Four internationals scheduled for Team Melli

Persianfootball.com – TEHRAN, After three entire months of no Full International matches, finally Iran has four upcoming friendlies scheduled at least on paper.

Since the completion of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Iran who will take part in 2015 AFC Asian Cup, has played no ‘A’ internationals, due to several factors such as the long delay in finalizing the contract of Carlos Queiroz, and cancellation of the scheduled match of 14 October versus Venezuela in Tehran. In addition it must be noted that the propositions of playing matches versus Syria, Yemen and Australia were declined, also an October 6 friendly versus Cuba in Tehran, November 10 versus Morocco in Faro Portugal, 28 December versus Palestine in Tehran and an away match versus South Africa in December did not eventuate.

According to FIFA’s Fixtures and Results database, Team Melli’s first two games will be played in November at home, Kenya on 14th and South Korea on the 18th. Then the next two games will be played on neutral territory, Zimbabwe on December 19 in Johannesburg and Iraq on January 4 in either Sydney or Melbourne. Iran has never played Zimbabwe.

Since 2009 for unknown reasons but possibly political, no European team has visited Iran for an international friendly match and thus all visiting teams have been from either Asia or Africa. The last European team who visited Iran was Macedonia back in November 2009. From 1947 to 2009, friendly match European opponents who visited Iran were Turkey, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Wales, Poland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Georgia, Macedonia, Slovakia, Azerbaijan, Germany, Belarus and Iceland.