|
MNA – Hamurg SV right winger Mehdi Mahdavikia here Tuesday said the draw for
finals of the Asian Cup 2007 placed Iran in a desirable group.
Seeded Iran heads Group C which includes co-host Malaysia, Uzbekistan, and
China.
Iran skipper, who expressed his satisfaction in his talks with MNA,
reiterated Iran is in a good group, however adding, “We should not
underestimate Uzbekistan, China, and Malaysia.
“Uzbekistan is among top Central Asian states and its football is very
similar to that of Eastern Europe. So, it is a dangerous rival.
“China has had a cutthroat competition with Iran in the past years and it
will go for broke in the tournament.
“Malaysia is not an underdog, either as it is one of the co-hosts.”
Asked about Australia’s debut in the Asian event, the Bundesliga-bound
midfielder said the presence of the Socceroos mounts the tournament’s
excitement.
“Australia, South Korea, Japan, and Saudi Arabia are the archrivals of
Iran,” Mahdavikia said.
Balanced groups
AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam expressed his satisfaction with the draw,
saying that all the groups were equally balanced.
Speaking at a press conference after the draw, Bin Hammam said, “I believe
all groups are equal and balanced and fairly placed. Now I expect them to
show their quality and standard on the biggest stage.”
When asked about the state of readiness of the four hosts, the AFC chief
gave full marks to Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand.
“I am happy with the way things are progressing in the four host countries.
The AFC was a bit uncomfortable in the beginning but now things are on track
and we are almost there, thanks to the efforts of the hosts’ associations.”
He called upon the media to robustly support and promote the competition.
“I want to emphasize the role of the media in promoting this competition.
Asian media have a big responsibility in this,” the-afc.com quoted Bin
Hammam as saying.
To a question on if the AFC was considering a proposal to hold the AFC Asian
Cup once in two years, Bin Hammam replied in the negative. “Asia is a very
large continent and the qualifiers itself require a lot of time. So this is
not possible.”
On the special draw which slotted Saudi Arabia in the Indonesia group, Bin
Hammam said, “We took the precaution because we are aware of the strained
diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Thailand. In February 2006
Thailand hosted the Asian Handball Championship but did not allow the Saudis
to come there.”
“If a team withdraws a month or two before the competition, it is not
possible to replace it. It is the AFC’s primary responsibility to hold its
biggest events smoothly and successfully.”
|
