Queiroz names first Team Melli squad

PFDC – TEHRAN, Ali Karimi returns to Team Melli, as Iran boss Carlos Queiroz included him in his first squad selection.

The Portugese named 28 players for a training camp, however, refused to call up several keyplayers due to club commitments.

Neither the Spanish based Javad Nekounam and Masoud Shojaei, nor any of the U23 player involved in Olympic qualification next month, such as Karim Ansarifard, Arash Afshin or Ehsan Hajsafi, were included in the list.

Also missing are the players from Sepahan and Zob Ahan who are still involved in AFC Champions League and Iranian Hazfi Cup this month as well as Persepolis Tehran players, who will entertain Sepahan in the Iranian Cup’s quarterfinal stage next week.

However, players of Esteghlal, Foolad and Malavan, who already qualified for the Cup semifinal, were accounted for the list.

The squad will hold a short training camp in Tehran from May 23 – May 25.

Iran will later hold a training camp in a yet undefined place in Europe from June 27 – July 9 before taking on Madagascar in a friendly match in Tehran on July 17.

Team Melli are scheduled to play Maledives on July 23 (Tehran) and July 28 (Male) in World Cup qualification.

Below comes the squad.

Goalkeepers: Ebrahim Mirzapour (Paykan Ghazvin), Abbas Mohammadi (Teraktorsazi Tabriz), Hassan Roudbarian (Rah Ahan Ray)

Defenders: Mohammad Nosrati (Teraktorsazi Tabriz), Amir-Hossein Sadeghi (Esteghlal Tehran), Pejman Montazeri (Esteghlal Tehran), Ghasem Dehnavi (Mes Kerman), Ali Hamoudi (Foolad Khuzestan), Morteza Kashi (Saba Ghom),

Midfielders: Ali Karimi (Schalke 04, GER), Andranik Teymourian (Teraktorsazi Tabriz), Mojtaba Jabbari (Esteghlal Tehran), Iman Mobali (Esteghlal Tehran), Pejman Nouri (Malavan Anzali), Mostafa Seifi (Mes Kerman), Mehrdad Pouladi (Mes Kerman), Milad Zanidpour (Steel Azin), Meysam Baou (Shahdari Tabriz), Bahador Abdi (Rah Ahan Ray), Abbas Mohammad Rezaei (Saipa Karaj), Abdullah Karami (Shahin Bushehr)

Strikers: Arash Borhani (Esteghlal Tehran), Mohammad Gholami (Steel Azin), Reza Norouzi (Foolad Khuzestan), Mehrdad Oladi (Malavan Anzali), Saeed Daghighi (Shahdari Tabriz), Rouhollah Arab (Sanat Naft Abadan), Mohammad Ebrahimi (Teraktorsazi Tabriz)