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Iranian Mehdi Mahdavikia (R)
fights for the ball against Qatari players Yousef Adam and Saud Shamimari
during their World Cup Asian qualifiers match in Tehran 18 February 2004.
Iran won 3-1. AFP PHOTO
FIFA - The spotlight may have been firmly
focused on Japan and Korea Republic in recent years, but there is at least
one other footballing power in Asia, and it is starting to demand serious
attention. No one loves football more than the Iranians, and their team has
been giving them plenty of cause to cheer in recent times, soaring seven
places in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking for March 2004, to reach 24th
place, its highest ever position. What is more, there may be better times
ahead, as the country prepares for the Asian Cup and the remaining
qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany.
Last February’s victory over Qatar was particularly satisfying for Iran. A
comfortable 3-1 home win in an Azadi stadium that was completely empty (as a
result of punishment imposed in the aftermath of incidents during the Asian
Cup qualifying campaign) represented the perfect start to its qualifying
campaign for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany.
In addition, that was the result that allowed the Melli to jump to 24th
place in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings, thereby eclipsing its previous
best placing of 27th. That standing was reached back in December 1998, when
the Iranians scorched through the Asian Games with wins over China (2-1 and
1-0), Uzbekistan (4-0), and laos (6-1).
Second in the Asian zone
Following their recent jump, Iran are now the second highest-ranked AFC
nation, behind Korea Republic but ahead of regional rivals Japan and Saudi
Arabia. This represents real progress for the Iranians, and local supporters
have not been slow to recognise this fact - iranmania.com,
iransportspress.com, and the Persian Journal are amongst the media outlets
who have hailed this “historic achievement.”
One of the keys to the Iranian success has been the cleverness of Croatian
head coach Branko Ivankovic. Having served as Miroslav Blazevic’s assistant
with Croatia at France 98, the manager has shown his experience by finding
the right blend of foreign-based and local players. Some thirty Iranian
players earn a living abroad, the best known being defender Rahman Rezaei
(Messina, Italy), striker Alireza Nikbakht-Vahedi (Al Wasl, UAE) and
inspirational playmaker Mehdi Mahdavikia (Hamburg SV, Germany), who was
AFC’s Footballer of the Year in 2003.
While the above trio may be the stars of the team, Iran-based players like
Ali Badaavi and Reza Enayati are starting to forge big reputation for
themselves. The most famous local-based player though, is the legendary Ali
Daei, who has returned home after many years playing abroad. Not only is
Daei back, but he’s still banging in the goals, and his recent brace against
Laos saw him create a special piece of history – by reaching 89 goals for
his national team, he broke a long-standing world record that had previously
been held by none other than the great Ferenc Puskas. “I would like to
congratulate Ali Daei on breaking this 30 year-old record,” said Ivankovic,
“This is a superb achievement by both him and the national team. Everyone
should be proud of him.”
An abundance of talent
The vibrancy of Iranian football at the moment is such that Ivankovic is
certainly not stuck for options, though he says he feels no need to tinker
too much with his team. "I keep a close eye on any promising players in the
domestic league,” he admits, “but I have to say I’m quite happy with my
current squad.”
Neverthless, Ivankovic will probably need to exploit all the resources
available to him if his team are to reach the twin targets they have been
set for this season. The first objective is to get through to the final
Asian qualifying phase for Germany 2006. This should be well within the
means of Iran, since they have already put broad daylight between themselves
and Qatar, while Jordan and Laos do not appear to be realistic contenders.
Mahdavikia, for one, believes that the 3-1 win over Qatar and the 7-0
demolition of Laos have set the side on the path to glory. “I sincerely hope
that Asia and the rest of the world understood the message,” he explains,
“We want to qualify for Germany.”
Before getting to Germany, however, Iran must plan their trip to China for
June’s Asian Cup. They will travel with a clear mission: “The most important
thing at the moment is to perform well at the Asian Cup,” says Ivankovic,
“we will have to prepare meticulously in order to be successful, but the
fitness and the motivation of my players will enable us to achieve our
goal.” If confidence counts for anything, Iran are set to continue their
impressive climb. |
