The Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran has released the names of 21 players for the 2015 Asian Cup which is due to be held in Australia in January.
According to the Varzesh3 website, Iran’s national team head coach, Carlos Queiroz, finalized the names of the players Thursday after the team returned from a preparation camp in South Africa.
Looking to win its fourth continental title, Iran has featured familiar names including former Fulham attacking midfielder Ashkan Dejagah, CA Osasuna central midfielder and long-time captain Javad Nekounam and Charlton Athletic’s forward Reza Ghoochannejhad, better known as Gucci.
Other notable figures include former Osasuna attacking midfielder Masoud Shojaei, Rubin Kazan’s goalkeeper Alireza Haghighi, Rubin Kazan’s forward Sardar Azmoun, Osasuna’s striker Karim Ansarifard, and N.E.C’s winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh.
The rest of the players have been selected from the best among the players of the national clubs. Two other players will be listed in the squad in the coming days, a statement by the federation said.
The national team is expected to arrive in Sydney on December 30 and train in the city’s Cromer Park until January 7. The team will then head to Melbourne to play in its opening match against Bahrain on January 11.
Iran is drawn in Group C of the tournament along with Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The tournament will run from January 9 to 31.
Iranian Referees
Moreover, three Iranian referees have been selected to judge in the 16th edition of the AFC Asian Cup.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) general secretary has sent a letter to Iran Football Federation, listing the referees and assistants selected for the AFC Asian Cup, among whom are the names of Alireza Faghani, Reza Sokhandan and Mohammadreza Abolfazli from Iran.
Furthermore, AFC has invited Iranian football icon Ali Daei to be the special guest of the AFC Asian Cup final game due to be held in Sydney on January 31, 2015.
Daei, a former member of the FIFA Football Committee, is the world’s all-time leading goal scorer in men’s international matches.
