Korea, Iran favorites to qualify for Brazil

KoreaTimes – SEOUL, “It is not so bad,” said national football team manager Choi Kang-hee on the results of Friday’s draw for the final Asian qualifying stage for the 2014 World Cup that saw Korea grouped with Iran, Lebanon, Uzbekistan and Qatar.

Choi’s confidence is not unwarranted. The other countries in Group A generally share the belief that Korea is a strong candidate to qualify as a proven powerhouse in the region.

“We have to make sure that we are ready to compete strongly and leave no room for error in each match,” said Chun Han-jin, a delegate of the Korea Football Association (KFA) who was present at the draw in Malaysia. “Iran, as always, is a strong team and we expect them to pose a big challenge.”

Chun’s view expresses the general sentiment of countries on the result. Iran has been on the rise ever since Portuguese manager Carlos Queiroz took over in 2011, and is one of the strongest nations in the Middle East. They have not made the finals since 1978, and Queiroz vowed “not to relax” and “compete with dignity” to end the country’s negative streak.

“I think Korea and Iran should be considered favorites (to qualify),” said Qatar national team’s assistant coach Fahad Al Zaraa according to Vatandosh News Media. Sports commentators here also believe Korea and Iran will each earn a ticket to Brazil given to the top two teams in the two groups.

“But that doesn’t mean that Lebanon and Uzbekistan can be considered easy because they will be doing all that they can to win therefore we must be at our very best to qualify,” Al Zaraa added, acknowledging that in sports, when it comes down to it, nothing is predictable.

Lebanon, who inadvertently caused the sacking of former national team manager Cho Kwang-rae by beating Korea 2-1 in Beirut in the previous qualifying stage last year, have proven tricky for Korea to handle. The November defeat was a shock as Cho’s squad had thrashed Lebanon 6-0 only two months earlier. A loss of concentration and the tough environment in the desert nation turned out to be costly for the Red Devils.

“This is a very tough group but we will push forward even if Lebanon lacks facilities. You can compare us to the likes of Qatar in terms of facilities but what we do have is our motivation to do well,” said Lebanon manager Theo Bucker. Korea will face Bucker’s team at home on June 12, only four days after the Qatar fixture and the former Jeonbuk Motors manager is rightly concerned over the fitness of his players.

The third placed countries of each group will face each other, with the winner to playoff against the 5th ranked nation from South America. No side wants the road to Brazil to become any harder than it already is.

“There is no time to rest. They are formidable countries, and the most important thing to do is to start the preparation now for the final qualifiers,” said Iran national team manager Carlos Queiroz on the Persian League’s official website. None of the other managers will disagree.