Iran team melli Archives - Iran News Daily

AFC Pre-Selected Bahrain as Group C host

reporter 1222 — Sun, 14 Mar 2021 11:17:49 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Bahrain was chosen as the centralized venue for the competition in Group C by AFC on Friday but the Croatian coach says that Bahrain had been previously determined as host.

The matches are scheduled to take place from May 31 to June 15, 2021. Iran was originally scheduled to host three matches out of four remaining matches before coronavirus shut down the competitions.

“In the video conference held on Feb. 14, I told Shin Mangal, AFC Competitions Director, all decisions have been already taken and the conference is useless,” Skocic posted on his Instagram account.

“They wanted to hear our opinions but I think everything was already determined because when we were discussing holding the matches in April or postponing them to June, a message suddenly appeared on the screen in which the matches would surely be held in June.

“In the session which was held to talk about the postponement of the matches, Bahrain’s representative, without any introduction, talked about the hosting the remaining matches and it was the thing that surprised me the most.

“Furthermore, I don’t understand why the matches were postponed for one year. When we talk about the safety and wellbeing of the players, the strict observance of health protocols is my priority but the coronavirus is no longer a new issue. In my opinion, the AFC has gained experience in holding the competitions over the past year.

“I insistently wanted the AFC representatives to emulate the various competitions in Europe and they told me, “You don’t realize the diversity of the Asian continent.” Now, with this decision, I am fully aware of the diversity among the continents. Very weird behavior.

“In my opinion, the AFC should have found a solution that equality benefits everyone – not one team – and made a decision according to the spirit of sport. But in the end, all the teams have to face us and we will undoubtedly have a strong presence and surpass this situation,” Skocic concluded.

Iran will have to meet table-toppers Iraq, Bahrain, Hong Kong, and Cambodia.

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Iran National Football Team Arrives in Antalya

reporter 1222 — Sun, 11 Oct 2020 12:41:52 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – The Iran national football team delegation arrived in Antalya, Turkey Sunday morning.

Iran is scheduled to meet Mali in Antalya on Tuesday.

Dragan Skocic’s team defeated Uzbekistan 2-1 in a warm-up match on Thursday in Tashkent.

These matches are part of preparation for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, where Iran sits third in Group C behind Iraq and Bahrain.

Some media reports suggested that the match would be canceled since two Malian players, namely Kiki Kouyaté and Molla Wagué, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

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Dragan Skocic: I Will Get Iran Back on Track

reporter 1222 — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 11:49:44 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran national football team coach Dragan Skocic is optimistic about booking a place at the 2022 World Cup.

Iran has suffered two defeats – against Iraq and Bahrain – in its opening four games in the AFC’s second qualifying round for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Given the quality of its squad, the team’s performance was not considered good enough. So how does the new incumbent plan to get the team back on track?

“Being in charge of Iran is a great honor. My commitment towards the 80 million Iranians who support their national team is huge. I’m ready for this project in Iran and am looking forward to it with immense determination,” Dragan Skocic told FIFA.com.

A look at Skocic’s resume reveals that this is his first time in charge of a national team, the 51-year-old having spent all of his coaching career at clubs in Croatia and the Persian Gulf, such as Al Araby in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia’s Al Nasr.

“In contrast to a club, working with a national team allows you to choose from a large pool of players to instill your philosophy, although the downside is that you always have limited time to implement your ideas,” he said.

“We’ll shortly be carrying out a detailed analysis of our team and those of our opponents as well. We’ll also be looking into new players who might join the squad. I have a clear idea of what’s required to improve our performances,” he added.

“Our current position is bad, but we’re not yet despairing. Three of our remaining four games will be at home, where we’ll have massive support from our fans. I also believe we have a quality group of players, which is why I’m optimistic.”

Iran has reached the World Cup on five occasions. After back-to-back appearances in 2014 and 2018, the aim now is to secure a third consecutive participation for the first time.

“We’ve promised the people of Iran that we’ll go back to the World Cup, and we’ll do our utmost to fulfil that promise,” Skocic concluded.

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Dragan Skocic Left Iran

reporter 1222 — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 09:12:54 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran national football team head coach Dragan Skocic left Tehran on Wednesday following the cancellation of Team Melli’s training camp.

FIFA and AFC have postponed upcoming Asian qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 in mid-March due to coronavirus concerns.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has caused sports events to be suspended or postponed in Asia and Europe, including both domestic and international events.

The Team Melli’s training camp was due to be held starting from March 18 in Tehran but Skocic left Tehran after the cancellation of the camp.

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Nominees to Coach Iran Include Branko

reporter 1222 — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 06:29:06 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) President Mehdi Taj said that Branko Ivankovic is one of the nominees to coach and take charge of the Iran team.

Marc Wilmots left his role in early December as coach of the Iran national team, just seven months after replacing Carlos Queiroz at the helm of the three-time Asian champion.

Under the stewardship of the Belgian coach, Iran sits third behind Iraq and Bahrain in Group C of the Qatar 2022 World Cup Asian qualifiers.

“We’re negotiating with Branko Ivankovic but we are also negotiating with the other nominees to coach Iran at the same time. We are in no hurry to appoint the new head coach since Team Melli will resume its matches from late March,” Taj said.

Branko Ivankovic in his history has an excellent track record as a coach in Iran since he helped Iran U-23 football team win the 2002 Asian Games.

He also led Team Melli to third place in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup in China and also booked a place in the 2006 FIFA World Cup with Team Melli.

The 65-year-old Croat also won three consecutive titles in Iran Professional League with Persepolis.

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Iran-Iraq football game kicks off in Jordan

reporter 1222 — Thu, 14 Nov 2019 10:03:00 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Familiar rivalry of Iran-Iraq football game will kick off in Amman, Jordan in Group C of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar on Thursday.

The two sides resume what is one of Asia’s most well-known rivalries, one which dates back all the way to 1962.

Marc Wilmots’ team can, of course, take heart from its superior head-to-head record in all competitions, including winning two and losing one of their past three World Cup qualifying meetings.

Srecko Katanec’s side, however, has proven more than competitive over its rival in recent meetings, including at this year’s AFC Asian Cup.

Having suffered a 1-0 loss at the hands of Bahrain in the previous outing, Team Melli is under pressure to bounce back with an away win.

Wilmots has named a full-strength squad featuring ten overseas-based players. Katanec, though, has called up a trio of uncapped players to provide fresh impetus to Iraq as it aims to cement its place at the top with all three points.

Should the battle end in stalemate, Bahrain, level with Iraq on points, has the opportunity to move top with victory in Hong Kong.

Iran-Iraq football game will start at 17:30 according to Tehran time.

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