarded to FFIRI during the reign Ali Kaffashian, the federation has been suffering from lack of resources for years.  Transfer of salary through normal banking channels to a foreign coach is also a great challenge thanks to one Donald Trump and his American sanctions.

It is that sanction that prompted many politicians and hardliners to question the appointment of a foreign coach and thus the wasting of rare hard currency on football while large sectors of industry and other services were in dire need of that cash and hard currency. It was certainly a legitimate question particularly that this football has yielded nothing for the country since the revolution particularly the trophy that really matters for the Iranians, the AFC Asian Cup.

Compared to other sports, football has one of the lowest returns of investment  and yields in the country yet the people associated with it are the highest paid of them all, some of whom make astronomical figures comparatively.

Socially speaking, the question foreign coach appointment has always been divisive debate in Iran. A large number of fans question such appointments based on issues such as communication, language, culture, logistics and most importantly, cost.

The other factor in this endless debate is the strong lobbying by influential people in Iran’s football. Ex-players, coaches, administrators and managers who strongly support the appointment of one of their own.

That reservation on foreign coach is responded to by the other camp who believe that Iranian coaches are not suitable or favorable at this time. Ali Daei, a legendary figure in his own right, lost his job in an un-ceremonial fashion after losing to Saudi Arabia at Azadi in a World Cup qualifier match.

Before him, Amir Ghalenoei, who is by far the most successful Iranian league club coach, tried but failed to achieve success in the AFC Asian Cup 2007.

Mansour Ebrahimzadeh was an interim coach but he was a disaster losing all the 3 matches Team Melli played under him. Finally Afshin Ghotbi, who is technically an American citizen, who failed to deliver in AFC Asian Cup 2011

In reality, in this period, there is no good Iranian candidate for Team Melli. From experience to knowledge to discipline to modern football tactics awareness and many more aspects, it is clear that Iranian coaches have a lot to learn.

Taj and his men had to navigate all those hurdles and skillfully managed to come up with the correct decision.

So, without bias, the appointment of Marc Wilmots is a masterstroke carried out under immense pressure. Mehdi Taj deserves much credit for such a move, notwithstanding the shortfalls in his administration and  lack of transparency.  Certainly there remains a lot to be corrected at FFIRI, but credit must be given were credit is due

The AFC broadcast award special for Saudi Arabia !

If there was the slightest doubt that the Asian Football Federation is a highly politicized body with members supporting the wealthy such as Saudi Arabia and the Arab Gulf countries in general, all those doubts have been eliminated with the recent move by AFC in the award of broadcasting right. 

The TV broadcast right of the Asian Competitions for Middle East and North Africa has been awarded to Bein Sports for the last few years. The Qatari owned broadcasters had a virtual monopoly on all the competitions including the FIFA World Cup, AFC Asian Cup and the AFC Champions League.

After the Saudi-Led boycott of Qatar and the break of diplomatic and economical relationship between the two countries leading to severe animosity, the Saudi’s were not pleased to have a Qatari organization control the broadcasting of football matches and major sporting events in their country. By hook and crook and in defiance to all International laws and regulations, they established their own station, albeit a pirate station and stole the FIFA and AFC matches that were exclusively awarded to Bein Sports without any consent or rights award.

Despite the outcries , condemnations, threats of legal actions and loads of other statement against piracy and intellectual property by the Americans and Europeans, the Saudi continued defying the international copyright laws with no fear of reprisal. The pirate stations that is broadcast on Arabsat which is based in Riyadh , continues its piracy unabated till the writing of this article. The AFC has condemned this piracy but practically has done nothing to stop it because it is Saudi based. There were always suspicions that the Saudi would not have carried out such piracy without support or consent within the governing body of Asian football, AFC and perhaps FIFA too.

Yesterday, the AFC issued an Invitation to Tender (ITT) for its package of football media rights for the 2021-2024 cycle in Saudi Arabia only!! Currently the rights are not country specific but regional. The Saudi case is an exception to the rules.

There are a lot of legality involved in such a move but the main question that begs itself is on what basis the AFC awards a broadcasting right for one country only? what if the Saudi government is displeased with the winning tender and decides it wants to change it to broadcaster of a much more friendly obedient state government?

There has been many critics of the AFC preferential treatment afforded to Saudi Arabia. The Iranians are one big victims of the flagrant Saudi bias. All matches involving Iranian and Saudi teams have to be played on neutral ground simply because of the Saudi refusal to travel to Iran. AFC simply obeys the demands of Saudi Arabia which is supposed to have 1 vote only. With moves such as that, every football fan is entitles to question the infiltration of politics in Asian football while AFC always claims that politics should not interfere in football.

Questions have been asked about AFC decision making process and whether the executive committee has any authority or it is acting as a rubber stamp for the Saudi-backed President of the AFC Salman bin Ebrahim ? The Bahrain President has been re-elected unopposed for another term with all candidates withdrawing before the election.

Iran’s first Asian Cup opponent are blocked by Saudis.

Saudi Arabia has put up several barriers for the Yemeni national team on the eve of the Asian Cup, ISNA reported. The Yemeni national team, the first opponent of Team Melli in the Asian Cup, was scheduled to set a training camp in Doha as part of their preparation for AFC Asian Cup. That was canceled due to Saudi authorities preventing the squad from leaving  war-torn Yemen.

Saudi Arabia and UAE are leading a war against Yemen rebel Houthis who control the capital Sanaa. During the camp in Doha, Yemen arranged was supposed to play a friendly match against Tajikistan’s as reported by ISNA. However, the uncertainty and  delay  of the Yemeni squad in leaving their war-torn homeland resulted in cancelling the match in Doha .

A coalition of Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia imposed a historic land, maritime, and air blockade on Qatar. The measures were designed to strong-arm Doha to comply with a list of demands. Saudi Arabia has blocked Yemen’s national football team leaving to Qatar, preventing the Yemenis from setting a one-month camp in Doha including scheduled three friendly games, and  insisted that the camp to be set up and continues in the Saudi Capital Riyadh.

Yemen is Group D of the AFC Asian Cup  UAE 2019 which also includes  Iran, Iraq and Vietnam.

Scandalous Saudi 

Fahad al-Mirdasi, a Saudi referee lined up to take part in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, has been removed from duty for Saturday’s Saudi King’s Cup.

He has been referred to investigating authorities – after it was alleged he contacted the president of one finalist requesting payments. British referee Mark Clattenburg, also the head of the Saudi officials’ association, will be calling the King’s Cup Final instead of Al-Miradsi, whose career is in tatters over with reports of recorded phone calls indicating cash payments, team numbers and games in which he was involved in illegal activity.

The story continues to develop, and analysts say more murky details of the management of Saudi football are likely to emerge in the coming weeks.

The case of this Saudi referee uncovers a long line of corrupt politics in football in the Arabian Middle East countries. High stakes and the ruling families immense influence in football, has dragged the beautiful game in disrepute and there is nowhere that this is more evident than the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

No one exactly knows how many games and referees have been bought for certain, but only the naive or those who benefit from such corrupt act will deny the existing of referees for sale in Saudi Arabia. It goes beyond offering money to buy games, threats have been used against those who dare to refuse or speak up. Many Saudi critics talk about the Englishman Mark Clattenburg , who himself was not immune from controversy in England, as the first step towards fighting favoritism, nepotism and corruption in Saudi football. The re-building will take years but the mere fact that the story about Fahad al-Mirdasi has made the media , is in itself a progress in this despot regime and police state.

Daei “Iran will win the AFC Asian Cup”

The legendary Ali Daei has explained his confidence over Iran winning the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 title.

“Iran has been Asia’s top team for the last few years for a reason: the consistency of the technical team,” Daei said in an interview with AFC.

“There have been very few changes in the technical team’s setup and the stability has allowed coach Carlos Queiroz to focus on building a formidable squad. Queiroz has also looked far and wide for the best players and this has had a positive effect on the national team,” the former Iran captain added.

Iran is Asia’s top side in the FIFA World Ranking and was also the first team from the continent to seal a place in the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018, confirming its place last June.

The team finished the World Cup qualifiers unbeaten and Daei, 49, is expecting the form to be carried into the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, with Iran lifting the trophy.

The last of Iran’s three triumphs in the AFC Asian Cup was in 1976, meaning that it will be 43 years since Team Melli last won the title by the time the action in UAE 2019 kicks off next January.

“I am confident that Iran will win this time around. We have always been a force to be reckoned with in the AFC Asian Cup but the recent results give me confidence that we will win the title for the fourth time,” said Daei.

 

The AFC Asian Cup may have eluded Daei as a player but it is a tournament which is dear to his heart, as it paved the way for his big move to Germany in 1996.

In emerging top scorer in the 1996 AFC Asian Cup, also hosted by the UAE, Daei hit four of his tournament haul of eight goals in the 6-2 win over South Korea in the quarterfinals.

“There was a Korean player who was playing in Germany at that time and he convinced several coaches to scout for players during the 1996 AFC Asian Cup. The four goals I scored in that match played a pivotal role for me signing with Arminia Bielefeld.”

His stay in Germany also saw stints with Bayern Munich and Hertha BSC.

Plying his trade in Europe brought much success to one of Iran’s footballing sons and Daei is hoping that come the AFC Asian Cup 2019, not only will more of his compatriots secure moves to the big European leagues but Iran lift a long overdue title.

“I missed a penalty in the semifinal against Saudi Arabia and we lost, but I know that it can be different this time around,” he added.

Daei holds the record for the most goals in international football with a total of 109 goals he scored in 149 games for Team Melli (from 1993-2006).

Another talented Iranian youth team in risk of neglect.

A comedy of errors marred the match between Iran and Saudi Arabia in the semi-finals of the AFC U-19 Championship Bahrain 2016 which produced an incredible 11 goal thriller.

Defensive mistakes one after another, plain amateurish blunders, alarming lack of focus and some horrible goalkeeping ensured that the few fans in the stadium in Bahrain enjoy an unforgettable goals fiesta the likes of it Asia has never experienced as such level. As an Iranian fan, though, it was far from a pretty scene and downright humiliating.

Amir Hossein Peyrovani
Amir Hossein Peyrovani

In retrospect, the result of this match and the performance of Iran U-19 team in this competition as a whole was a classic reflection of how poor this talented group of individuals has been coached. Lack of tactical prowess, disastrous defensive errors, and poor discipline on and off the field was evident in this team and there was no escaping the fault of the coach Amir Hossein Peyrovani.  

Traditionally, we have been accustomed to experiencing the Iranian football federation having a small list of coaches who are rotated around the Team Melli age group teams. None of the coaches in the list have achieved anything of significance in their careers, yet and for one reason or another, they are appointed as coaches for the young representative team and are expected to qualify for World Cups or challenge for trophies at Asian level at minimum of budgets and at the least cost.

Omid Nnoorafkan
Omid Noorafkan

Amir Hossein Peyrovani , is one of these names. He turned up as an assistant coach for U-23 team in 2009 but lasted less than a year. Between jobs at Team Melli levels, he was appointed as an assistant coach of 2nd division Gohar Drood (2011), then coach of Parse Tehran (2011-2012). He was jobless for 3 years after that before he was finally handed the U19 team head coaching job!

Peyrovani’s CV is devoid of any achievements at club level or at any level for that matter. He is an aspiring young coach but nowhere near the class required to lead a national team in important competitions. Yet by hook or crook, he is the head coach. How is competency, capability and suitability is measured in FFIRI, is anyone’s guess, but the end result is quite clear and evident.

There is one risk is such appointments of poor vision. Promising footballing talents could go to waste.  

Make no mistake, this Team Melli U-19 that has just been beaten by 6 goals, has what it takes to be much better than this. They are definitely a group of talented individuals who lacked proper guidance, lacked the appreciation of Teamwork, were so badly organized in defense, lacked competent leadership and were indiscipline, hence suffered one embarrassing defeat.

Nima Mokhtari
Nima Mokhtari

This team has many promising players, but in the football field, they were 10 individual players rather than a cohesive team. Except for the goalkeeper, who was admittedly quite an embarrassment against the Saudi’s, the rest of the team have talent each to a different degree. At this age in football, talent alone is simply not good enough to produce a professional player for the future. For that, young players require professional management, guidance and above all, knowledgeable and skilled coaches. Iran has witnessed many of these young players pop up from every corner of the country throughout the years, yet only a handful make it big.

This current federation like many before it, have little regard to team building and long term strategy. The people at the helm always think of quick success and now to maintain their grip. Very few seem to care how a team ends up in 6 or 7 years from now.

This short term thinking is why Iran never appointed proper professional coaching at age group levels. Starting at club level, young players are kind of neglected and assigned the weakest of coaches and sometimes even rejects , who work for free to build up a CV. There is hardly a long term strategic planning for talented players. While FFIRI is struggling to provide a decent Training ground for Team Melli in the midst of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup, it is perhaps too much to ask for when it comes to the welfare of young teams.

Iran to face the Saudi in the AFC U19 semi-finals

Manama: Coach Amir Peiravani will call on his players to put their celebrations on hold for another two games as Islamic Republic of Iran set their sights on booking their first appearance in the final of the AFC U-19 Championship Bahrain 2016 for 39 years when they take on Saudi Arabia at Khalifa Sports City Stadium on Thursday.

Iran joined Saudi Arabia, Japan and Vietnam in qualifying for the finals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup Korea Republic 2017 by reaching the last four of the competition, and the Iranians are now focusing on winning the title for the first time in four decades.

The Iranians last won the competition in 1976, when they shared the title with DPR Korea in the third of a run of three consecutive championships, while a year later they lost in the final against Iraq.

That was the country’s last appearance in the final, with Iran’s best performance in recent years coming in 2000, when they finished fourth on home soil.

“We had two plans when we came here, the first was to go to the World Cup and the second was to be champion in this competition,” said Peiravani, whose team saw off Uzbekistan to qualify for the semi-final. “Saudi Arabia didn’t start very well but they have got better as the tournament has gone on.

“I’ve seen all of their games. Their football is the same as it always is in Saudi Arabia. They play very easy and relaxed, they don’t have any special tactics or put us under pressure with those tactics. But they can do damage to the other team.

“I’ve had a lot of meeting with players and we have watched their games many times. We have talked a lot about the positives and negatives of their team.

“If our players’ motivation hasn’t dropped because they have qualified for the World Cup, then we can win but they mustn’t think the competition is finished. They must think that this is the last chance to go to the final. They won’t have a golden chance like this again. If they concentrate on the match and understand their position then tomorrow we can win.”

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, saw off a talented Iraq team to book their place in the last four, and the country is also seeking to return to the final for the first time in a prolonged period.

The Saudis last played in the final of the AFC U-19 Championship in 1992, when they defeated Korea Republic to claim a second title in four events. They most recently qualified for the semi-finals in 2010 in China.

Saad Al Shehri’s team have been improving throughout the competition following a nervous start that saw them lose their opening game against Bahrain, and the coach is confident his team can book their place in the tournament’s deciding match.

“I think we will play well because all of the pressure is gone,” he said. “We now need to show the people Saudi football, especially modern Saudi football with this team. I hope we can go to the final and take the title.

“Our slow start was normal because we didn’t play any strong friendly games before the championship, we started going step by step and the team can be better than before.

“For the players now, the pressure is finished and we have more than we did before and I hope everyone will see a nice game and that we can go to the final and return with the cup for all of the kingdom.

“Iran are a very good team with a very good defence but, insha Allah, we can reach the final.”

The dirty beautiful game of football.

[row]
[column size=”1/2″] Once again and with tedious regularity, stories of corruption in World Football crops up. The most popular sport in the world and by far the top money generator has been polluted for a long time. FIFA, football’s world governing body, has been engulfed by claims of widespread corruption. Icons of football such as Micheal Platini , Franz Beckenbauer, Joseph Blatter and a host of other influential football personalities have been indicted, suspended or jailed as a result.

It is foolish to think that after all these events and exposures; corruption in football has vanished or even subsided. There is far too much at stake, too much of interest, far too much money that fools like us spend to watch our cherished game. The criminal minds and Mafia’s of this world are always on the lookout for the source of money. What’s better than that rich and beautiful game of football.

This week was the FIFA day with most countries playing for a place in the FIFA World Cup 2018, in itself a dubious and controversial venue full of alleged corrupt practices. For most countries, the prestige of qualifying to the finals is prized enough to do everything possible, legally and honorably, but for some even going beyond ethics and letter of the law to ensure the that rich payout.

Mission possible

Saudi Arabia, a country that has invented the project of humongous expenditure on football using its petrodollars in the 70’s, has not qualified for the World Cup since 2006. It is a matter of honor for them because any success in football is attributed to the efforts of the ruling clan. Failure reflects badly on them, especially when things are not politically comfortable for them on the diplomatic scene. The despot regime is desperate for positive PR where it has little to show in the past few years with accusations of harboring Islamist extremist and involvement in 9/11.

The World Cup 2018 campaign was not going very well for the Saudis in the opener match at home against the resolute Thai team. It was heading for a goal-less draw. But by the grace of God , and a little compassion from the Chinese referee, the simplest of contact between a Thai defender and Saudi forward was called a penalty in the 84th minute. The Saudi’s scored, the Thai were furious and heartbroken feeling betrayed.  Questionable call is quite simply a gross understatement.

Five days later the story repeated itself with the Saudi’s against Iraq in Malaysia this time. Iraq was leading by a goal when Qatari referee called two consecutive penalties in 81st & 88th minutes to ensure all 3 points goes in the rich Saudi’s bag.

 

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[column size=”1/2″] The Saudi haul

2 matches, 6 points, 3 penalty goals. Is it a coincidences?.

 

Not if you dig deep enough into the practices  of the highly influential Saudis , who have handpicked the current President of AFC Shaikh Salman Al Khalifa of Bahrain, a tiny island state that the Saudi dominate financially and politically.

AFC , time and again , has been influenced by the Saudi pressure and there is no doubt about that.

Nomination of Australian referee Williams is yet another cause of debate which AFC could have very easily avoided. Creating psychological pressure on Iran is one way that the Saudis, who are sworn enemy of Iran, will show its influence against its hated neighbor. Out of the hundreds of referees, they had to choose the one that the Iranian despise and have issue with. Even if there is no bad intent by the AFC, the IQ of the administrators in the Kuala Lumpur AFC HQ should be much higher than to create such controversy.

AFC of course is famous for the Bin Hammam affair whose ill repute made world headlines.

Of course, Asia , Africa  and Latin America are not the only culprits. The whistle clean Europeans are also as shady, however, they do seem to be doing it diligently , cunningly and artfully. TV deals are perhaps this biggest basis of corruption and a highly kept secret deals with no transparency on why certain broadcasters win, not necessarily on the basis of highest bids.

Europe does it better

But the corruption is not limited in the corridors of power in Europe. A few days ago a Slovakian defender has made a startling claim that England’s World Cup qualifier against his country was fixed.  England scored in the 96th minute two minutes over the top of added time declared by the referee. It is fair to say that the Slovak Keeper was being treated in that added time.

Whether we like it or not, corruption is part and parcel of football, and most sports for that matter. Simply said, the stakes are too high and the money, easy money that is, is plentiful for the sharks.

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Iran drawn against Korea Rep. again.

Iran was drawn with Korea Rep. , Uzbekistan , Qatar , China and Syria in Group A of the FIFA World Cup 2018 Final qualification rounds.

The draw was conducted by AFC General Secretary Dato Windsor John, with a helping hand from former Korea Republic star Park Ji-sung. Numerous personalities were in attendance, headed by the coaches of the teams that will contest the third round.

The latest FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking was used to split the 12-country field into six pots. These were then drawn into two groups of six teams, who will do battle for direct qualification to Russia 2018 between 1 September 2016 and 5 September 2017.

Both group winners and runners-up will go straight through to the 2018 World Cup. Meanwhile, the two teams that finish third will meet in a two-legged showdown on 5 and 10 October 2017. Whoever triumphs in this double-header will look to secure their spot at the finals in an intercontinental play-off – also to be played over two legs – against the fourth-placed country from CONCACAF qualifying.

Australia , the AFC Asian Cup title holders is grouped with Japan , Saudi Arabia, UAE , Thailand, and Iraq in group B.

The two teams Iran and Korea Rep. will renew their rivalry once again in the qualification for the World Cup. In the last encounter , the relationship between the coaches were making the headlines and as there was not love lost between Carlo Queiroz and the South Korean Choi KANG-HEE . The South Korean for all his rhetorics ended up in the losing side and eventually resigned his job, South Korea survived by the skin of their teeth after Uzbekistan failed to score one more goal to put them ahead on goal difference in the other group matches.

The draw avoided a potential problem for FIFA and AFC after the Saudi’s claimed they will refuse to play in Iran.

Iran, Japan, Korea Rep.,  Australia and Qatar are the top seeds for qualification. The first round will commence on 1st September 2016.

 

MATCHES SCHEDULE

Matchday One
September 01, 2016 Thursday Iran vs. Qatar – H

Matchday Two
September 06, 2016 Tuesday China vs. Iran – A

Matchday Three
October 06, 2016 Thursday Uzbekistan vs. Iran – A

Matchday Four
October 11, 2016 Tuesday Iran vs.  South Korea – H

Matchday Five
November 15, 2016 Tuesday  Syria  vs. Iran – A

Matchday Six
March 23, 2017 Thursday Qatar vs. Iran – A

Matchday Seven
March 28, 2017 Tuesday Iran vs  China – H

Matchday Eight
June 13, 2017 Tuesday Iran vs. Uzbekistan – H

Matchday Nine
August 31, 2017 Thursday South Korea vs. Iran – A

Matchday Ten
September 5th, 2017 Iran vs. Syria – H

Carlos Queiroz looks for ‘miracle’ as Iran target World Cup return

BY JOHN DUERDEN

 

Carlos Queiroz never seems to age, with only a lengthening CV providing proof of passing time.

It makes for impressive reading, but the 62-year-old still wants to do more. “I am attracted to the idea of taking four different national teams to a World Cup because only one or two guys have done that and it would be nice for my coaching career,” Mozambique-born Queiroz told ESPN FC.

It would be quite a feat, but at the moment the Portuguese coach is focusing on taking Iran — his third national team after South Africa and Portugal — to a second successive World Cup in Russia 2018.

The feat is harder than many people realise it to be, Queiroz argues. Though there are four automatic World Cup berths for Asia, the reality is a little different.

“In Asia, three nations have a credit card for the World Cup — Australia, South Korea and Japan,” he says with just a hint of a smile and a what-can-you-do shrug of the shoulders.

“That leaves just one place for Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Uzbekistan, China and North Korea. That is seven

Iran coach Carlos Queiroz is preparing to guide Team Melli to their second straight WC ahead of Thursday’s qualifier vs. Guam.

nations and almost of all these have great conditions, facilities and financial resources.”

Iran — who were under international sanctions for eight years — have been at a disadvantage, according to Queiroz. There have been struggles to gain access to funds due from FIFA and the AFC and the consequential inability to pay for training camps and facilities. Years of cancelled friendlies also took a toll.

For Queiroz, it is becoming more difficult for Iran to compete with rivals with better financial resources. “There is real passion for the game in Iran, you don’t have to ignite it,” he said.

“With passion, players and desire, you have a big chance. But how many times can you work a miracle?

“Money talks everywhere, and we need resources to create a foundation. We need experience but how are you going to gain it if you don’t have friendly games, if you don’t have nations to play? This is a cat and mouse game and is very difficult to deal with.”

Carlos Queiroz hailed Iran’s spirited performance against Lionel Messi’s Argentina in last year’s World Cup.

The sanctions were lifted in July but the former Real Madrid coach is unconvinced that things will change anytime soon.

It was against such a backdrop that Iran made it to the 2014 World Cup, clinching a spot on a warm June night at the Ulsan World Cup Stadium.

Team Melli’s celebration upset the South Korean hosts, who felt it was over the top and aggressive. But according to Queiroz, who was formerly an assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manshester United, it was emotion released after a long and testing campaign.

It was not the end of stress, however. “Our preparation for the World Cup was not playing national teams but a couple of first division teams from South Africa. We are grateful, don’t get me wrong, those friends were fantastic for us but it was not enough.

“We need more experience, more players who are mature to play a World Cup. We want to be there with a chance to compete and win and in the World Cup we can only do that if we have quality players and experience.”

Even so, the memories of Brazil are still warm. “The performance was great. The players and the team got a lot of respect. They brought pride to the nation, there is no doubt about that,” said Queiroz.

Especially against Argentina when Iran only lost 1-0 due to a piece of Lionel Messi magic in the 91st minute and could have won, had the referee given what seemed to be a pretty clear penalty when Pablo Zabaleta had fouled Ashkan Dejagah in the area 10 minutes into the second half.

“I was sure that they would not be able to score, but when you have God on the pitch, sometimes you can make miracles,” said Queiroz.

“I cracked the joke then that Argentina had everything on their side. They had Messi who played for them — Messi could have been born Iranian, but God made him to be born in Argentina.

“Then they also had the referee who was a little bit distracted when he didn’t give us that penalty, that scandalous penalty. Sure, if we had scored then, it could have inspired Argentina to come back — you never know in football. But those two combinations were difficult to deal with.

“We fought hard at the World Cup. It was OK. It was 50 percent of what I wanted.”

Queiroz coached Iran to a quarterfinal appearance in the Asian Cup in January but lost the thriller against neighbours Iraq.

It comes back to Russia 2018. Iran are strong favourites to top Group D and move into the final round of qualification despite a disappointing start with a 1-1 draw in Turkmenistan in June.

“More than 50 percent of the team are young and it is a new team,” Queiroz said. “I expected a little more from them. In fact, the game got a bit complicated for us after we had scored. There are no excuses though. The pitch was OK for both teams, the weather was very hot.

We need to praise Turkmenistan — they fought for the result and we lacked the experience to control the game and get the three points. But we are still in a good position to move to the next round.”

On Thursday, Guam come to Tehran. The island with a population of 170,000 were genuine minnows until recently. Now the Matao are top of the group with six points from games at home to Turkmenistan and India and have climbed the rankings to 146.

Queiroz is wary of the team who are confident, ambitious and with nothing to lose. He is respectful of the job English coach Gary White has done. “They are doing well. They have a lot of players with experience in the United States leagues,” said Queiroz.

“I am not surprised, because I have been there and found the Guam players to have this competitive nature and sport education which are the foundations of American sports. The coach is doing well because I saw videos and the team is very well organised with good discipline and it is going to be difficult.”

For Carlos Queiroz, life as Iran coach is never easy and you sense that he quite likes it that way. “That is why we are coaches, born to suffer in life. We will do our best and that is all we can do.”

John Duerden is ESPN’s Asia football correspondent who also works for BBC Radio, The Guardian and World Soccer. Twitter: @JohnnyDuerden