Don’t give us DPR Korea, says Nekounam
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team at the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011™ Finals Draw on Friday – DPR Korea.
Speaking to the-afc.com, Nekounam said of all the teams Iran could possibly face in the January 2011 tournament, the Koreans would be his last choice.
Iran played DPR Korea in Round Four of last year’s FIFA World Cup Asian qualifier. They beat them 2-1 at the Azadi Stadium and drew 0-0 away, finishing fourth in Group B while the Koreans qualified for the World Cup in second place.
“If you ask me about our probable group, I would say Saudi, Iran, Jordan and India. Of course, it could be different but please do not tell me DPR Korea,” the Osasuna midfielder told the-afc.com.
“They are a very hard team to beat. They were very defensive to the point of being unsual. Even when they were 1-0 down, they closed up. It was unbelievable.”
The Draw will be held on Friday at the Aspire Dome in Doha, Qatar, where the 16 teams will find out exactly who they will play in next year’s group stage of the tournament.
DPR Korea are returning to the finals for the first time in 19 years. The last time they played, in Hiroshima in 1992, they lost to Iran 2-0.
The Iranians have not won the Cup since 1976, having lifted the trophy three times in their history.
It has been a tough time for Iran after their failure to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Finals in South Africa. But Nekounam and his team are determined to show their fans that they remain among the giants of Asia.
“We performed well in 2004 in China (reaching the semi-finals) but we were a bit unlucky,” he said.
“We had a lot of of suspensions and injuries. We failed to qualify for the World Cup and the whole country was disappointed. We have to win something to put Iran football back on top and Doha is the place to do it.”
This will be the 29-year-old Nekounam’s third AFC Asian Cup and he expects a different environment in Qatar compared to China in 2004 and Malaysia in 2007.
“In China, the venues were far apart and we had long distances to travel. In Malaysia, it was very hot and we were not used to it,” he said.
“But the weather in Qatar in January is cool so it should be perfect. I think this will raise the quality of the teams and enhance the tournament.”
He said that players from Korea Republic, Japan, Australia and DPR Korea may be exhausted come January after a heavy year of football, including the FIFA World Cup Finals in addition to domestic club matches.
“For teams like us, it could be easier. We will have a rest in the summer and go to Qatar in the middle of our season and still have a lot of energy,” said Nekounam.
“Teams such as Australia, South Korea and Japan would add spice to any tournament they compete in but it will be hard for them to recover after a long season.”
