Editorial: Our Team Melli

PersianFootball.com – The last time I saw my national football team play live I was eleven years old.

With painted faces, my family along with many other families that make up the large Iranian diaspora in Southern California went to the storied Rose Bowl in Pasadena to watch our heroes from the previous summer play a “friendly” match against the country we were now blessed to call home, the United States.

I did not know at that time twenty years would pass before I would see Team Melli, the affectionate nickname bestowed upon Iran’s team, in person again.

Football fandom extends far beyond football. It is about a sense of identity, pride, and belonging. This is why for one month once every four years; the beautiful game captures the hearts and minds of most of the planet. It stirs a special sense of passion even in those with little interest in the sport outside of the World Cup; even if their nation is not one of the lucky 32 to have qualified.

Asia’s continental showpiece, the Asian Cup, is nowhere nearly as prestigious or sexy. There is no Ronaldo, no Messi, or Neymar. The average weekend matchup between English Premiere League giants will get more media attention than the tournament’s final. Walking through the streets of the host nation, the United Arab Emirates, one could not really tell there is a major international tournament taking place within its borders. Many of the 24 qualified nations are battling difficult conditions and challenges back home far greater than football.

However, as Nelson Mandela once famously said, “Sport can create hope where once there was only despair.” Whether watching 12,000 Iraqis cram into an overstuffed stadium in Abu Dhabi or 8,000 South Koreans looking to catch a glimpse of Tottenham Hotspur sensation, Son Heung Min, in Dubai, the Asian Cup has succeeded in meeting its mission of “Bringing Asia Together.”

As I made the hour long southward journey from Dubai to Abu Dhabi to watch Team Melli’s first knockout matchup against Oman, I couldn’t help but think of the similar journey we had made to the Rose Bowl twenty years prior.

Outside of the stadium, the atmosphere was electric. I met Team Melli supporters that had made the journey ranging from Shiraz to Shanghai. We were all riding high on the wave of the success Team Melli had enjoyed in the previous World Cup against Goliaths like Spain/Portugal and most recently topping a relatively easy group consisting of Iraq, Vietnam and Yemen.

This wave came quickly came crashing down within 45 seconds of kickoff as Iran conceded a deserved penalty kick to its opponents. An early exit to Oman would have only added to the long list of heartache and heartbreak that comes with being a football aficionado.

Fortunately for Team Melli and its 80 million supporters, Iran’s rags to riches story goalkeeper, Alireza Beiranvand, rose to the occasion; much like he had done famously against Cristiano Ronaldo the previous summer in Russia. The penalty save has given Team Melli the momentum to relatively coast into the final four of the tournament stress-free and in a dominant fashion.

The team seemingly has the perfect blend of young talent in players like striker Sardar Azmoun, a candidate to lift the tournament’s Golden Boot and experienced veterans like captain Ashkan Dejagah, an Iranian expatriate that developed his skills on the fields of Berlin. The 23 players have embodied the slogan plastered along the team’s bus: “80 Million People, One Nation, One Heartbeat.”

Their unity and teamwork bears a striking resemblance to the 2010 Spanish World Cup team that came together despite domestic club drama back home to lift the trophy for the first and only time in Spain’s history. This togetherness is credited to a Portuguese coach Team Melli has been privileged to call its leader since 2011, Carlos Quieroz.

My week long journey to the UAE culminated with the opportunity to meet Coach Quieroz and star player Alireza Jahanbaksh, currently plying his trade in the English Premiere League. The opportunity to thank “CQ” in person for all he has done made the 18 hour journey from San Francisco to Abu Dhabi well worth it.

As we approach arguably the biggest game in Team Melli’s recent history against 4x time champion Japan, we should be proud of this team regardless of the final result. They have continued to create a sense of pride and unity amongst Iranians from Beverly Hills to Bandar Abbas regardless of religion, race, or political disposition. They are more than just a football team. They were since I was 11, are, and will always be, our Team Melli.

By: Nasser Heyrani