 Iranian fans are still digesting their team’s failure to qualify for the 2010 World Cup.
Team Melli drew 1-1 with South Korea on June 17 when only three points would have done.
Goal.com’s Mehran Afshar is in Tehran and talked to the fans, who will have to choose another team to cheer on next summer.
“It’s not the end of the world,” says Reza, a 39-year-old chemical sales expert.
“We did not make it to the World Cup this time. Given the current situation, it was a very smooth exit.”
It was close, as Afshin Ghotbi’s men were nine minutes from victory in Seoul before Park Ji-sung equalised for South Korea.
“Ghotbi promised to take us to South Africa; we did not take him very seriously, but he just needed nine more minutes to fulfil his promise,” said Amir, an auto parts dealer who considers himself a lucky charm for Team Melli every time he watches them.
“They have never lost a single game under my watch for the past two years. I did not watch the match versus Saudi Arabia; if I had, they would have gotten at least a draw!”
Alireza, a customs clearance specialist in his early thirties, does not want to talk or think about football.
“I have many more important things on my mind, and Team Melli is not one of them," he said.
Many people claim to have stopped buying sports newspapers after the South Korea game.
Maryam, a food and nutrition expert, blames the sports officials for Iran’s elimination.
“We lost our chance back when we chose the wrong coach [Ali Daei] for Team Melli,” she said.
Not all are depressed. Nasim, a social research supervisor, feels relieved.
She said, “I am happy that my husband Saeid will not spend more time watching football!”
Almost everyone agrees that the current political turmoil took the sting out of Iran’s inability to qualify for the World Cup.
“People have much more important things on their minds than football,” Moradian declared.
“The green wristband case aside, in the last game, the boys gave all they had, and that’s comforting as well as disturbing.”
“Its comforting because they gave their 100 per cent, heart and sweat, and played well, but disturbing because one might think that if they had the same approach to all the previous games, we would have had an easy entry to the World Cup.”
When talk turns to the new coach, Ghotbi scores high with the ladies, as well as most men.
“Let’s keep him. He is not a top of the class choice of a coach, but might be able to make some positive changes in the long run, even without any help from the federation,” says Ehsan.
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