5/11/2006
Mark Ledsom, Reuters

Iran's soccer coach is confident his team will not be distracted by politics during next month's World Cup in Germany.

Speaking to Reuters at a training camp in Switzerland, Croatian Branko Ivankovic said he would not ban his players from answering political questions but expected them to be fully focused once the finals start on June 9.

"Obviously people can ask the players about anything that they want – we don't have any restrictions – but I would rather people built a clear wall between sport and politics," he said.

"Of course it is hard for the players to switch off completely from what is going on with Iran, but we have a young ambitious squad who I am convinced will only be thinking about the football."

Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sparked controversy for remarks that Israel "should be wiped off the map" and questioning whether six million Jews were killed by the Nazis in the Holocaust.

Iran has also refused to renounce its nuclear activity. Ahmadinejad is not expected to travel to Germany for the month-long World Cup.

Ivankovic said he would not comment on Iran's nuclear ambitions or the resulting threat of sanctions, saying he did not give opinions on Croatian politics during his time as assistant coach to his own national side.

WOMEN BANNED

The 52-year-old trainer was more forthcoming on the issue of Iran's women supporters, who have since 1979 been banned from attending football matches in their homeland.

Having declared a lifting of that ban last month, Ahmadinejad this week reversed his decision following disapproval from the country's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

"I haven't heard about the latest decision but I am sure this issue will be discussed again.

"All I can say is that the women in Iran are crazy about football – they are always coming up to me and asking why I didn't choose a particular player or why I don't use a particular formation.

"When some women made it into our match against Bahrain a year ago the atmosphere was excellent. FIFA have said they want football to be for everybody and I completely agree with that."

Ivankovic says he hopes to steer Iran to at least the second round at the finals. They are in Group D with Euro 2004 runners-up Portugal, Mexico and debutants Angola, in their third World Cup appearance.

"The expectations are always incredibly high in Iran, but I think we do have the strength to get through even if Portugal and Mexico will be clear favourites.

"I was already impressed by the Iran team that reached the 1998 World Cup when I was working with the Croatian team, but I believe this side is even stronger – particularly because of the international experience that a lot of our players now have."

TOP PLAYERS

Currently staying at the same Swiss hotel from which Germany launched their first World Cup triumph in 1954, Ivankovic and his squad are having to prepare without many top players.

Germany-based players Ali Karimi, Mehdi Mahdavikia, Vahid Hashemian and Fereydoon Zandi, plus FC Messina defender Rahman Rezaei, will join up with the team on May 20 in Tehran.

Ivankovic has to name his squad by May 15 and has organised three friendly matches against lower league Swiss teams to help him make up his mind.

The first of these nearly ended in embarrassment on Tuesday, with Iran needing two late goals to salvage a 2-1 win over the amateurs of Lyss.

"We have a lot of young players and some of them are nervous because they still don't know if they will make the World Cup squad," Ivankovic said.

"It was in any case good to remind the players that there are no easy games anymore and that everybody knows how to organise their sides."