Thescore - FORMER IRELAND U21 Eamon Zayed says he is unlikely to return to club football in Iran after being threatened into accepting a fraction of his wages at Aluminium Hormozgan.

The 29-year-old Dubliner, who played for several League of Ireland sides and won PFAI Player of the Year in 2011 before departing for the Middle East, was out of contract at the Bandar Abbas-based outfit in May.

When he sat down to discuss the money he was owed, club officials forced him into agreeing vastly reduced terms.

Speaking about his experience on Newstalk’s Off The Ball, Zayed said: “I’ve been there a year-and-a-half. Do I want to go back? I’m not sure. Living in the country is okay, the people are nice. But it’s difficult playing football there.

“It is going through a financial crisis and clubs are having problems paying footballers. When it came to the end of the season, I was due a sum of money and I had to negotiate it. The contracts mean nothing in Iran. If you get 60-70% of your contract, that is great. They make up their own rules.

“When I went in, the club said they’d pay me under a third of it. When I disagreed they threatened to keep my passport. I had to sign the contract just to get out of there. That’s a problem that you face.

“It would put me off going back again.”

Zayed admitted he has received a number of offers but is concentrating on qualifying for next year’s World Cup with Libya right now. Eligible through his Libyan father, Zayed switched allegiance three years ago having represented Ireland at U21 level but had to wait until last weekend to make his competitive debut due to a delay in his registration being cleared by FIFA.

On Friday, the capital Tripoli hosted its first international match since the overthrow of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi as Libya met DR Congo in a World Cup qualifier. While it ended 0-0, Zayed was delighted to feature from the first whistle.

“It was a long time coming,” he said. “It went well – the coach and everyone was happy with me.

There was an anxious build-up. They weren’t sure how it was going to go but turned out to be absolutely fantastic. The stadium was full – there were 40 or 50,000 at it. The fans got behind the team and they’re incredible. The revolution has brought the people together as a nation.

“There still are problems between the militia and rebels. There is some unrest but it’s not as bad as it sounds. The country will come good.”

Libya top their group in the African qualifiers and with two games to go are in the driving seat to earn a play-off spot for the finals in Brazil. Zayed, who is due to start against Togo on Friday in a game what has been moved from Benghazi to Tripoli due to violent clashes, added that it would be incredible to make the tournament.