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Fars - Although Iran's
national football team is without a head coach and the European based
players are busy preparing themselves for a hectic second half of the
season, but despite all this, Team Melli still managed to hold its first
training session on Tuesday 01 January in Tehran.
25 players trained under the watchful eyes of assistant coach Ebrahim Zadeh
(read: care-taker head coach) for 90 minutes in front of a scrum of
journalists, and 40 die-hard fans who braved the cold to witness the
training session. However, many of those who had come were regretting their
decision. "Maybe I have come to the wrong place, but I don't know any of
these players" said one fan.
While most of the players present in Tuesday's training session won't even
make the final 23, there was one notable exception. Hossein Kaebi has had a
disappointing few months with Leicester City, but he was one of the first
few who appeared on the pitch, ready for training. Maybe 2008 will bring
more luck for Hossein who remains a big favorite with the Iranian fans.
All Perspolis and Sepahan players were missing from the training session, as
they were taking a well earned rest. Jabbari and Taleblou (both of
Esteghlal) were also missing, as 'The Blues' are currently holding their own
training camp in UAE. Ali Karimi, Javad Kazemian, and Ebrahim Mirzapour are
all expected to join the training camp later this week.
Iran will play its first friendly match on 2005 January against Hansa
Rostock, followed by a friendly against Qatar 4 days later. The national
team is scheduled to meet Mali and Costa Rica later in January before its
first World Cup Qualifier in February 2006 against Syria.
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