TEHRANTIMES - Choi Kang-hee has been accused by Iran sporting director Mehdi Mohammad Nabi of talking "nonsense" about crushing Iran’s hopes of an automatic World Cup qualification.

South Korea coach said he wanted revenge after a 1-0 defeat in Tehran in October.

"I remember being badly treated in Iran. The manners they showed were not good…they were not hospitable. Honestly, I dislike Iran more (than Uzbekistan). I hope Uzbekistan make it to the World Cup," Choi told reporters in Seoul.

Asked him about the remarks, Mohammad Nabi said, “We don’t care about what the South Korea coach said. He has talked nonsense. He has also motivated us.”

“We’ve trained well and we are going to defeat South Korea on their soil to advance to the World Cup as the first team. We know their weak and strong points,” he added.

“Our players are highly motivated to beat Korea and show their capabilities. We can tolerate high temperature in Ulsan but the high humidity level is annoying,” Iran sporting director stated.

Last Tuesday, South Korea moved to the top of the Group A with 14 points after beating Uzbekistan, one point clear of Iran who humiliated Lebanon 4-0 in Tehran. Uzbekistan is in third place with 11 points.

The top two teams in Group A and Group B of Asia qualify for the World Cup directly, while the third-place teams go to a playoff, with the winner facing off against the fifth-place team of South America for a berth in the World Cup.