MNA - Iran football coach Ali
Daei said on Sunday that Ali Karimi, who has rejected a recent call up to
the national team, will never be invited to the team again.
“I knew that Karimi would not come to the national team but invited him to
show that I have no problem with anybody. Each player has to dedicate
himself to serve his motherland. If I were Karimi I would never have
rejected this invitation,” Ali Daei said in a news conference held in Iran’s
Football Federation building on Sunday.
“I think we are wasting time talking about Karimi prior to a must-win game
against North Korea. We have qualified for the 2010 World Cup qualification
final round with young players and we will be able to advance in the
competitions with the same players,” the former Iran striker added.
Asked why he refused to accept a recommendation from the Iranian president
Mahmud Ahmadinejad about inviting Karimi to the team, Daei answered, “I
talked to the President and convinced him that Karimi was not on course
then. I told him the player would be called up to the team when he was
ready.”
