Former British manager of Iran's national soccer team joins Bam appeal

IRNA - Former British manager of the Iran's national football team, Frank O'Farrell, added his voice Thursday to the international appeal following last week's devastating earthquake in the historic city of Bam, IRNA reported from London.

Farrell said he wants to do all he can to help the people of the country that made him and his wife Ann so welcome while managing the national side between 1974 and 1976.

"They are a very special people and they have already suffered greatly during the war with Iraq in the 80s," he told the local Herald Express newspaper in Devon, south-west England, where he now lives.

Farrell, who also managed Manchester United, said he still keeps in touch with some of the Iranian players from time to time, but added that some were called up for national service and were killed during the war.

"I have already sent a donation to help the earthquake victims and it would be nice if people thought about these people when they go around the January sales," he said.

The former football coach said that what most people do not know is that the winters in Iran can be very severe. "In Tehran we would frequently be shovelling two feet of snow off the car," he said.

"Living in Iran was a very nice experience for me and my wife Ann. They have a saying that you do not have to teach courtesy to the Iranians, they are born with it," he said.

But Farrell added that the country was prone to earthquakes and that the tragedy in Bam "is the worst they've ever had." He said he wanted to encourage the people of Devon to help him raise money to provide relief.

On Tuesday, The English Football Association (FA) said that it would be making contact with its counterparts in Iran to express their condolences for the tragic earthquake in the ancient city of Bam.