Opinion: A Lesson to Learn?

Persianfootball.com – TEHRAN, This may not be the best timing and I have been known to say the wrong things at the wrong time, but in all honesty I think it is time for many Team Melli fans to realize a harsh reality and find a solution for the future.

The wound is still fresh days after Iran’s terrible exit from the Asian Cup. I have never been the kind of fan who always looks for excuses when my favorite teams lose. But lets reflect for a moment: Team Melli fans clearly know that Iran was done wrong during the quarter-final loss to Iraq.

Everything seemed to be going fine, up 1-0 off a fantastic header from Sardar Azmoun, Iran was getting ready to go into the interval with a 1-0 lead. Then top defender Mehrdad Pouladi went for a ball that was smothered by Iraqi goalkeeper Jalal Hasan. I am still not sure what exactly happened but obviously Hasan became upset about something and decided to push Pouladi.

As is common in football, Pouladi decided to add a little acting to the saga. Why wasn’t the Iraqi keeper cautioned? He was the one who pushed Pouladi. Instead, referee Ben Williams decided to give Pouladi his second yellow card after Pouladi was continuing to stay on the ground while exchanging a few words with Williams.

The second yellow card led to a red card for Pouladi and completely changed the game as Iran would have to play with 10 men the rest of the game. We all know what happened after that. Our beloved TM fought back two times in extra time to tie score at 2-2 and 3-3. Sadly, they weren’t able to win the penalty shootout. It was a crushing defeat and I still feel pain and anger. In my case, I actually feel more of the latter.

This isn’t the first time Iran has dealt with questionable officiating in the Asian Cup. Back in the 2004 semi-final against hosts China, with the game tied 1-1 late in the first half, a small scuffle took place near the Iranian penalty area. Defender Sattar Zare became upset with a Chinese player and lightly pushed him – the exact same way that Iraqi keeper Hasan pushed Pouladi – and the Chinese player fell to the ground acting as if he were hit by a truck. Of course, it was Sattar Zare who was red-carded.

Later in the same game, Ali Karimi created a breakaway and had a great chance to give Iran the victory. Instead, a dirty slide-tackle from a Chinese defender, but the referee only gave out a yellow card. 1-1 at the end of regulation and the Iranians weren’t able to win the shootout.

So what is the lesson to be learned? The Asian Football Confederation doesn’t like Iran and they will do anything they can to keep Iran from winning the Asian Cup. Obviously this isn’t breaking news but the fact is that Iranian players need to remind themselves about all the bad decisions that have gone against them in past tournaments and competitive fixtures.

I am not implying that Team Melli players should do nothing but instead they need to know when to keep their mouthes shut and they also need to be extra cautious if they have already been yellow-carded in an important match. In hindsight everything is always 20/20, but lets go back to the quarter-final against Iraq. If Pouladi decided to get up and walk away after being pushed, it was very likely that he wouldn’t have been given his second yellow card.

I am not blaming Pouladi for this loss because the truth is that Iran didn’t lose to Iraq. They lost to Ben Williams and the Asian Football Confederation. The AFC even decided to reject Iran’s legitimate protest of Iraq fielding an ineligible player but we all know that the AFC is a joke and they have no class.

From this point on, it is my hope that the players of Iran will help each other be more aware about what they are facing whenever they take the field in a World Cup Qualifier or a match in the Asian Cup.

The Asian Football Confederation wins if Iranian players decide to retaliate to every bad decision from a referee. The Asian Football Confederation wins if Iran decides to leave the AFC and join UEFA. Team Melli can beat the AFC but only if they are more cautious and keep playing hard non-stop.

I hope the Iranian supporters gave their players a heroes welcome when they returned to Iran. We saw how much heart Team Melli played with in the quarter-final against Iraq. It was uplifting to see Morteza Pouraliganji tie the game 2-2 with his brilliant header and it was amazing when Reza Ghoochannejhad tied the game 3-3 late in the second half of extra time.

The powers that be of the Asian Football Confederation can go ahead and be happy that Iran is out of the Asian Cup but us supporters of Iran all know that Iran was and still is the better team than Iraq. The people of Iraq can celebrate but they know it wasn’t a well earned victory. After all, they had to fight so hard while playing with a one man advantage. What does that prove?

Team Melli will be back, that’s a fact. The heads of the AFC will continue to have shivers down their spines because they will spend so much of their time trying to bring down Iran. But they cannot bring down Iran. They will never be able to bring down our national team because they will keep fighting and the die-hard supporters will never sit back and do nothing. Instead, we will make life more difficult for the AFC.