TEHRANTIMES - Ali Karimi said on Saturday that everybody must help Carlos Queiroz to take Iran football team to the 2014 World Cup.

The 34-year-old midfielder bade farewell in early May after Iran’s Hazfi Cup final.

Karimi made 127 appearances and accumulated 38 goals across 14 years for Iran. He is the country's third top international goal-scorer, behind Ali Daei and Karim Bagheri.

“Everybody knows that we are in difficult condition. All of us must respect coach’s decisions and support the team to qualify for the World Cup,” Karimi said.

“From now on, I will support the Iranian football team as a fan. Hopefully the team books a place in the competitions and make the Iranian happy,” he added.

Iran will face Qatar in a must-win game on June 4 in the Qatari capital Doha. The Persians will also play Lebanon and South Korea on June 11 and 18 respectively.  

Iran is third in Group A with seven points. Uzbekistan leads the group with 11 points with one game more, followed by South Korea with 10 points.