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     PTV – Iran has released a 
    preliminary list of soccer players who are to compete at the first round of 
    qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup. 
 The 50-man squad has been selected by the national team's recently appointed 
    assistant coach, Mansour Ebrahimzadeh.
 
 The team, however, has no coach yet, although the Iranian Football 
    Federation is expected to finalize a contract with Portuguese Artur Jorge 
    sometime next week.
 
 The list includes almost all footballers playing outside the country, such 
    as skipper Mahdi Mahdavikia and striker Vahid Hashemian, both of whom play 
    in the German Bundesliga, and Andreanik Teimourian and Hossein Ka'bi, who 
    play in the British Premier League.
 
 The list also includes:
 
 Goalkeepers: Mahdi Va'ezi, Hassan Roudbarian, Abbas Mohammadi, Ebrahim 
    Mirzapour, Vahid Taleblou, and Misaq Memarzadeh,
 
 Strikers: Mohsen Khalili, Milad Meidavoudi, Ahmad Jamshidian, Mahdi 
    Rajabzadeh, Ali Samereh, Jalal Rafkhaei, and Saber Mirqorbani,
 
 Midfielders: Morteza Asadi, Sheis Rezaei, Ali Hamoudi, Pejman Nouri, Hashem 
    Beigzadeh, Ehsan Hajsafi, Freidoun Zandi, Javad Nekounam, Kiyanoush Rahmati, 
    Ebrahim Sadeqi, Moharram Navidkia, Javad Kazemian, Mas'oud Shojaei, Mehrzad 
    Ma'danchi, Iman Mobali, Sattar Zare', Ali Reza Nikbakht-Vahedi, Hossein 
    Badamaki, Mojtaba Jabbari, Adel Kolah-Kaj, And Ali Karimi,
 
 Defenders: Hadi Aqili, Mohsen Bengar, Sepehr Heidari, Mohammad Nosrati, 
    Seyyed Jalal Hosseini, Morteza Kashi, Hadi Shakouri, Jalal Alene'meh, Rahman 
    Rezaei, and Seyyed Mohammad Alavi.
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