Tag: Tabriz

Payam Sadeghian slapped with a career ending ban.

The former Persepolis and Team Melli midfielder has been banned from all football activities for 15 years.

Payam Sadeghian, the 27 years old player was considered as one of the best talents in Iranian football with a bright future when he emerged in Iran age groups team. His natural talent and skills were marred by equally destructive behaviour, controversy and indiscipline.

 According to the Mehr News reporter, Sadeghian was sentenced to this extremely long ban as a result of the establishment and operation of betting agencies in the field of football. According to the ruling by the disciplinary committee of the FFIRI, the former midfielder , who was born in Tabriz, is not allowed to attend any football matches in any capacity (even as a spectator) during his ban.

Sadeghian started his professional career in Zob Ahan before moving to Persepolis, then Naft Tehran, Saba Qom, Machinesazi, Turkish club Osmanlispor and now playing with Sepidrood Rasht.

Sadeghian is one of the very few Iranian players that have represented Team Melli in every age group, U14, U17, U20 , U23 (Omid) and also played 5 matches for Team Melli.

AFC U-20 Futsal 2019 Championship – Iran determined to defend the title.

The 2019 AFC U-20 Championship, the second edition of AFC U-20 Futsal Championship, the biennial international futsal championship is hosted by Iran between 14–22 June 2019. A total of 12 teams will participate in the tournament.

Iran are the defending champions.

Tabriz: Iran are entering the 2019 AFC U-20 Futsal Championship as hosts and defending champions but for head coach Hamid Moghadam, that won’t be an advantage.
When Iran lifted the inaugural AFC U-20 Championship title 2017, Moghadam was assistant to Ali Sanei, but the head coach says much has improved in Asian futsal since Iran’s 2017 triumph and he believes his team face a huge challenge.

“Although we were champions of the previous edition, futsal has developed in Asia,” said Moghadam during the Pre-Match Press Conference in Tabriz on Thursday.

“In the U-20 category, we can’t compare and judge an edition with the other. However, our expectation is to win the championship, and we know that other teams have the same goals. However, we are determined to win the title again.”

Iran open their campaign against Hong Kong, who entered the Finals as replacements for Saudi Arabia, on Friday.

It is a tie that Hong Kong head coach Chan Fei Tat described as a tough challenge, but the East Asians have prepared for the defending champions.

“We are very happy and lucky to be in the Finals,” Chan admitted. “Although we only had two months of preparation, our team is ready.

“We watched videos of Iran and how they played in the previous tournament. We will arrange a suitable approach for that. We are up against really strong teams in this group, but we will do our best to reach the knockout stage.”

Afghanistan will have the advantage of witnessing their group rivals in action before they take on Hong Kong, and head coach Abdul Razaq Momrak said his team are determined to shine.

“Qualifying for this tournament is important for us, it is a motivation,” said Momrak.

“Although we had a short preparation, we want to bring joy and happiness to the Afghan people through this tournament. Every victory is an achievement for our people.”

 

Fixtures

Group Stage
Venue: Pour Sharifi Indoor Stadium, Tabriz,
Friday, 14 June 2019      Hong Kong  vs.  Iran    @ 19:30
Sunday, 16 June 2019  Iran vs. Afghanistan   @ 19:30

Masoud Shojaei and Ashkan Dejagah, join Tractorsazi

Both Captains of Team Melli , have joined Tractorsazi Tabriz, in the surprise transfer of the season.

While both have been playing in Europe and could have continued doing so, yet in a strange turn of event, they turned up in Tabriz with a lot of question marks on the motives of the move. Masoud Shojaei and Ashkan Dejagah, two well-known and influential players of the Iranian national team who participated in the 21st World Cup recently in Russia, reached peculiar decision to join Tractorsazi team.

Though it will be very good news for the Tabrizi team, it will raise questions about the reasons for the decision made by Shojaei and Dejagah and wheter it hase been either coordinated or orchestrated, especially since the two players have signed up to a three-year contract with Tractorsazi, which is questionable and ambiguous.

Shojaei and Dejagah have joined a team whose owner has been a tremendous support for Team Melli in recent years and has even provided the squad with a special chartered Jet for the squad travels.

The two captains were expected to join Foreign teams with better prospective after the World Cup. Or, even if they did not do well in the European teams, they could have easily continued to play in the neighboring countries League, in particular Qatar.

The main question is why Massoud Shojaei and Ashkan Dejagah have decided on the domestic league in the year leading up to the Asian Cup? The two joined the Tractorsazi while Queiroz always preferred and emphasized on the presence of players in international teams for greater readiness.

It is not clear if Shojaei and Dejagah, who have a close relationship with Queiroz – as national team captains – have consulted the Portuguese coach for their next season’s team selection?

It seems that reasons other than a simple choice in the transfer of Massoud Shojaee and Ashkan Dejagah have been influential.

Branco Ivankovic, who has won the Premier League for two consecutive seasons and has gained a lot of popularity among Persepolis fans, and even considered as a strong candidate to replace Queiroz  in the national team, now sees his opposition much stronger than before.

What’s clear is that Tractorsazi has built a strong team under John Toshack and will form a challenge to Persepolis and Esteghlal with the recruitment of Shojaei and Dejagah

Queiroz “We will request to move Qatar match to Tabriz”

Team Melli head coach suggested that the first match against Qatar in the final rounds of FIFA World Cup 2018 should be moved to Tabriz’z Yadegar Imam  stadium because of friendlier atmosphere!

“I have asked Mr. Taj to move our match against Qatar to Tabriz because they treat us much better there.”  Queiroz said in a statement to the press after the conclusion of the Team Melli practise session in Azadi this afternoon.  Iran has always played major Team Melli games in Tehran’s Azadi Stadium. The last time a match was played in Tabriz was 16 years ago. A decision to move to Tabriz, would should surely antagonize Queiroz fans in Tehran. Queiroz did not mention how he figured out the friendlier atmosphere in Tabriz while he never experienced playing there with Team Melli.

Queiroz who is never far from controversy , hostility and a battles against his alleged enemies, also had some harsh words for the Manager of Azadi sport complex. He accused the person without naming him of being an enemy of Team Melli  and treating his squad with contempt.! 

It is believed that this idea of moving to Tabriz is more directed to the alleged bad treatment of the stadium  management rather than the fans sentiments.

Queiroz said that he will be taking 24 players to Macedonia for the friendly international in Skopje. The final list has not been produced yet pending health report and injury condition on couple of the players.

Queiroz also said that he will present a comprehensive report on the new Team Melli kit to Mehdi Taj , the head of IRIFF , however he declined to disclose any details. Team Melli has just changed its kit to a little known Italian kit supplier.

When confronted by a journalist about his broad and repetitive accusations, a defiant Queiroz admitted that but said “I know that I have been repeating the same things over and over again for a few years now, but as long as these people (…) are there and acting hostile , I will talk. No body can stop me from talking against them and exposing them!”

It is clear that no one seems to dare to stop the Portuguese from trash talking , and it is also clear that many are tired of his rhetorics, however , what really matters is how he will lead his team in the World Cup qualifiers. The competition is tough but Iran is well capable of making the trip to Russia if the Portuguese plays his cards right and not come up with the excuses such as Qatar and China are rich and investing!