Which country should Iranian teams choose to play if Saudi teams do not come to Iran?

[saeed_noro]

If we say NOW YES TO NEUTRAL GROUND - we also will be forced to play vs. saudi, UAE, Qatar in WCQ on NEUTRAL GROUND, so we should definitely NOT ACCEPT TO PLAY ON NEUTRAL GROUND....political and tactical view..

[Leopard]

Please forget about voting. Here is the argument to use:
1. It was Saudi arabia that could not protect teenage pilgrims and they AIRPORT SECURITY raped two young boys. This is very important and all countries should refuse to play in saudi arabia any of their saudi games.
2. MERS or incorrectly named Middle East Respiratory syndrome has taken lives of more that 500 Saudis and it has spread to Korea and other countries. As of last month 12 Koreans had died. MERS is a big risk and it is important argument to use by all clubs or countries that need to go to saudi ar to play.
3. Saudi arabia initiated an illegal war against its neighbor and it has singled out a race of people and that is genocide. Although U.N has failed to deal with it, FIFA must call for sanctions against saudis and their sports teams to apply pressure to bring them to civilized world.
conclusion: Only the games that are supposed to be played in saudi arabia should be moved to neutral venue. In addition no arab referee from countries that are sympathetic towards saudi ar and have recently announced it; shsould be allowed to handle a game when saudi ar or its clubs are playing.


by the way how can any organization call saudi regime supporting countries neutral places?

[PersianLegion]

Please forget about voting. Here is the argument to use:
1. It was Saudi arabia that could not protect teenage pilgrims and they AIRPORT SECURITY raped two young boys. This is very important and all countries should refuse to play in saudi arabia any of their saudi games.
2. MERS or incorrectly named Middle East Respiratory syndrome has taken lives of more that 500 Saudis and it has spread to Korea and other countries. As of last month 12 Koreans had died. MERS is a big risk and it is important argument to use by all clubs or countries that need to go to saudi ar to play.
3. Saudi arabia initiated an illegal war against its neighbor and it has singled out a race of people and that is genocide. Although U.N has failed to deal with it, FIFA must call for sanctions against saudis and their sports teams to apply pressure to bring them to civilized world.
conclusion: Only the games that are supposed to be played in saudi arabia should be moved to neutral venue. In addition no arab referee from countries that are sympathetic towards saudi ar and have recently announced it; shsould be allowed to handle a game when saudi ar or its clubs are playing.


by the way how can any organization call saudi regime supporting countries neutral places?

That argument turn pale when Haj pilgrimage come to the picture. It will be lame.

[Kiarash]

Mehdi Taj: We do not accept to play at neutral ground against Saudi Arabia teams at any cost. If AFC decides to schedule our games against Saudi Arabia teams at neutral ground, we refuse to participate at ACL and complain to FIFA.

حاضر نیستیم در کشور بی*طرف به میدان برویم

تاج: اگر تصمیم AFC بازی در کشور ثالث باشد، به فیفا شکایت می*کنیم/آخرین انتخاب می*تواند کناره*گیری از لیگ قهرمانان باشد
رئیس سازمان لیگ گفت: اگر AFC تصمیم بگیرد بازی در کشور بی*طرف برگزار شود از طریق فیفا این موضوع را پیگیری خواهیم کرد.

به گزارش خبرنگار ورزشی خبرگزاری فارس، مهدی تاج، رئیس سازمان لیگ در مورد میزبانی نمایندگان ایران در لیگ قهرمانان آسیا گفت:* با اتفاقاتی که پیش آمده و با جلسه*ای که برگزار شد بازی*های هفته اول و دوم که در مقابل حریف*های عربستانی است به هفته چهارم منتقل شد.

وی افزود: به جای بازی*های هفته اول با تیم*های عربستانی با حریفان ازبکستانی و اماراتی بازی می*کنیم و اگر اختلاف حل شد بازی در ایران برگزار خواهد شد و در صورت اینکه ما مجبور باشیم در کشوری بی*طرف بازی کنیم. ما این را قبول نداریم و این تصمیمی سیاسی است و اگر AFC پافشاری کند، مجبور هستیم در آخرین انتخاب از حضور در لیگ قهرمانان آسیا کناره*گیری کنیم که این مورد شبیه اتفاقی باشد که مثلاً فردا کره شمالی و کره جنوبی به مصاف هم نروند و این تصمیم خطرناکی است. اما ما امیدواریم این مشکل بین دو فدراسیون حل شود. البته این تأخیر و جابه*جایی بازی*ها تدبیری از سوی AFC بوده تا این مناقشه ختم به خیر شود.

تاج در مورد اظهارنظر دبیر فدراسیون فوتبال اظهار داشت: در کشورهای آمریکا و آلمان و بسیاری دیگر سفارت ما مورد تهاجم قرار گرفت و ما محکوم کردیم، اما هیچگاه مسائل سیاسی را در مسائل ورزشی ارتباط نمی*دهند البته ما حمله به سفارت عربستان را محکوم می*کنیم اما بحث امنیت کشور موضوعی بی*معنی است اگر کشور ما امن نبود سوریه و عراق و افغانستان بازی*های خود را به ایران منتقل نمی*کردند.

وی در مورد راه ندادن کسرایی و نمایندگان ایران به جلسه AFC گفت: در مرحله اول آقای کسرایی و اسدی به جلسه رفتند که کسرایی را راه ندادند، اما در مرحله دوم من و آقای کفاشیان به جلسه رفتیم و موضوع را بررسی کردیم. به نظرم اگر براتی حضور پیدا می کرد بهتر بود، چون آن*جا زبان حقوقی است.

وی درباره سؤالی مبنی بر حمایت کفاشیان از شیخ سلمان و اینکه ایران در این قضیه خیلی وارد مناقشه و جدال نمی*شوند، گفت: در مجموع موضع فدراسیون موضع ملی است نه شخصی، و این موضوع ارتباطی به مناقشه فدراسیون عربستان و ایران ندارد. کشور ما امن است و حمله به سفارت مورد تایید نظام مانبود و فقط یک اتفاق بود. البته ما ضرر کردیم و می*خواهند خودشان را برنده ماجرا بدانند. به هیچ وجه تصمیم ما حضور در کشور ثالث نیست.

وی در پایان در جواب سؤالی مبنی براینکه آیا از طریق فیفا این موضوع را پیگیری خواهید کرد، گفت: اگر AFC وارد این جریان شود و بخواهد بازی را در کشوری بی*طرف برگزار کند پای در راه خطرناکی خواهد گذاشت و این مشکل به بازی*های ملی هم کشیده خواهد شد و باید این مشکل از طریق فدراسیون*ها برطرف شود در غیر این صورت ما از طریق فیفا این موضوع را پیگیری خواهیم کرد.

This will hurt our club football, so it's a bad idea. And not to mention that, if we get grouped with Saudi Arabia in our WCQ group there will be huge problems if we pull back (3-0 forfeit loss for us). I hope we don't pull back.

[PersianLegion]

This will hurt our club football, so it's a bad idea. And not to mention that, if we get grouped with Saudi Arabia in our WCQ group there will be huge problems if we pull back (3-0 forfeit loss for us). I hope we don't pull back.

This is just BS. Don't pay attention to them.

[AIrani]

Saudi Arabia never was a good friend of Iran. However, Iranians, almost a million of them travel to this country every year.

In old days, Saudi Arabia did not have an income, they came up with the idea of pilgrim and imbedded it in the religion. They make ton of money from walking around a building and throwing stone. I will NEVER go to Mecca.

IFF must complain to FIFA. AFC will NOT side with Iran. Teams such as Uzbek and Tajik and others should join Iran against AFC.

Iran should get out of AFC which has become Arab Federation. Many years ago, AFC's site used a wrong name instead of Persian Gulf. We should have sued them then.

[teammelli91]

I won't forgive Taj if we pull out.

[teammelli91]

It's not fair to Zob Ahan, Sepahan, Teraktor and Naft if we pull out. I don't care about Saudi Arabia.. This is the ACL and we are a part of it. Screw them. Screw them all.

[GolfePersique]

Iran.
That's the end of story.
If the arabs don't want they can withdraw

[GolfePersique]

I won't forgive Taj if we pull out.

I agree that IFF have acted as a bunch of cowards but, I'd rather pull out than sumbitting to arabs.

[saeed_noro]

to be honest, we really should not play outside iran....if we accept to play outside iran, this will also be the case for WCQ next round, and we should NOW really THINK about this!

We even do not win the AFC CL Trophy anyway, 3 of our 4 teams will traditionally come short, and the next or max. 2 teams, in the next stage going out..

Iranian teams won´t win AFC CL Trophy as long as this cup is played between two seasons, we never able to held our players, become better and we do not make good camps and preparation for the K.o. system...

all in all, we should not play, best case, also first step if we really have the intention to join UEFA (LONG-TERM PROCESS)

[Sarbaze-Vatan]

all in all, we should not play, best case, also first step if we really have the intention to join UEFA (LONG-TERM PROCESS)

Are you living in different planet? Forget UEFA. I am following Iran football because of having chance to play at the WC. If it was not because of that I would not have followed anything about Iran football. You are talking about something that there is 0 percent chance for it. Stop talking about it.

We must focus on qualifying to the WC 2018 which will be very hard. That should be our top priority now.

[PSGman#19]

Are you living in different planet? Forget UEFA. I am following Iran football because of having chance to play at the WC. If it was not because of that I would not have followed anything about Iran football. You are talking about something that there is 0 percent chance for it. Stop talking about it.

We must focus on qualifying to the WC 2018 which will be very hard. That should be our top priority now.

You wouldn't follow Iran football if the national team would play a top teams Italy, England, Germany + descent other european side in a regular basis with the WCQ or EuroQ/ Iranians clubs in Champions league (à la Astana) and Europa league?

[Z Joon]

Which country should Iranian teams choose to play if Saudi teams do not come ...

We must focus on qualifying to the WC 2018 which will be very hard. That should be our top priority now.

If it's going to be "very hard" for Iran, how hard is it going to be for teams out of the top 4?

[Sarbaze-Vatan]

You wouldn't follow Iran football if the national team would play a top teams Italy, England, Germany + descent other european side in a regular basis with the WCQ or EuroQ/ Iranians clubs in Champions league (à la Astana) and Europa league?

No. Playing at the WC is more important than everything you mentioned. I prefer to be a powerhouse Asian side than being third/fourth tier European team. btw, I live with reality not with dream. You are talking about something that there is zero percent chance for it. We belong to Asia. That is it. A few of you said that joining to uefa improves our football in long term. That is not true. If we were care about improving our football in long term we would have built two or three more world class stadiums like Japan. So forget uefa.