Originally posted by Ardalan
View Post
Japan has good relations with Iran in everything including Football. Early this year they invited Team Melli to play in Kirin Cup but FFIRI refused. Few years ago there were talks about a friendly too which unfortunately did not happen.β
We all know that European teams have been refusing to come to Iran to play friendly ever since 2010. Last time Team Melli hosted an European team was when they hosted Macedonia in 2009. After 2018 FIFA World Cup, the only European who played Team Melli was Bosnia in 2020 which was an away match. So this leaves Team Melli with teams from AFC, CAF, CONMEBOL and CONCACAF. Teams from OFC only New Zealand is worthy for a match with our main Team Melli and other OFC teams would not travel all the way to Iran, so if Team Melli wants to play them has to arrange somewhere in between like in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia.
Iraq, Syria, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Lebanon, UAE, Oman, Palestine, China, South Korea are all familiar opponents, Team Melli faces them every few years.
In my opinion, Team Melli main team should play likes of Japan, Kuwait, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, Bolivia, Paraguay, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Cameroon, South Africa, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Gabon, Guinea, Congo, DR Congo, Mali, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde.
Team Melli uncapped/less experienced/Iran league players should aim at friendlies with AFC teams that Iran never played such as East Timor, Mongolia, Brunei, Macau, Bhutan, Northern Mariana Islands. Also teams like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Yemen, Kyrgyzstan, Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti, Burundi, Namibia, Tanzania, Mauritania, Malawi, Mozambique, Guinea Bissau, Sao Tome Principe, Uganda, Niger, Chad, Mauritius, Seychelles, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Madagascar, Togo, Sierra Leone, Angola, Rwanda, Equatorial Guinea, Botswana.
Comment