PLDC - Tehran, August 14th is a FIFA match date for friendlies, and yet again Team Melli has no match set up.

On Wednesday, August 14th, there will be over 40 international friendlies. Two other Asian countries who have qualified for the World Cup: Japan and South Korea, will play Uruguay and Peru. Chile who invited Iran for a friendly on this date (which Iran declined), will be playing Iraq instead. Chile offered to pay the travel and accommodation costs for Iran, and has subsequently done so for Iraq.

Carlos Queiroz even rejected South Korea's request for a friendly, and rumours suggest that a football official from Iraq had also offered Iran a friendly match.

FIFA law states that clubs must allow players to serve their national teams on match days, but Iran has again and again failed to take advantage of this. Instead, Team Melli has played friendly matches on days other than official friendly dates, and has therefore played national teams that were even weaker than club teams in Iran.

To prepare for the world's best teams, Iran must play friendlies against decent opponents. In 2013, Team Melli hasn't played a single friendly with its A squad. In fact, the only friendly that Team Melli has played was against Oman, which Iran played with its B squad.

By: Arman Tamjidi