I did this piece on him some years back by translating an interview he had done around 1993ish. It's a good read for our younger members to get to know Ashtiani. There were some mistakes in his recollections and I made corrections in paranthesis and left the original as is.
Ebrahim Ashtiani (born 4 January 1942 in Khorramabad) is a former Iranian football player. His son Ardalan Ashtiani is also a football player.He made 35 appearances for the Iran national football team from 1969 to 1974.
The Brazil Independence Cup, also known as the minicopa, was a 20-team, international football tournament held in Brazil, from 11 June to 9 July 1972, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Brazilian Declaration of Independence. As a result of injuries and disagreements some members of Iran's national team were absent from Iran's roster. Many strong teams from around the world were invited which in itself gave TM players more motivation to perform. For example, Portugal, one of Iran's opponents featured Eusebio, one of Europe's top players. I played some very good games and expected to be selected as the tournament's best right defender but this honor went to a Portuguese player.
In our first game we faced a strong Chilean squad. We were tied 1-1 until the 90th minute but Chile was then awarded a penalty which they converted to win the game 2-1. (Perhaps Ashtiani's memory is playing tricks on him. The game against Chile, a 2-1 loss, was actually Iran's last game. Iran's first game was against the Republic of Ireland, also a 2-1 loss. Neither game featured a 90th minute penalty) We tied Ecuador 1-1 amd lost against Ireland 2-1 and Portugal 3-0.
For the 1974 Asian Games in Tehran in the preliminary round we faced Burma, Pakistan and Malaysia (the last opponent was actually Bahrain although Iran would face Malaysia in the semifinal round, defeating them 1-0). We won all 3 games by scores of 1-0, 7-0 and 2-1 (the actual scores were 2-1, 7-0 and 6-0) and faced Iraq in the semifinal round, beating them 1-0. Our opponent in the final game was Israel. Everyone wanted us to defeat them even though back then relations between the two countries wasn't bad. We played our hearts out, defeating them 1-0 and at the final whistle a number of our players collapsed on the field.
In World Cup qualifying games we had advanced from our group and would face Australia in an intercontinental playoff. The first leg was in Australia and as a result of our incorrect formation we lost the game 3-0 which is one of my worst soccer memories. For the return game we expected to receive harsh treatment from our fans due to our poor away result but when we entered the stadium we faced 100,000 fans all cheering us. We just stood and watched in amazement while some of our players become emotional at the sight. The fans cheered us nonstop throughout the game and while we were leading 2-0 with little time left, I took a shot that bounced off the goal post. Australia would end up advancing to the World Cup.
Let me share a memory regarding referees. With Persepolis I was playing against Pas in Tehran's Provisional League and we were leading 4-0. A ball hit me in the chest leaving a clear mark on my shirt but the ref immediately pointed to the spot. However much I tried to plead my case and show him the ball mark on my chest he would have none of it. He finally pulled me aside and told me, "You're winning by 4 goals. Let them have this one."
In 1350 I was chosen as Iran's player of the year. The prior year I finished in 2nd place and in 1352 I placed 3rd.
For the opening of Azadi Stadium we played the strong Brazilian club team Cruzeiro which featured Tostao and some other players from Brazil's 1970 World Cup winning squad. These players were truly talented both individually and tactically. For example in one scene they put us under pressure in our own penalty box and after playing 5 or 6 one touch passes we were still unable to get the ball and they ended up scoring. Although we ended up losing this game 4-2 but afterwards their coach said about me, "This player is capable of playing for any team in the world."
That same year Germany's Hamburg came to Iran for a series of friendlies. They tied the national team and Persepolis 1-1 while the game against Taj ended 1-0. I played in all 3 games, for Taj as a guest player. Hamburg had a left forward whose name I forget. I marked him very tightly that game and didn't allow him to make any passes until they finally subbed him out. After the game their coach Hochst (records show their coach at the time was actually Kuno Klotzer) approached me and invited me to join their team for a year at a salary of 300,000 marks. Given the financial difficulties I had at the time I accepted the offer and began preparing for my relocation. Somehow fans got wind of it and camped out at our house. One had brought his taxi, another money, another a carpet. They all insisted that I stay and that they would take care of my financial problems. I could not say no to the kindness and dedication shown by my fans and so I ended up not going to Germany. Of course the Physical Education Department also made some promises that they did not keep.
In those years we had a memorable game against our long time rivals Taj. The derby between Taj and Persepolis has always been exciting and crucial as Persepolis is the most supported team in the country. According to recent polls, after Sao Paulo, Persepolis is in 2nd place in the world as far as fan support. In those days Taj was a government team and its staff all had governmental positions and at times would influence the outcome of games. They would at times bring on good players from other teams and had a say in the national team's roster as well. Our fans really wanted us to win that day which gave us much motivation. That day all 11 players of Taj on the field were part of the national team and we ended up defeating them 6-0.
In 1351 in the International Friendship Cup I played for Pas as a guest player. Other teams included strong representatives from Poland, Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union. From Iran, Pas and our national B team took part. The competition was round robin and on the last day the two Iranian teams faced each other. A win would have given Pas the championship while a tie would give Poland 1st place. Pas was leading until the 90th minute off of a cross by me and header by Asghar Sharafi. At the end Ali Parvin tied the game with a shot from outside the box, giving Poland the championship. For Poland this was unbelievable that 2 teams from the same country would play as such and as a result gift them the championship.
In a game between Persepolis and Pas Asghar Sharfi played opposite me as Pas's left winger. Before the game he continuously taunted me although in reality we were friends. I managed to contain him well and at one point as I was taking the ball upfield he tripped me and I fell to the ground with the crowd reacting. He assumed I had taken a dive and came up to me and said, "Get up man, you call this friendship? The crowd is booing me." This game was in 1352 in the Takht Jamshid Cup and we won the game 2-0.
In the 1970 Asian Games in Thailand we faced Indonesia. In that game I played midfield and scored one of our goals in a 2-2 tie. At the end of the game there was some shoving between the two teams and suddenly some Indonesian players ganged up on one of our players. Police intervened but was not able to break it up. Some players suddenly approached Sharafi and seeing he was surrounded he suddenly started yelling in English, "I'm a policeman." He assumed they would not attack a cop but he once realized it was having no effect he ran off the field.
When I was playing with Persepolis we won many championships in Tehran and Iran. In 1347 and 1355 I won Tehran's league with Persepolis and in 1347 with Peykan I won Tehran's league and the International Friendship Cup. In 1350 and 1352 with Persepolis we won Iran's league and in 1351 we finished in 2nd place.
For the 1978 World Cup qualifying games I was not able to take part due to a broken foot.
Before the revolution I went to Belgium for a medical degree. I was there for a year and a half but returned after war broke out.
At age 29 I left Persepolis and formed a local team called Ekbatan which managed to reach the 1st division after 3 years. It contained a number of good players such as Firooz Mohammadi, Hamid farzamnia, Esmael Ardalan and Hadi Ahangaran who made it all the way to the national team. At age 30 I officially began coaching. Of course I had passed a 6 month Bundesliga coaching course which was open to players who had represented their national team.
For our soccer to grow we must pay attention to grass root soccer. We must improve and strengthen the local teams and gave them proper facilities and give some direction to recreational soccer amongst the youth. In Europe soccer starts at the grass root level and I can confidently say local leagues in Belgium play at a higher level then our top leagues.
Our youth generally enter organized soccer at age 16 by joining youth teams. As such about 8 years of their soccer life has gone to waste without proper training or instructions which in today's soccer world is when a player develops his basic skills. At the beginning of the revolution when soccer leagues were cancelled, the local leagues flourished.
A short term solution is to have an organized table and schedule for our teams which will produce a much stronger national team. Our unorganized schedule causes teams to jump from one competition to the next without proper rest in between. We were aware about the Asian Championship schedule for the past 3 years but we never planned accordingly and ended up with sub par results.
We still can be the top team in Asia. Arab countries have heavily invested in soccer in recent years and raised their level but they lack individual talent. This is why they are not consistently good. For example Kuwait or Saudi Arabia had strong showings but quickly declined afterwards. Not having an organized league is also a problem for these countries. Bahrain has been good as of late. I remember one year they played against Gendarmerie which I was captaining and we defeated them 11-0. But now they have become a competitor is Asia.
Right now due to international isolation our soccer is far behind world soccer. To improve we must play against top teams. Another problem is the unprofessional state of the game in Asia. If we categorize teams in the world, Asian teams would probably rank in the 10th level. Asian soccer has never been a force in the world or if it has it was only temporary. Today even African soccer is ahead of us mostly due to their interactions with Europe and their players playing for European clubs.
Our soccer needs to become professional which is not that easy as it needs massive investments. If we just call ourselves professionals without creating a professional environment it will have negative impacts. Of course I'm not suggesting we become professional like Europeans because that is impossible but regardless we must invest. In today's world a professional soccer player does nothing but play soccer. Not even grocery shopping or signing his kids up for school.
A union is a good thing for clubs and it is something that gets pursued seriously in European and African countries. Our teams always have financial problems, even our top teams. Some teams survive due to its staff's love of the game but there is no guarantee that after the departure of this staff the effort will remain. We've seen a few examples of teams folding or losing their financial backing due to the departure of their staff. Creating a union can solve this problem. For example AC Milan will be supported by an insurance company and in return all of its fans utilize this company's insurance. We can also get extra revenue by advertising. These are things that somewhat happen in our soccer today although there is no guarantee that they will continue.
Ebrahim Ashtiani (born 4 January 1942 in Khorramabad) is a former Iranian football player. His son Ardalan Ashtiani is also a football player.He made 35 appearances for the Iran national football team from 1969 to 1974.
The Brazil Independence Cup, also known as the minicopa, was a 20-team, international football tournament held in Brazil, from 11 June to 9 July 1972, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Brazilian Declaration of Independence. As a result of injuries and disagreements some members of Iran's national team were absent from Iran's roster. Many strong teams from around the world were invited which in itself gave TM players more motivation to perform. For example, Portugal, one of Iran's opponents featured Eusebio, one of Europe's top players. I played some very good games and expected to be selected as the tournament's best right defender but this honor went to a Portuguese player.
In our first game we faced a strong Chilean squad. We were tied 1-1 until the 90th minute but Chile was then awarded a penalty which they converted to win the game 2-1. (Perhaps Ashtiani's memory is playing tricks on him. The game against Chile, a 2-1 loss, was actually Iran's last game. Iran's first game was against the Republic of Ireland, also a 2-1 loss. Neither game featured a 90th minute penalty) We tied Ecuador 1-1 amd lost against Ireland 2-1 and Portugal 3-0.
For the 1974 Asian Games in Tehran in the preliminary round we faced Burma, Pakistan and Malaysia (the last opponent was actually Bahrain although Iran would face Malaysia in the semifinal round, defeating them 1-0). We won all 3 games by scores of 1-0, 7-0 and 2-1 (the actual scores were 2-1, 7-0 and 6-0) and faced Iraq in the semifinal round, beating them 1-0. Our opponent in the final game was Israel. Everyone wanted us to defeat them even though back then relations between the two countries wasn't bad. We played our hearts out, defeating them 1-0 and at the final whistle a number of our players collapsed on the field.
In World Cup qualifying games we had advanced from our group and would face Australia in an intercontinental playoff. The first leg was in Australia and as a result of our incorrect formation we lost the game 3-0 which is one of my worst soccer memories. For the return game we expected to receive harsh treatment from our fans due to our poor away result but when we entered the stadium we faced 100,000 fans all cheering us. We just stood and watched in amazement while some of our players become emotional at the sight. The fans cheered us nonstop throughout the game and while we were leading 2-0 with little time left, I took a shot that bounced off the goal post. Australia would end up advancing to the World Cup.
Let me share a memory regarding referees. With Persepolis I was playing against Pas in Tehran's Provisional League and we were leading 4-0. A ball hit me in the chest leaving a clear mark on my shirt but the ref immediately pointed to the spot. However much I tried to plead my case and show him the ball mark on my chest he would have none of it. He finally pulled me aside and told me, "You're winning by 4 goals. Let them have this one."
In 1350 I was chosen as Iran's player of the year. The prior year I finished in 2nd place and in 1352 I placed 3rd.
For the opening of Azadi Stadium we played the strong Brazilian club team Cruzeiro which featured Tostao and some other players from Brazil's 1970 World Cup winning squad. These players were truly talented both individually and tactically. For example in one scene they put us under pressure in our own penalty box and after playing 5 or 6 one touch passes we were still unable to get the ball and they ended up scoring. Although we ended up losing this game 4-2 but afterwards their coach said about me, "This player is capable of playing for any team in the world."
That same year Germany's Hamburg came to Iran for a series of friendlies. They tied the national team and Persepolis 1-1 while the game against Taj ended 1-0. I played in all 3 games, for Taj as a guest player. Hamburg had a left forward whose name I forget. I marked him very tightly that game and didn't allow him to make any passes until they finally subbed him out. After the game their coach Hochst (records show their coach at the time was actually Kuno Klotzer) approached me and invited me to join their team for a year at a salary of 300,000 marks. Given the financial difficulties I had at the time I accepted the offer and began preparing for my relocation. Somehow fans got wind of it and camped out at our house. One had brought his taxi, another money, another a carpet. They all insisted that I stay and that they would take care of my financial problems. I could not say no to the kindness and dedication shown by my fans and so I ended up not going to Germany. Of course the Physical Education Department also made some promises that they did not keep.
In those years we had a memorable game against our long time rivals Taj. The derby between Taj and Persepolis has always been exciting and crucial as Persepolis is the most supported team in the country. According to recent polls, after Sao Paulo, Persepolis is in 2nd place in the world as far as fan support. In those days Taj was a government team and its staff all had governmental positions and at times would influence the outcome of games. They would at times bring on good players from other teams and had a say in the national team's roster as well. Our fans really wanted us to win that day which gave us much motivation. That day all 11 players of Taj on the field were part of the national team and we ended up defeating them 6-0.
In 1351 in the International Friendship Cup I played for Pas as a guest player. Other teams included strong representatives from Poland, Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union. From Iran, Pas and our national B team took part. The competition was round robin and on the last day the two Iranian teams faced each other. A win would have given Pas the championship while a tie would give Poland 1st place. Pas was leading until the 90th minute off of a cross by me and header by Asghar Sharafi. At the end Ali Parvin tied the game with a shot from outside the box, giving Poland the championship. For Poland this was unbelievable that 2 teams from the same country would play as such and as a result gift them the championship.
In a game between Persepolis and Pas Asghar Sharfi played opposite me as Pas's left winger. Before the game he continuously taunted me although in reality we were friends. I managed to contain him well and at one point as I was taking the ball upfield he tripped me and I fell to the ground with the crowd reacting. He assumed I had taken a dive and came up to me and said, "Get up man, you call this friendship? The crowd is booing me." This game was in 1352 in the Takht Jamshid Cup and we won the game 2-0.
In the 1970 Asian Games in Thailand we faced Indonesia. In that game I played midfield and scored one of our goals in a 2-2 tie. At the end of the game there was some shoving between the two teams and suddenly some Indonesian players ganged up on one of our players. Police intervened but was not able to break it up. Some players suddenly approached Sharafi and seeing he was surrounded he suddenly started yelling in English, "I'm a policeman." He assumed they would not attack a cop but he once realized it was having no effect he ran off the field.
When I was playing with Persepolis we won many championships in Tehran and Iran. In 1347 and 1355 I won Tehran's league with Persepolis and in 1347 with Peykan I won Tehran's league and the International Friendship Cup. In 1350 and 1352 with Persepolis we won Iran's league and in 1351 we finished in 2nd place.
For the 1978 World Cup qualifying games I was not able to take part due to a broken foot.
Before the revolution I went to Belgium for a medical degree. I was there for a year and a half but returned after war broke out.
At age 29 I left Persepolis and formed a local team called Ekbatan which managed to reach the 1st division after 3 years. It contained a number of good players such as Firooz Mohammadi, Hamid farzamnia, Esmael Ardalan and Hadi Ahangaran who made it all the way to the national team. At age 30 I officially began coaching. Of course I had passed a 6 month Bundesliga coaching course which was open to players who had represented their national team.
For our soccer to grow we must pay attention to grass root soccer. We must improve and strengthen the local teams and gave them proper facilities and give some direction to recreational soccer amongst the youth. In Europe soccer starts at the grass root level and I can confidently say local leagues in Belgium play at a higher level then our top leagues.
Our youth generally enter organized soccer at age 16 by joining youth teams. As such about 8 years of their soccer life has gone to waste without proper training or instructions which in today's soccer world is when a player develops his basic skills. At the beginning of the revolution when soccer leagues were cancelled, the local leagues flourished.
A short term solution is to have an organized table and schedule for our teams which will produce a much stronger national team. Our unorganized schedule causes teams to jump from one competition to the next without proper rest in between. We were aware about the Asian Championship schedule for the past 3 years but we never planned accordingly and ended up with sub par results.
We still can be the top team in Asia. Arab countries have heavily invested in soccer in recent years and raised their level but they lack individual talent. This is why they are not consistently good. For example Kuwait or Saudi Arabia had strong showings but quickly declined afterwards. Not having an organized league is also a problem for these countries. Bahrain has been good as of late. I remember one year they played against Gendarmerie which I was captaining and we defeated them 11-0. But now they have become a competitor is Asia.
Right now due to international isolation our soccer is far behind world soccer. To improve we must play against top teams. Another problem is the unprofessional state of the game in Asia. If we categorize teams in the world, Asian teams would probably rank in the 10th level. Asian soccer has never been a force in the world or if it has it was only temporary. Today even African soccer is ahead of us mostly due to their interactions with Europe and their players playing for European clubs.
Our soccer needs to become professional which is not that easy as it needs massive investments. If we just call ourselves professionals without creating a professional environment it will have negative impacts. Of course I'm not suggesting we become professional like Europeans because that is impossible but regardless we must invest. In today's world a professional soccer player does nothing but play soccer. Not even grocery shopping or signing his kids up for school.
A union is a good thing for clubs and it is something that gets pursued seriously in European and African countries. Our teams always have financial problems, even our top teams. Some teams survive due to its staff's love of the game but there is no guarantee that after the departure of this staff the effort will remain. We've seen a few examples of teams folding or losing their financial backing due to the departure of their staff. Creating a union can solve this problem. For example AC Milan will be supported by an insurance company and in return all of its fans utilize this company's insurance. We can also get extra revenue by advertising. These are things that somewhat happen in our soccer today although there is no guarantee that they will continue.
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