Bayati recalls Iran’s 1968 AFC Asian Cup triumph

AFC – TEHRAN, Mahmoud Bayati’s story goes back longer than most people’s memories. In 1968, Bayati was already 37 years old and coach of the Iranian national team. It was a year that remains a landmark for the sport in Iran as Bayati led Team Melli to victory in the AFC Asian Cup on home soil.

That fact that his team had beaten Israel 2-1 in the decisive match in the heart of Tehran – the Amjadie Stadium – made it all the more sweet.

“It was tense,” Bayati told the-afc.com of the match, which was the last for both teams in the round-robin format. “It was not long after the Six Day War and this added more fuel to the fire.



“One night before the match, there was a rumour that a rich Israeli had bought all the tickets so that we would not have any fans. It was very stressful,” added Bayati, one of many legendary coaches being honoured this year by AFC as part of the Asian Coaches Year celebrations.

“So, the government decided to open the gates and allow the people to enter the stadium. They filled every corner and even the running track around the pitch.”



Goals by Homoyoon Behzadi (75 minutes) and Parviz Ghelichkhani (86) helped Iran recover from the 1-0 deficit to make history with their first Asian Cup triumph.



Previously, they had beaten Hong Kong, Burma and Taiwan before victory over Israel sent the whole country into ecstasy.

“The celebrations were endless,” he said. “We had parties for two months. We had invitations from everywhere … government offices, factories and even the people themselves.”

Sound development

Bayati said Iran status as a giant of Asian football was a result of the development efforts started before the 1968 victory. 

Deflecting attention from himself, he said Iran’s sports leaders should take the credit.

“The head of the Iran Sport Organisation was advised against hosting the AFC Asian Cup but he stood firm.

“I can say there was a fierce determination to develop Iran sport and football, specifically.



“We were not educated coaches in those days. When I had a chance to go London, I brought back a tactical book because I knew English.

”

By the book

“When I came back to Iran, I copied the same practices that were outlined in the book. Before, we just asked players to run up hills. But for that Asian Cup we prepared ourselves well with some great practice sessions straight from the book.”



Also bolstering Iran before the tournament were high-profile international games against strong European teams such as Soviet Union and Hungary.



The Bayata era ended after Iran suffered a 3-0 defeat to Australia in the 1974 World Cup qualifiers. Iran lost 3-2 on aggregate, destroying Bayati’s hopes of becoming the first coach to lead his country to a World Cup finals. 

He continued with the national team as technical manager for a couple of years before migrating to the west coast of the United States.

Ironically, Iran qualified for their first World Cup finals – in 1978 – by overcoming the Aussies, also in a play-off.



1998 World Cup

But “The Major” finds it difficult to hold that day in particular esteem. Maybe the heartbreak of failing to reach Germany 1974 still rankles.

“To be honest, Iran should have lost 4-0 in Melbourne. Reaching the World Cup in 1998 was just a miracle. Even the players admitted it later on.”



Iran came back from 2-0 down in Melbourne to draw 2-2 against the Aussies in the second leg of a play-off that saw Team Melli qualify on away goals.



Despite being thousands of miles away, looking after his grand daughter in a small town in Oregon, Bayati still follows Iranian football closely.

 And he still has some strong views on some of the more controversial topics in his homeland.



Ali Karimi is one hot issue he is happy to wade into. Fan favourite Karimi’s past spats with Iranian football authorities means the star striker is out of the national team – and he can stay there as far as Bayati is concerned.

 Not so much for Karimi’s love for controversy but his football skills.

“If I were coaching him, I would make him sit on the bench. I do not give chances to players who love dribbling.”



Social manners

He also has some advice for Khodadad Azizi, the 1996 AFC Player of the Year who scored the equalising goal against Australia in 1998.

“The equaliser against Australia was genuine and superb but I like players who perform well beyond the pitch as well,” said Bayati.



“He could have a more impressive profile if he had a better coach to teach him about the manners of life.

“He could have been more successful in USA with San Jose Earthquake had he known how to handle the social pressures of being a top sportsman.”



Bayati is happy that he is part of the AFC Asian Coaches Night celebrations and he is hoping to be among his peers during the AFC Coaches Night function on November 23.



He is happy that AFC is conducting more courses and helping Asian coaches to boost their knowledge about the game as well as making sure they put into practice what they have learned.



“We can never deny the role of knowledge in football,” he said. “You can never be a good driver by reading books. As Alber Einstein said, experience is the father of science.”