12/31/2005
IRNA

German record champions Bayern Munich have confirmed that talks are taking place with an unidentified Iranian club over a possible friendly match.

"We are currently leading negotiations with several teams to have a friendly game during Bayern Munich's training camp in Dubai.

One of them might be an Iranian team," a Bayern spokeswoman told IRNA on Friday.

She denied Iranian press reports that a deal had been signed between Bayern and Persepolis to play a friendly match in Tehran on January 13.

"That's definitely wrong. No contacts have been signed yet.It's still not sure whether Bayern will play a friendly on January 13," the spokesperson added.

The defending Bundesliga title-holders will hold their traditional winter training camp in Dubai from January 6 through 16.

Bayern's last trip to Iran dates back to the early-1970s when it faced the Iranian national team.

12/30/2005
Afshin Afshar, lastkick.com

Round 16 of the Iranian Pro League was competed on Friday, December 30. Second place Saipa and third place Pas had an opportunity to cut into Esteghlal’s lead. The leaders had tied with Saba Battery on Thursday. Saipa and Pas however could only muster up a 1:1 draw against one another.

To Esteghlal fans’ delight Zob-Ahan and Sepahan, the only two other team that are within striking distance, did not fare much better. Zob-Ahan lost to visitors Abu Moslem 2:1 and Sepahan could only manage a goalless draw against Shamooshak in Noshahr. As a result the standing amongst the top five teams did not change from the previous week, and Esteghlal still maintain the same lead over others.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of this week was Perspolis’s 4:2 defeat against visiting Fajr in Tehran’s Azadi stadium. The defeat was so convincing that head coach Ali Parvin announced his resignation immediately after the game.

To not be undone by the other Shiraz club Fajr, Bargh defeated Malavan 2:0 at home. The victory lifted Bargh just above the drop zone for now, and that should relieve some pressure off Coach Zelatko Ivankovic.

The bi-Annual Ahvaz derby, ended with a 3:2 victory for reigning champions Foolad. Although Esteghlal of Ahvaz put up a valiant fight to come back from a two goal deficit to tie the game, at the end Foolad had more than they could handle.

In Yazd Shahid Ghandi and Rah-Ahan played a 1:1 draw. The result does not fairly reflect Ghandi’s dominance throughout the game. They were unlucky to not score on a number of occasions.

To view current standings click here.

Friday, December 30

Bargh 2:0 Malavan
Shamooshak 0:0 Sepahan
Zob-Ahan 1:2 Abu-Moslem
Shahid Ghandi 1:1 Rah-Ahan
Foolad 3:2 Esteghlal Ahvaz
Pas 1:1 Saipa
Perspolis 2:4 Fajr

Thursday, December 29

Saba Battery 1:1 Esteghlal

12/30/2005
Aaron Marcus, goal.com

If you saw the name Marcos Evangelista de Moraes you’d probably either shrug your shoulders or sprain your tongue: after all, who is he? You’d probably cast your mind back and come up blank, and so you should. After all, the word Cafú bears no resemblance to Marcos Evangelista de Moraes – despite being one and the same person: a champion of the footballing world.

The nickname, and the myriad successes earned with those four letters on the back of a jersey, hide a story of perseverance as rare as it is fascinating. After all; who would put up with being laughed off no less than twelve times when trying to convince clubs to give him a chance? And who would guess that the same ‘reject’ would conquer everything in his path – and with a smile?

To understand this particular saga we have to rewind back to a place called Jardim Irene; nominally ‘Irene’s garden’, but really one of the city of São Paulo’s many sprawling favelas (shanty towns). Marcos was one of those boys people outside of Brazil usually see on documentaries; one of six children growing up so near, yet so far, from the gaudy wealth of the ‘zona sul’ (south side).
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12/29/2005
David Lewis and AAP, The Courier Mail

The Socceroos face being without head coach Guus Hiddink for their next two matches – the Asian Cup qualifiers on February 22 and March 1.

Already unavailable for the first game against a top-tier team as a result of Champions League obligations with PSV Eindhoven, logistical problems could also rule him out of the second game in Australia.

Both matches fall on Wednesdays – the first, in either west or east Asia, on a non-FIFA ratified date.

Though the second is on a FIFA-designated day, PSV faces AZ Alkmaar in the Dutch first division on the Sunday leading into the match which means Hiddink would not get to Australia until game eve, rendering his presence almost token.
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12/29/2005
Afshin AFshar, lastkick.com

In the first game of the Round 16 of the Iranian Pro League, Saba Battery managed to slow down leaders Esteghlal in the race for the title with a 1:1 draw.

Defender Amir-Hossein Sadeghi gave Esteghlal the lead after 15 minutes. The game became increasingly physical after that and was marred by frequent fouls. Despite controlling the ball for most of the game, Esteghlal failed to capitalize and had to settle for a 1:0 lead at the half.

Determined to tie the game Saba Battery fielded a third striker in the second half and that seemed to add some bite to their attack.

In the 68th minute, Sadeghi who was Esteghlal’s hero up to that point received his second yellow and was ejected from the game. Minutes later Esteghlal’s Coach Amir Ghalehnoei joined Sadeghi in the locker room after he too was ejected for objecting to the referee.

Playing with a one man advantage, Saba scored the equalizer in the 81st minute through the second half sub Babak Zolrahmi.

Esteghlal now lead the league with 32 points while Saba remain sixth with 23.

To view current standings click here.

12/29/2005
DPA

Iran has denied that its failure to organise friendly matches ahead of the World Cup tournament was a fallout of the anti-Israeli remarks made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in recent months.

Some European teams were reported to have turned down proposals to play against Iran. However, the head of the Iranian Football Federation (FFI), Mohammad Dadkan, told news agency ISNA Wednesday that friendly matches could not be fixed due to the national team's probable participation in the Asian championship ahead of the World Cup.

The FFI has reportedly made some initial agreements with Spain and Switzerland but the matches have not yet been finalised.

The FFI head stressed that there are no political but rather technical problems delaying the arranging of friendly matches.

Romania cancelled a friendly against Iran last month after being told to do so by the Romanian foreign ministry, reportedly in protest against Ahmadinejad.

Ahmadinejad caused an international outcry when he called for the eradication of Israel.

12/28/2005
Afshin Afshar, lastkick.com

Esteghlal fans are talking championship these days, and they have good reasons for their new found optimism. In recent weeks, the Blues have delivered one good performance after another and managed to keep their narrow lead over a chasing pack that has been getting thinner in numbers. However, their Round 16 opponents Saba battery may present a tougher challenge than they would care for.

After a slow start Saba have been working their way slowly up the table. Although the title may not be a realistic goal for them, a good second half in the domestic campaign will help boost their confidence before Asian Champions League games scheduled to kickoff in March.

To make this week’s match up even more interesting, Saba fields a number of former Perspolis players, including skipper Ali Daei, whom Esteghlal fans still love to jeer as if they wore their rival’s red jerseys.
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12/26/2005
The Times

PROSPECTS: Their world ranking of nineteenth is unrealistically high but many Iranians believe this is the strongest team in their history. Ali Daei remains a prolific goalscorer and, while he didn’t quite make the grade with Bayern Munich, five of his present Iran team-mates are playing in the country that will host next summer’s finals. Two are midfield regulars for the Bundesliga’s top two teams, Ali Karimi having excelled as a playmaker since joining Bayern in the summer and Mehdi Mahdavikia having helped to inspire SV Hamburg’s chase of the leaders. Vahid Hashemian, who plays up front for Hannover 96, has been influential for his country since ending a self-imposed international exile of three yearslast March and Iran can also call on Moharram Navidkia, of Vfl Bochum, and Fereydoon Zandi, of 1FC Kaiserslautern.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Ali Daei. The 36-year-old striker is a barrel-chested father figure who struts like Eric Cantona and constantly talks to team-mates during games. He has much expertise to pass on as the world-record international goalscorer with 107. He and was also the leading Asian scorer in qualifying with nine goals.

MANAGER: Branko Ivankovic. The pressure of the job means the Croat’s “bags are always packed and ready” in case he is dismissed, but his team’s comfortable World Cup qualification has won him great popularity.

MARADONA IN DISGUISE: Hussein Kaebi, the right back, fisted the ball away from well behind his own goalline against Japan in August and, after Japan were awarded the goal, he had the nerve to protest to the referee that the ball hadn’t crossed the line, urging the official to watch the replay on the stadium screen.
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12/25/2005
bbc.co.uk

Real Madrid great Alfredo di Stefano is in a serious condition in a Valencia hospital after suffering a heart attack at the age of 79.

Doctors will decide on Monday if he is strong enough to undergo the heart bypass surgery he needs to recover.

"His heart is beating with difficulty," said a hospital spokesman.

"He has a circulation problem and some arteries feeding the heart have been seriously narrowed. Operating now would be in unfavourable circumstances."
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12/25/2005
FIFAworldcup.com

Who would have thought this time last year that the tiny island of Trinidad and Tobago would find itself looking forward to playing in the greatest football tournament in the world?

Up until the summer of 2005 and the arrival of Dutch coaching guru Leo Beenhakker, the prospect of qualification still seemed remote. And yet, after cleverly negotiating a tricky play-off with Bahrain (2-1 on aggregate), the dream has become a reality. T&T have earned the right to play in a FIFA World Cupâ„¢ and although Group B may seem to present an insurmountable obstacle, with matches against Sweden, England and Paraguay awaiting them, Dwight Yorke and his team-mates are currently filled with an unflappable sense of confidence.
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