December 22, 2024
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AFC – Tehran, AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011™ qualifiers Iran have set up a high-profile friendly with five-time World Cup winners Brazil on October 7 in order to prepare for the continental showpiece in Doha next year.

The match will be played in the United Arab Emirates, Iran’s ISNA news agency reported Monday.

“Iran will play a friendly game against Brazil, featuring all its stars, in Abu Dhabi on October 7,” Iran Football Federation President, Ali Kaffashian, was quoted as saying.

Kaffashian said that the agreement to hold the match in the UAE, home to around 400,000 Iranians, was clinched on Sunday.

He gave no details of the contract, but another IFF official said all costs were being met by the sponsor.

“The sponsor is paying all the expenses for our team. If we wanted to play against Brazil in Tehran it would have cost us around three million dollars,” Abbas Torabian was quoted by the news agency as saying.

Kaffashian said that the Team Melli’s squad will be determined after they finish their matches in the West Asia Football Federation (WAFF) Championship now being played in Jordan, and in which Iran are seeking their fifth title.

Kaffashian added that Iran’s US-trained coach Afshin Ghotbi had given the thumbs up for the match.

Ghotbi is hoping to pilot his side to their first Asian Cup title in 35 years next year, when the tournament will be held in Qatar between January 7 and 29.

Iran are grouped with current Asian Cup champions Iraq, DPR Korea and the United Arab Emirates in the 2011 finals.