Sunday June 11, 2006
The Observer

Mehdi Mahdavikia and his team-mates have no intention of merely making up the numbers when they face Mexico writes Mehrdad Massoudi

When Iran last qualified for the World Cup finals, in November 1997, there were spontaneous celebrations across the country. Young and old took to the streets of all Iranian cities in scenes of jubilation.

They had barely recovered from the 'Miracle of Melbourne' – the second-leg draw that took Iran through at Australia's expense – when the Persians found themselves grouped with the United States in the 1998 finals. Within four weeks of the draw, the then president Mohammad Khatami appeared on CNN suggesting a dialogue between Iranian and American academics and artists, and athletes meeting in sporting contests. It was to break the mistrust between the two nations, seeds of which had been planted following the CIA-orchestrated coup to topple Iran's popular and elected prime minister Dr Mohammad Mosadegh.

However meaningless Iran's victory against the United States in France may have been, it represented a new era in the country's modern history. Images of Iranian players offering gifts and bouquets of white roses to their American counterparts were beamed around the world. Iran fans mingled and danced with American fans before, during and after the match. Post-match celebrations back in Iran featured chants of 'from the World Cup to the world community' by throngs of youths dancing until the early hours of the morning.

While England will be the second-best supported team in Germany after the hosts, it might surprise many to learn that Iran's 'Team Melli' (national team) are one of the best supported in the world. They draw their backing from the Iranian diaspora from Sydney to Los Angeles and anywhere in between.

'We have the best fans in the world,' says the Iran and Hamburg midfielder Mehdi Mahdavikia. 'Wherever we go we are made welcome by people of Iranian origin, some of whom may not even speak Persian. Football bridges the gap between them and their motherland. Our fans are the best ambassadors for our culture and we are indebted to them for their unconditional support.'

Mahdavikia, 28, is one of four Iranian World Cup players plying their trade in Germany. The most popular of them is Kaiserslautern's Zandi, who is also a heartthrob back in Iran. The 27-yearold's father is Iranian and his mother German, and he played for Germany, where he was born, at junior level before opting to represent Iran 18 months ago.

Mahdavikia is Hamburg's longest serving squad member, arguably as popular as Kevin Keegan once was in the 1980s. He was voted Hamburg's player of the year by their fans two seasons ago. 'I consider Germany my second home now,' says Mahdavikia. 'My daughter has grown up here. We even celebrate Christmas as I want her to respect the traditions of the country that has been so hospitable to our family. Playing in this World Cup is as close as it could have got to playing in Iran for me.'

Germany appears to be the destination of choice for Iran's talented players. At one point in 1999, nine Iranians were on the payroll of Bundesliga clubs. Captain Ali Daei was among the first trio who landed a professional contract in 1997. 'German fans are familiar with our faces and have affinity towards us,' says Mahdavikia. 'We arrived here as amateurs and our employers turned us into professionals. If we succeed in our World Cup campaign, they can justifiably feel that they have contributed to our success. We owe a great deal to Germany.'

There is great optimism in the Iranian camp. Portugal are clear favourites to finish first in Group D but, while Mexico are ranked fourth in the world, Iran fancy their chances of finishing second and, at the third attempt in the finals, going through to the knockouts. Today's game is the big one for them.

There are great similarities between the football cultures in Iran and Mexico. Both teams are coached by non-natives and both men have suffered, and survived, a vicious media campaign in the last year (another surprise to westerners would be that there are 16 sports tabloids in Iran). Football dominates every aspect of life in both Mexico and Iran. The World Cup is overshadowing the upcoming general and presidential elections in Mexico and if Los Tricolores advance beyond the first round, the candidates will have a hard time drawing supporters to their rallies.

A year ago Iran's presidential election coincided with Team Melli's decisive qualifiers against North Korea and Bahrain. All eight candidates used football themes to take advantage of Iran's imminent qualification for Germany.