Taremi: Qualifying for the knockout stage would be huge for Iran

FIFA Plus – DOHA, Iran star Mehdi Taremi speaks to FIFA about his side’s complicated journey to the Qatar 2022™ and how Team Melli are preparing for the tournament.

When IR Iran reached the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers, the opportunity to seal their place at the finals came against arch-rivals Iraq. As fate would have it, Taremi scored the only goal of the game, sparking joyous celebrations both on the pitch and nationwide.

The current Porto star is one of the Republic’s all-time leading scorers and carries much of the nation’s hopes and dreams on his shoulders. Ahead of what is sure to be a tough group at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, Taremi’s sole focus is on making the knockout phase, especially given the difficult situation surrounding the team.

FIFA: How would you describe Iranians’ love for football?

Mehdi Taremi: Iranians are a football-obsessed people, which is reflected in their support for the national team. They love most sports, but football holds a special place in their hearts. Football is a huge part of many Iranians’ lives and evokes so much emotion! It makes their week when we win and, on the flipside, ruins it if we’re beaten.

You were a starter in two of your side’s games at Russia 2018. What are your memories of that tournament?

We gave it our all in Russia, but unfortunately, we couldn’t quite pull it off. We had the chance to get past the group stages for the first time in our history, but luck didn’t quite go our way. That’s football.

Despite the early exit, we took a lot of positives from the tournament. Even after our defeat to Spain, our fans were celebrating on the streets because we gave a good account of ourselves. We played three games and had chances to progress. I think it was a special period in everyone’s lives.

What does it mean for the national team to make it to the World Cup?

It’s definitely special when your country qualifies, and we get to fly our country’s flag. It fills us with pride to know we’re one of just 32 teams. We gave everything to make sure we qualified. No matter who you are, playing for your country in a World Cup is the greatest honour of them all.

What will it take for IR Iran to succeed this time?

For us, qualifying [for the knockout phase] would be huge. We’ll give everything we have to achieve that. Of course, there are a few problems facing us, but there are always positives and negatives. At the end of the day, all the players, coaches and the national federation are giving their all to best prepare us for the World Cup and ensure we have a successful campaign.

I have a good feeling about this tournament as I’ve witnessed the team effort – so who knows? Qualifying for the knockout stages for the first time ever would mean a lot for our fans and make us very proud.

Your goals and overall performance helped the team to qualify, but now everyone is expecting great things from you. Are you feeling the pressure at all?

It’s fine to pin expectations on a player, but football is a team sport. Yes, a player can make a difference to a team but that’s not the be all and end all. It’s unrealistic to say one player can do it all on his own. That said, of course I’ll give it my all for Team Melli. Up until this point, I’ve done everything possible. As I said before, I’d give everything to make our cherished fans happy.

Participating in the World Cup is an honour for myself and the country as a whole. If we can fly our country’s flag that bit higher every day, then as a team we have done our job. I promise to try to play my best football in the World Cup.

Can you elaborate more on the chaos of the qualifiers? You started by losing to both Bahrain and Iraq, then we had COVID-19, and to top it all, your fixtures were on foreign soil.

The early stages of qualifying were a testing time for us, with qualifying thrown into doubt. In light of the unprecedented circumstances facing the world with the outbreak of COVID-19, the AFC were forced to make a decision [about fixtures]. A decision we respect. It was all up in the air, and it definitely made things more difficult for us. We went to Bahrain and played in scorching temperatures, but thanks to everyone’s efforts, we qualified.

How satisfying was it to win 3-0 against Bahrain in their own country?

As I said before, there were several factors out of our control. At that time, Bahrain and Iraq were our main competition. We had to win every match to qualify top of the group. It was a very special moment, amid exceptional circumstances, but with the team’s efforts we were able to achieve this feat.

How did COVID-19 affect the qualifiers?

It had a massive impact because no one knew what the future would hold. We already had the pressure of the matches and then on top of that the unfortunate COVID-19 circumstances. So for sure it was a very difficult period to navigate. Of course, it was a global tragedy. Nothing good came out of that time and people’s loved ones were dying every day – it was super-stressful.

From that moment, you didn’t play in front your fans until 2022. How did it feel to score against Iraq in front of your home crowd?

It’s pure elation when you help your team qualify for a World Cup – so it was a special moment for sure. When you don your country’s colours and fly its flag, it always gives you an immense sense of pride.

You topped the group in the third round with eight wins, a draw and a defeat. How proud were the team given all the strife you’ve been through?

Firstly, there was no such thing as a friendly match for us. We treat every match like a final because we want to improve every time we play. If we don’t do this, we’ll never improve. Secondly, we gave it our all to win matches. We wanted to win all ten matches but, unfortunately, due to factors out of our control (such as coronavirus) our squad was left a bit thin. That clearly impacted us negatively.

We wanted to make it ten wins out of ten, but it didn’t turn out that way. Anyway, we were able to top the group, make a statement of intent and, most importantly, do our fans proud.

Which qualifier do you think you performed best in?

For me, the match in which we sealed qualification. It was a moment of sheer joy that everyone shared in.

What were the celebrations like?

After the Iraq game, everyone, including all the backroom staff, came together and we all shared in the moment. Our dear fans were also present, so we shared that joy with around 100,000 people! For me nothing tops that moment during our journey to the World Cup.

What are your childhood memories of watching the World Cup?

Whoever plays football is likely to hold this tournament in high regard. Simple as that. Most children love to watch and play football. They may end up in completely different careers or play another sport entirely, but their love for the game remains entrenched. This is true for everyone, even those who didn’t particularly love the game when they were kids.

The World Cup is the biggest event in football and all the big names are on show. When you watch them in action, they fill you with awe and make you dream of one day playing on the biggest stage of them all.

Can you tell us more about IR Iran’s group opponents? Who do see providing the toughest challenge?

We’ll give all our opponents the same respect. This is how it should be in football. There may be slightly stronger and weaker teams, but in the end, what makes you proud is the effort you put in. We will give our all to win these three games, but we’ll also need things to go our way as well. That said, football is unpredictable, so we can never say whether we’ll win or lose.

Iranians have been granted special permission to travel to Qatar. What will it mean for you to have fans cheering you on? Also, what distinguishes your fans from the rest?

As I said, Iranians love football. In Russia, we were playing against Spain and Portugal and both times Iranian fans outnumbered the opposition – they love football that much. Qatar is close to home. They can definitely help us a lot.

Which players are you most looking forward to playing against, and why?

For me, this isn’t important. The most important thing is that we do something memorable in this tournament. There are lots of great players in our group, but it doesn’t change anything for me. I’m not saying that I don’t have respect for these teams, it is in fact a great honour to play against such quality, but the success of the national team is my number one priority. If we want to progress, it doesn’t matter who we’re up against.