Some unfortunate events have overshadowed the superb performance of Team Melli at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Portuguese Manager Carlos Queiroz has lashed out at Persepolis Manager Branko Ivankovic of Croatia accusing him of distracting the Team Melli camp before the World Cup finals. Also two of the players bid farewell to the national team after returning home from Russia.
Iran finished third in Group B with four points behind Spain and Portugal with five points each. As a result, the national team failed to advance to the knockout stage, a dream which many believe Iran could have realized and deserved.
However, when Queiroz arrived in Iran, unexpectedly he complained about the situation caused by Ivankovic as he did not allow Persepolis players to join the preparation camp regularly as Team Melli manager had expected.
Queiroz accused the Croatian of what he called “poisoning the team” for not letting his players join the training camps before the World Cup, ISNA reported.
Reacting to the accusations, Ivankovic told reporters, “I come from a country where our behavior and communication are completely different (from Queiroz’s). He comes from another country. Anyway, there are differences in the nature of their behavior and upbringing. I have no problem with anyone”.
The two managers have almost always quarreled about their teams. For instance in January 2017 Ivankovic said, “Queiroz invited our key players to the training camp while Persepolis should prepare for the AFC Champions League. If we cannot qualify for the ACL next stage, Queiroz will be responsible.”
Heshmat Mohajerani, manager of Team Melli who guided Iran in the 1978 World Cup, believes the media has magnified the tussle.
Role of Media
“I personally believe the matter is not as big as it is reflected,” Mohajerani said. “The media has amplified the issue.”
He paid tribute to both men for their efforts as head coaches in training and improving Team Melli.
Branko Ivankvoic was in charge of the national team from 2002-2006 and coached Iran during the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Iran was eliminated in the group stage that year with only one point.
Queiroz has been in charge of Team Melli for seven years since 2011. He reached the World Cup with the team for two consecutive editions in 2014 and 2018.
Retired striker of Persepolis Hossein Kalani also believes that the media is responsible for exaggerating the arguments and differences on home turf.
Kalani put the interest of the national team over and above inter-club infighting as the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, slated for next January in the UAE, approaches and was optimistic that the Ivankovic-Queiroz discords would end soon.
“As we get closer to the Asian Cup, both managers will certainly forge an agreement and move forward,” said Kalani. “Both managers are wise enough to understand the importance of the national squad.”
Iran has won the Asian title thrice (1968, 1972, and 1976). The last title was under Mohajerani’s watch.
Grievance Palpable
Another sad news emerged when two players announced their retirement from national duty on their Instagram accounts.
Forwards Reza Ghoochannejad and Sardar Azmoon called the time for their Team Melli career on Thursday. In both their messages signs of grievance were palpable.
Ghoochannejad, 30, nicknamed Gucci, who plays for the Dutch club Heerenveen, wrote on his Instagram feed: “To wear the Iran jersey was a dream which came true for me. But I think it’s time to bid farewell to Team Melli. I would like to thank all my coaches and teammates for helping me grow as a player in the past six years and wish them the best”.
He was called into Iran’s squad for the World Cup by Queiroz, but he did not play in Team Melli’s three group stage matches against Morocco, Spain and Portugal.
Though Gucci did not directly blame Queiroz for his decision, his early retirement can be perceived as a response to not being allowed to play in the world tournament because he is of the opinion that “I have never been so well prepared in my life”.
Ghoochannejad has played in 44 matches for Iran and scored 16 goals.
Striker Sardar Azmoun, who has played in 36 games for Iran and scored 23 goals since 2014, also announced his retirement from international football at the age of 23, saying criticism from fans during his performance at the World Cup had harmed his mother’s health, AFP reported.
Azmoun, a rising star, who with 11 goals had been Iran’s top scorer in qualification for the finals in Russia, drew brickbats from fans after he failed to deliver in last week’s Group B game against Spain.
Expectations were raised by Iran’s opening victory over Morocco. Defeat in the following game against Spain drew an avalanche of calls on social media for Azmoun to be benched for the final group game against Portugal.
The striker said the “insults” had caused his mother’s fragile health to deteriorate and he decided to retire from the national squad to spare her more distress.
“I had to make a choice and I chose my mother,” he wrote on his Instagram. “It was the most painful decision of my life.”
However, several football experts including Mohajerani and Kalani say the players’ decisions are “emotional” and reversible.
