3/15/2006
John Duerden, goal.com

Respected as one of the most forward-thinking coaches in the game, it is no accident that the 42 year-old is heading to a third consecutive World Cup. Dick Advocaat wasted no time in following Guus Hiddink as he requested Ghotbi's presence in East Asia.

On this occasion however, the discussion focused on Iran.

Goal – Last year there was talk of you working for the Iranian national team…

Ghotbi -Yes, I had a phone conversation with Branko. He showed interest in my background and possibilities to join his coaching staff. He asked me to send my C.V. to him, and he was going to discuss it with IFF. I never heard from him after the initial phone call. Later on he said in the press that he didn’t know anything about me.

Why do you think he said that?

I am not sure who is making the decisions in the Iranian National Team. Regardless, I have been very supportive of him and the Iranian national team. I feel that he is the head coach and he has to decide who works for him. He decided against it and I respect that. There were a lot of unnecessary discussions and interviews that could have been avoided. It could have been very simple ‘ I am happy with my staff, I going to keep my staff and I’m going in this direction’ -simple. He didn’t have to say ‘we’re not sure about his resume and its accuracy.’ It is unprofessional and false to make such statement. Everything in my resume is 100% accurate.

He said that, Branko said that statement?

I read an article over the internet. I don’t know if he was quoted accurately. He said later that “he didn’t know me, and I don’t know his work”. He does know me because he saw my CV and if he saw the Korean team in the World Cup 2002, then he saw my work. I would have preferred that it had been done very honestly and open, saying ‘I’ve never worked with this person, as a head coach I like to bring people who I know and trust. Nobody can argue with that; that would have been a better way in my view.

Do you think you had a lot to offer the Iranian team?

I think so. I’ve worked with some of the best coaches in the world; I’ve been to two World Cups and am going to a third. I don’t know any other Iranian coach with that kind of experiences.

Do you think you could have improved the team ?

With a scientific view and the application of the most modern technology, I can make a more organized and tactically prepared team. Nobody else is doing the work we’re doing with the Korean team, and Hiddink (2002) and Advocaat (Presently) have used it masterfully to improve the squad. We have broken all communication barriers and prepared a more tactically organized team. The Korean players understood their role in every situation, and the results in Korea have shown that.

There was a report last week about the game between Iran and Costa Rica in Tehran and some women were protesting outside the stadium because they couldn’t enter and they were beaten by security guards. Do you think that Iranian women should be allowed to watch the national team?

Football is for everyone, it’s a beautiful game, everybody should be able to go out and enjoy it regardless of gender or race.

No group of people – color, gender, or age should be discriminated against. This incident really needs to be re-evaluated, because the message being sent to the outside world by Iran is the wrong one. Women are such an important part of every society playing important roles in every family, community and nation. They are Iranians wanting to support their national team and players.

How does it make you feel when some politicians say that Iran should not be allowed to go the World Cup?

I disagree with them. The Iranian team earned the right to play in the World Cup and should be allowed to go –that’s one. Secondly, people talk about the need to separate politics and football, that’s impossible. Politics are in every level of football, from youth to the international level. I think that the Iranian football team shouldn’t be used as a puppet of other people’s political agenda – whether the West or Iran.

Iranian football fans are passionate and there are lots of them writing about football – why do you think that is?

Iranians are so passionate, not just about football, about music, about poetry about life. Every boy that is born in Tehran or Shiraz or anywhere in Iran, the first thing they do the moment they can walk is to kick a ball. Football is a big part of society and culture. I think that’s why they’re writing about it.

How will Iran do in the World Cup?

Korea has already played Angola, Mexico, and we know about Portugal – it’s not an easy group. The match against Mexico will set the tone for the remaining matches in the group. The Iranian team has a lot of quality, including some of top players in Asia. Iranian players are very technical passionate, and motivated.

The key for Iran is both tactical and psychological: On the tactical side, the discipline and organization both in attack and defense will be key. On the psychological, the team’s atmosphere in the preparation and build up period. The integration and chemistry between the young and established players will have a big impact in the team’s performance in group play.

Because Iran didn’t really play enough friendlies after qualification, there are still a lot of unanswered questions. There is a big difference between all the Asian domestic leagues, including the Iranian Premier League, and the World Cup. People do not want to hear this, but this is reality. Therefore, it is essential for national Team such as Iran to play an extended number of friendlies in the build up to the World Cup.

I am sure most teams did not want to travel to Tehran due to the political climate, but what stopped Iran from traveling outside of Iran for friendly matches?

Could finance be a problem?

FIFA paid each team a handsome sum for qualifying for the World Cup in Germany giving each team the financing necessary for preparation. Iran is also one of the richest countries in Asia, so finance cannot be the reason.

I believe the reasons are simple. The expectations in Iran are too high. The pressure to get results playing attacking and beautiful football forced Branko and the IFF to take a conservative approach. The results in Germany are most important, and it is the responsibility of each head coach and Federation to create a detailed systematic plan to prepare the players and their team for success.