Iran National football team is due to welcome its 7th foreign coach
in the past 15 years: The very well known Spaniard 'Javier Clemente'.
Niloufar Momeni
A good selection well deserved for Iranian team gunning for World Cup
2010 qualification and further than that a hope to advance to round 16
of World Cup Finals to wipe out the disturbing memories of World Cup 2006
campaign.
Putting aside the thought of appointing Clemente much earlier than now
instead of hasting time in the past 6 months by our football officials,
the critical question remains as how long the successful Spaniard is going
to be warmly welcomed by Iranian football officials and Iranian media?
Apart from Branko Ivankovic, being the exception among foreign coaches
working in Iran, for having the longest spell in football-crazy land thanks
largely to IFF President's full support back then, all other foreign coaches
in charge of Iran national team were sacked from their job in less than
a year of managing Iranian team. The reason? Lack of professionalism and
long term vision in our football culture. From the impatient, result-
oriented mentality of majority of Iranian fans and Iran's print media
with unrealistically high expectations from Iran's weakened team, undermining
opponents' progress in the last decade, which stems from lack of world
football knowledge, to IFF officials demanding Iran's immediate victories
to record under their own achievements, all have led to a very challenging
environment for foreign tacticians to thoroughly implement their ideas
and witness the results at the right time.
One cannot forget the loads of pressure and bashing Tomislav Ivic were
bombarded with by Iran's print media calling his trainings 'an offence
to Iranian players' intelligence' and 'causing potential injuries for
National team players' in 1998 for his indoor football training with Iran
National team prior to Iran's AS Roma friendly fixture, which shortly
after led to his immediate sack without taking the dream flight to France
with his team to World Cup 1998. As it was revealed after Iran's World
Cup 1998 campaign managed by Jalal Talebi, Iranian players all credited
their strong performances to Tomislav Ivic's best trainings, calling him
'the best coach they have ever had'. Ironically Safaei Farahani who sacked
Ivic himself, also admitted several years later that 'Ivic was the best
coach Iran has ever had in the past 30 years.' So as simple as this example,
a foreign coach, no matter how effective and creditable among National
team players, can be sacked in Iran by the constant media criticisms and
poor results in few games. Those were archive of recent Iranian print
media criticisms from the news of Clemente refusing to live in Iran, leading
to unmerited private calls to Clemente's agent 'warning him the three
year exit ban enforced by IFF, when arriving in Iran'. The roots of such
criticisms may all hint at resistance to welcome modern approaches introduced
into Iranian football and the costless backstabbing of anyone who manages
football differently to that of the old school football management in
our country. This is the reality of our football today, which leaves our
state of football as unstable as it gets.
In all honesty, as we don't have a professional league compared
to that of Japan and South Korea's, nor do we have any Olympic team to
rely on its youngsters, a truly successful refurbishment of our National
team can only be achieved patiently through a long term and well thought
game plan, team performance analysis, advanced physical trainings, psychological
boost to the players, and crucially implementing the true means of discipline
and professionalism in our national team camp.
As patience and time are two key factors of success in professional football
countries, even an average club coach in European league teams is given
at least an entire season and as much as 38 games to implement structural
changes to the weakened team and analyze the team flaws for next fixtures.
Let alone Clemente who is being handed a shattered National team, whom
have not trained together for more than a week in the last 6 months, half
of the foreign based players are regular benchwarmers, players are psychologically
frustrated at the shortcomings in Iranian football state in the past year
or so, and the team is under pressure of expectations to smoothly qualify
for World Cup 2010.
Hence that leads us to the point that, Clemente should be given time and
trust in a peaceful environment to implement his tactics, select new young
players, bench any regular National team player, train them however he
decides, and he should be given numerous chances to experiment losses
and victories with our National team to spot Iranian team's weaknesses
and strengths. Let's for once put aside our egotistic attitude and respect
the Spaniard's 32 years of coaching experience to patiently does his job.
Let's put aside our biases towards certain regular National team players,
whom we always want to see in starting line-up regardless of their constant
poor form, as well leave aside the grudge against a certainly different
management approach under Javier Clemente and support, instead of backstab,
the Spanish guest in his task for painting success with Iran National
football team, that being Iran's solid performance in World Cup 2010 and
quest for Asian Cup 2011 title. Truly, however painful our qualification
road would be to these high profile Tournaments, it is not as crucial
as improving the Iranian team into a competitive and consistent National
football team, as one remembers back in 30 years ago. So let's not consent
to the repeat of past mistakes including the sacrifice of another decent
foreign coach, provoked by certain individuals and groups, which have
cost Iranian football dearly in the past.
A coach, who has achieved 4 Spanish Cup titles with Athletic Bilbao and
has led Spain to two Quarter Finals in World Cup 1994 and Euro Cup 1996
with an incredible record of 31 unbeaten games with Spanish side, has
surely an edge to achieve further success this time with Iran National
football team. So let's change our impatient and bashful attitude inherited
by our football culture flaws, and see the outstanding result in Iran
National team in a matter of time, shall we?
,
18 Feb 2008
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