Zob Ahan dodges the bullet?

Looks like after much tumult and speculations, Mansour Ebrahimzadeh has decided to stay put in Zob Ahan and finish his assault on the Asian Champions League. Along with this news, it is reported that most of the roster of the club have decided to extend their contracts with the club, which should keep the structure of the team more or less intact. This is a welcome news which comes at a time that Zob Ahan sees two of its key players, Khalatbari and Talebi leave the club.

I believe with a few key purchases in the transfer season, the club can fill the vacant slots well and continue their impressive campaign in Asia, maintaining the high quality we have come to expect from them in recent years.


Meanwhile, the one man they will find hard to replace is Ebrahimzadeh's talented young assistant, Majid Saleh, who will be seen head coaching another IPL club, Saipa. I believe Mr. Saleh belongs to the few promising young up and coming coaches, the likes of which, unfortunately, we dont have many!

Persepolis and Daei defend their trophy

Finally Persepolis claimed the Hazfi trophy and the much sought-after ticket to Asia. But the story of the day was Ali Daei’s vindication as the coach who was beleaguered throughout the season (this is not saying he didn’t commit any mistakes himself) and by successfully defending his last year’s cup-winning championship he becomes the first coach to have done so in Iran’s Hazfi competition. This only increases his stance in the club and subsequently, reduces the power and influence of Habib Kashani who apparently became Daei’s antagonist in the club and was an outright critic of him as the season came to a close.


The game itself wasn’t much to talk about and certainly didn’t reproduce the bombastic excitement of the first leg in Azadi. Malavan, much like the first leg, came out very aggressive and attacked Persepolis’ goalmouth in waves. And Persepolis was lucky not to concede on a couple of occasions while Oladi was found mere centimeters short of connecting with the ball to tap in a goal. However, Oladi did score an early goal and kept Anzali-chis’ hopes up for the rest of the match. The second half was even less exciting and both teams went through the motions, peppered with some time wasting done by Persepolis’ keeper, Haghighi.

The post game celebrations, as is the tradition in Iran, was as chaotic and embarrassing as ever with rush of fans and media personnel onto the pitch which usually adds to the commotion and often ends in damaging or breaking of the trophies! I long for the day we see a semblance of a decent trophy ceremony in Iran!

I guess on a favorable note for Daei, Kashani resigned from his post of "temporary" care-taker of the club, which should pave the way for Daei's continued work at Persepolis the following season. But hey, this is Iran and just about anything is possible.

So, Persepolis joins its arch rivals Sepahan, Esteghlal and Zob-Ahan as Iran’s representatives in 2011’s Asian Champions League. Justice done? I leave that to the fans to decide for themselves. But given the current news in transfer market and customary “aid” by Iran’s physical education dept., I still have hope that these 4 teams would be able representatives of our football in Asia.

Zob Ahan in total disarray

First it was the news of departure of Khalatbari to a Qatari club, Al-Gharafa, which was bad enough for both Zob Ahan’s ambitions to do one better than last year’s runner-up rank, but to Khalatbari’s own footballing career as hardly any player improves – or even manages to maintain form – once they make the move to the Persian Gulf leagues, and now, there is even more devastating rumors of Ghasem Hadadifard’s move to Qatar’s league!!

The midfield maestro displayed such levels of skills, vision and performance that forced the newly appointed national team coach Queiroz to immediately call him up. But it doesn’t stop with Hadadifard as now, there is talk of Sepahan’s lynch-pin in defense, Hadi Aghili joining yet another Qatari club! Is Qatar trying to emulate what UAE’s league did to our stars?

But a move to the Persian Gulf leagues is nearly a kiss of death as it has been for many other Iranian stars who have been lured away with the promise of money, but in the bargain, wasted years of productivity. Is this a similar fate facing these great players? It would be an utter shame to see a repeat of what happened to the likes of Iman Mobaali, Javad Kazemian and … etc. It has taken great effort on the part of Oladi, Mobaali and Kazemian to claw back to an acceptable level of performance after joining the Iranian clubs. I despair to think the same thing happen to Khalatbari, Hadadifard and Aghili.

But the most depressing aspect of these transfers is what happens to Zob Ahan and their Asian aspirations. It seems the whole club is in such devastating turmoil that it is finding hard to retain any of its key players. Aside from the above mentioned players, another defensive strong-man, Farshid Talebi may be moving to Saipa and with Gordan’s rumors I fear by the time Zob Ahan steps onto the quarterfinals pitch, we shall be seeing a very different team lacking one of its main keys to its recent years’ success; consistency and stability in its roster. Indeed it would be a very sad day to see Zob Ahan’s promising campaign come to a halt due to some ridiculously horrendous management.

At the same time one cannot stay quiet on AFC’s bizarre scheduling of the Asian champions league since it heavily favors those of the East Asian leagues and clashes with the West Asian leagues’ time-tables. Little wonder in recent editions, east Asian teams have been more successful as they come into the tournament fresh and with a stable roster till the end of the games, while the West Asian leagues are going through the second halves of their seasons and with the end of the season team transfers and roster changes, have to continue the tournament often with new teams.
But don’t get me started on the AFC and its peculiar management of football in Asia!

No rest for the weary of Iran

Amidst internal turmoil and personnel shuffles in both Esfahani teams, Iran's two representatives have been paired against two tough opponents for their upcoming Asian champions league quarter-final clash, a daunting task under normal circumstances.

Sepahan is slated to face the Qatari team Alsadd. And they step into this crucial game not knowing who will be their coach and most probably having lost some of their key players such as Ebrahim Toure, Jalal Hosseini and Iran (and probably Asia’s) best goalkeeper, Mehdi Rahmati. Coach Amir Ghalenoei has expressed his disappointment in leaving the club due to failure in negotiations over his salary and contract fee. Although this has not been confirmed by the club management, but all signs point to a change at the helm for the club which couldnt have come at a more crucial period what with the club making a very strong case to win the coveted Asian champions league trophy.

While the yellow camp in Esfahan mulls over its next possible coach, the green camp of Zob-Ahan faces nothing short of disaster as there have been rumors of departure of Mansour Ebrahimzadeh, their capable coach as well as some of the more prominent players like goal tender Shahab Gordan and the little big man, Mohamad-Reza Khalatbari! Considering their quarterfinal clash is against a very competent South Korean Samsung Blue-wings, fans of the club are experiencing some very nervous and stressful times that should last till the end of Iran’s transfer window.

Ironically, after talk of Ghalenoei’s departure from Sepahan, some pundits have disclosed Sepahan’s management may be going after Ebrahimzadeh as a viable replacement. Although other names have been thrown into the bowl as well, such as Luka Bonacic (former Sepahan coach who went as far as Asian champions league final 2 years back) and Perspolis’ Ali Daei.

Those in the know blame the government and its role in reducing the allotted budget for industrial teams that has forced these clubs to have a long look at their yearly budget and affordability of such high profile and imminently successful coaches and players. But this couldn’t have come at a worse time as this year, given the performances of these two teams, really held much promise for the Iranian fans to actually dare imagine seeing an Iranian club lifting the coveted Asian trophy after a more than 20 years gap.

IPL's top coaches and stars of the season

As we finish the football season in Iran, with Persepolis taking on Malavan for the Hazfi cup and the rights to represent Iran in Asian Club Championship, a look back at some of the success stories of the season may seem fitting.

The top coaches of the year for me are Ebrahimzadeh of Zob-Ahan, Majid Jalali of Foolad and Ghalenoei of Sepahan. Mansour Ebrahimzadeh has shown to be quite a capable manager whose quiet and unassuming style is a breath of fresh air in a football that thrives on controversy. His insistence on team-work and team oriented tactics is another major accolade. Leading a team that in comparison with some of the more flashy clubs in Iran, is frankly lacking in “famous stars”, he managed to bring out the more tactical facets of football to the fore which has made his team into a tremendous force to reckon with inside Iran as well as in Asia. However, it is worrying to see rumors of his departure or transfer of a couple of key players (like Khalatbari, one of Iran’s best currently) due to financial constraints in the club! Let us hope this ends well and the financial woes are swiftly dealt with as Zob-Ahan enters the Asian Champions league’s quarter finals.

Zob's captain, Ghasem Hadadifard, in my opinion, has been a total revelation this year, as he flaunted great skills in passing as well as shooting from range. But most of all it was his vision and ability to spot runs and spaces in the opponents' defense that makes him one of the top playmakers and leaders on the pitch in Iran at the moment.






Majid Jalali has made a name for himself as a thinking and methodical coach, backed by a reliable system and the belief in player development and introduction of fresh talent. This year was no exception as his team, Foolad Khuzestan, displayed some of the pleasing performances in the league and eventually capturing the title of the most attacking team with most goals scored (56 goals) as well as introduction of Reza Nowroozi as the league’s top scorer with 24 goals, breaking the old record of 21 goals set by Reza Enayati. With great emphasis on youth and energy, Foolad became a force in the later stages of the season, climbing to the 6th place behind star-studded teams that also enjoyed massive popular regional support like the two Tehrani teams of Persepolis and Esteghlal, Esfahan’s Sepahan and Zob-Ahan and Tabriz’s Tracktorsazi. So capturing the 6th rank with a very young team is no easy task. But they also reached the semifinals of the Hazfi cup and perhaps may feel undone by refereeing mistakes that denied them a well-deserved penalty against Persepolis. But that does not lessen any of their valiant efforts during the season.

The season saw Foolad introduce yet another batch of young talent to Iranian football in the form of the young, exciting Arash Afshin who attracted many admirers with his explosive style in our Olympics team and then Team Melli. Bakhtiar Rahmani, a capable midfielder who has taken his rightful place in our Olympic team. And lets not forget the revitalized Reza Nowroozi who was discarded from Steel-Azin but was transformed into the lethal striker who, aside from his pace, could threaten the opponent from outside the box as well as in close spaces.





What can be said with Sepahan capturing its second IPL trophy in a row under management of Ghalenoei with the help of a crop of best talent available in Iran? Sepahan could easily rival our national team. Hell, with a couple of changes, it IS our national team. So given the sheer amount of star power at his disposal, it would have been a tragic failure had they not won the league. However, one must give credit when due. The Steel-Azin experiment showed us merely packing your team with famous stars does not guarantee success and Ghalenoei deserves the credit for managing the egos of his stars and molding them into a very tight unit that really shone in the Asian Champions league by advancing to the quarter finals with hardly breaking into sweat.

Mehdi Rahmati needs no introduction as he has been showing magnificent performances for the national team as well as his club in domestic and international matches. So it is beyond any doubt that he was one of the most influential players in Sepahan. However there are rumors of his leaving the club which must certainly be a cause for worry for Sepahan who face even tougher challenges in Asia in their quest for the Asian trophy. What's even more distressing is that with Rahmati's departure, it is expected that another defense stalwart, Jalal Hosseini may follow him to the new club! This is enough to cause sleepless nights for any coach.





Ali Daei can still salvage some glory from this season if his Persepolis manages to defeat a gutsy and resilient Malavan team and win the Hazfi cup. This would be a much needed vindication of him after a season of much turmoil and internal strife that would cripple just about any club. The win would be a fitting reply to all his accusers and critics who fairly and unfairly attacked him throughout the season. But only he knows what is in store for him the next season. Would he stay in Persepolis or will he switch to another club. Tracktorsazi of Tabriz, among a couple of other clubs like Saipa, was rumored to be pursuing his services.

This season, Perspolis, in Alireza Aliasgar had a tremendously talented player who could play almost in every position in the field. But it was when moving forward and attacking the opponents' defense and goal that really made him flourish and a household name in our football. With great pace and ball handling skills he holds much promise for the future.







All in all, a very interesting season for Iranian football and with two representatives in Asian Champions League quarterfinals, we may yet have a great year ahead.

Classy Barca

What made this year's UEFA champions league final a magnificent occasion in world football?

Was it the grand occasion of two of the biggest clubs in the world meeting in one of the biggest football venues?
Was it the pleasing display of total football by Barcelona?
Was it the mesmerizing mastery of the ball by Messi?
Was it the pomp and weight of the quality shown in the midfield by Xavi and Iniesta?
Was it the comfortable ease with which Barcelona brushed United aside?
Was it Xavi's exquisite passing and feeding of his team mates?
Was it watching Messi nutmeg nearly each and every United player and his cousin at least once?
Was it Sir Alex's nervous clenching and unclenching of his fists as he helplessly watched his players chase shadows due to Barca's fluid passing and constant movement?
Was it defeating the pride of England, in England, in front of thousands of rabid English fans (not to mention rubbing it in on the biased and often cocky British media and football experts)?

Although each one of the above would provide ample reason for a football fan to stand in ovation and salute the celebration of football, the football that we all deserve to see, but what provided the classiest moment on that Saturday evening was the pure class of first Xavi who offered the captain’s arm band to Puyol, who in turn wrapped the band around the arms of Eric Abidal, the player who was diagnosed with liver cancer a mere 4 months back. The player who fought back the dreaded “C” and defeated it and found enough reserves within his mortal shell to get back to training and eventually be able to strut his skills on the football pitch of the most watched club football game in history. The absolute class of captain Puyol for showing us why he is the heart of the club and why Barcelona is far more than just a football club. It was only fitting for Abidal to be the player who lifts the champions league trophy to immortalize the club's never say die spirit and the quest for perfection. The player who faced the greatest test of human spirit head on and defeated it in style.

Zob Ahan, a class above Asia

Zob Ahan’s game had everything a Hollywood blockbuster needs; Drama, fast paced action, flair & trickery, tears and even one deadly missile. But what stands out the most in this game for me is how truly elegant and classy they performed as a team. Today Zob Ahan could have been a team playing in a top European league vying for honors.

I don’t know if I should start with their fluid passing, positional plays, constant movement that confounded the Saudi team, their intelligence or the sheer amount of flair and skills displayed by many of its players, with Khalatbari at the top of the heap.

Khalatbari was an unstoppable dynamo who ran riot throughout the match and Al-Nassr simply did not have a response to his runs, dribbles, passes. Some friends in PFDC compared him with a certain Lionel Messi. Today, I think this comparison was not beyond imagination. Yes, he was THAT GOOD. Oh, and by the way, he had 2 magnificent assists that resulted in a 2-0 scoreline with hardly 5 minutes into the game.

The first goal saw him weave through a crowd of Saudi defenders as if they were sticks rooted in the ground, supplying Ghazi with a deft pass. And Ghazi picked up where Khalatbari dropped off and he, in turn, scrambled the defenders even more and slotted the goal by the hapless goal keeper.

Khalatbari, then, supplied the corner through which Igor Castro scored an easy header and the first of his brace. From this moment on, Zob Ahan was in control of match and except a few minutes in the middle of the second half, they never relinquished this control till the final whistle.

But the drama was just starting in a match that saw the Al Nassr coach forced to make substitutions in 32nd minute and then by 45th minute, desperately trying to wrestle some control of the ball and make a headway. However it was not so as the Iranian midfield maestro, Hadadifard, produced one of his signature through passes that fed Castro who shot past the keeper to score his second and put Zob Ahan 3-0.

This had a feeling of a rout from the beginning of the game and things were moving according to the script. So much that even the opponent’s lone goal didn’t really faze the Isfahani team and they stuck to their coach, Ebrahimzadeh’s plans which saw the best goal of the Asian Champions League as their fourth. A long range cruise missile by Shahin Kheiri, zeroing in on the crumbling Saudi goal keeper which finally broke the opponents’ resistance … not to mention make the keeper weep!
In a game that saw Zob Ahan score 4 goals and fail to score at least another 4-5 goals, we also must give credit to a defender, Ahmadi, who saved at least 3 one-on-ones with impeccably timed tackles.



All in all, this was a magnificent display of prowess by a team that has made intelligent and team oriented football its trade mark and sits on top of the Asian clubs’ ranking in the world (fifa). While Sepahan’s game yesterday provided great satisfaction for the Iranian fans, Zob’s game was an absolute joy to watch. Thank you Mr.’s Ebrahimzadeh & Saleh for preparing a team that oozes class and intelligence. Thank you very much.

Sepahan sweeps Bunyadkor aside on its way to quarterfinals

Asian Champions League, Pre-quarter final stage. This year Isfahan has established itself as the football capital of Iran with two great teams, Sepahan and Zob-Ahan representing Iran in Asia. What makes this year's edition more exciting for us football fans is this year we have two strong candidates who can vie for the trophy and go toe to toe with the best of Asia.

However, Sepahan and Zob-Ahan's similarities end here. While Sepahan is a team jam-packed with super-stars and highly skilled individuals each of whom is a household name, Zob Ahan represents a collective and tight unit of players who have created a team in its truest sense. More on Zob Ahan tomorrow as they face the Saudi team Al-Nasr. But today, Sepahan literally steamrolled over the Uzbeks team Bunyadkor who are no slouches themselves. A team that made a lot of noise and a name for itself a few years ago in Asia by hiring one of the world's top coaches Scolari and a roster that included a few South American stars, one Rivaldo at the top of the list.

But history and record books were of no help to the Uzbek team as Sepahan played a fast attacking game in the first half that is seldom seen in Iranian clubs in Asia. Sepahan players did whatever they wanted to do and surged in wave after wave, threatening the opponents' goal at whim.

However, Ibrahim Toure's immature and careless attitude finally caused some concern among the Isfahani team by receiving a red card at minute 56, therefore forcing Sepahan to play the next 35+ minutes one man short. And true to form, there were a couple of humps and wobbles on the way with the Uzbeki team taking advantage of their extra man and for minutes applied tremendous pressure on Sepahan's back line. However sepahan's third goal sealed the game and after Aghili's penalty it was just a matter of controlling the game and running down the clock.

I am extremely happy to see Sepahan perform at such high levels against some tough Asian opponents and this year may finally be the year we see an Iranian club lifting the coveted trophy after a gap of nearly 20 years. Sepahan has shown they have the right tools to make this dream come true and I dare say they are among the favorites and it would take a major obstacle to keep them away from the trophy. Will they remain professional until the last minute of the final game or lose their nerves like Zob Ahan in last year's edition?