Iran’s World Cup Preparation: A Political Ball Game

In 1998, Carlos Queiroz wrote a detailed study of American soccer to serve as a blueprint for the future, Project 2010, the Q-Report. As with most masterplans, it came with great promises and grandiose language: “Throughout history, Americans have many times demonstrated a remarkable ability to accomplish extraordinary goals”. By 2010, the US would be in a position to win the World Cup, a mission Queiroz and his co-author Dan Gaspar compared to “the equivalent of another Apollo XI lunar landing.” Queiroz got that right; in 2010, the USA scrapped through the group stage in the most dramatic of fashion before getting knocked out by Ghana.

“Progress in football is all over the place,” said Queiroz at a press briefing on the eve of the friendly international Iran – Uruguay. “That is modern football. With video technology, you can feel and touch the progress of humans very easily because it is clear. In the game, the majority of the people do not see it. But we the professionals, know how a game is moving forward. How it is faster, quick thinking, quick decision making, players better prepared. Ready. This happens with all countries in the world, including the United States.”

Once a coach of MetroStars in MLS’s maiden season, Queiroz is in his second spell as Iran coach, succeeding Dragan Skocic. Having led Team Melli in the last two World Cups, the Portuguese enjoys a god-like status in Tehran and his arrival prompted expectations to skyrocket in Iran. Charismatic and competent, Queiroz inspires confidence.

The veteran coach has another key asset that is priceless amid the ceaseless turbulence of Iranian soccer: he brings stability and calm. Experienced, he is not one to be messed with. He keeps the federation officials in check and his players pay attention. His leadership brings a degree of organization that is often, if not always, missing at the FA and club level. But Queiroz cannot control everything.

In the days preceding Iran – Uruguay, antigovernment protests in Iran over the death of a 22-year-old woman, Masha Amini, in custody of the moral police had intensified dramatically. Dozens of cities were embroiled in unrest, but authorities met the protests with a crackdown. Internet and social media were cut and riot police was deployed to contain the biggest protests since 2019. In Iran, even villages are now in uproar.

Suddenly, Iran – Uruguay was no longer a simple international friendly in a rural town in Austria, but a flashpoint in the fight for women’s rights. Soccer player Zobeir Niknafs from Tehran club Esteghlal shaved his hair in solidarity with the protests and women who were cutting their hair. It was bold. Some Iranian clubs, like Sepahan and Foolad, prohibit their players from making political statements.

Ali Karimi, once of Bayern Munich, became very vocal, much to the dismay of local authorities. “I am not looking for any political post or power. I am only looking for the peace, comfort and welfare of all Iranians – all across our great and vast land,” said Karimi, posting dozens of pro-protests and anti-regime posts and shedding light on some of the brutality with which the authorities had reacted to the protests. In a matter of days, he gained 2 million followers on Instagram, but his popularity did not offer him enough protection. The Revolutionary Guards called for his arrest and Karimi reportedly fled Iran.

And the national team? Sardar Azmoun, star striker and Bayer Leverkusen player, wrote on social media ‘If they are Muslims, my Lord, turn me into a disbeliever. #Mahsa_Amini’. Vejle BK midfielder Saeid Ezatolahi’s message read ‘The right of the people is not always money, sometimes it is a tear that you shouldn’t have caused and a sigh that you shouldn’t have put in someone’s chest… #Mahsa_Amini.’ They later deleted the posts.

It was a testimony of how delicate it was for national team players to speak out. Team Melli is a symbol of Iran. They represent the nation on the world stage and every move by the players and technical staff is scrutinized in great detail by the authorities. Yet, last Monday, all had seemed calm at Iran’s team hotel on the outskirts of Vienna. In sunny Vosendorf, Queiroz shook hands with a few journalists and led a tactical training, but by Tuesday morning the Iranian FA had banned all Iranian journalists as well as the Daily Mail, ESPN and VOA from covering the match. Who had made that call? Team officials or the authorities back home?

Officials leaned on Queiroz to cancel his press talk. The Portuguese went ahead but on the condition that journalists restricted their questions to the game. It was an awkward situation: soccer was of secondary importance. Uruguay was an excellent sparring partner and formidable opponent, the kind Iran would normally not get because of its international isolation and limited resources. It was however impossible to avoid the elephant in the room. This reporter did ask Queiroz and Iranian FA vice-president Mahdi Mohammad Nabi off the record for a view on the protests back home. Queiroz is caught between a stone and a hard rock.

On matchday, Iran cancelled the traditional post-match press conference and mixed zone. Media accreditations were restored after pressure from journalists and FIFA, but the game still remained behind closed doors because the Iranian diaspora in Austria and beyond would turn the match into a giant protest rally against the regime. VIPS and invitees still enjoyed the match from the main stand, but, as organizers gradually allowed entry to some regular fans, the inevitable happened: two isolated protesters held a placard in support of Mahsa Amini.

“It’s to give a voice to the people in Iran,” said Farhad, one of the protesters. “The police of the Islamic republic is killing the people in Iran. The people from the regime inside the stadium said bad things to me. I am sorry for these persons. Do they want to see a terrorist regime and no humanity?”

But even in a small Austrian soccer stadium, differing views were not tolerated. Local police expelled Farhad and his friend from the ground, leaving the pair fuming and questioning the right to the freedom of speech in their adopted home country.

Austrian MP Nurten Yilmaz had taken up the issues surrounding the Iran match with interior minister Gerald Karner and sports minister Werner Kogler. She asked a number of poignant questions: “Is there a connection between the ban on spectators at said football game and the protests currently taking place in Iran? Was the ban attempted, possible protests against the arch-conservative Iranian government? If so: Was there any interference by the Iranian state or diplomatic personnel sent by the Republic of Iran? Who made the decision to allow the friendly to take place in the absence of the spectators?”

Amid all the political considerations, it was easy to forget there was still a match to be played. Farhad and his friend did not get to see Mehdi Taremi’s 79th-minute winner. It was a clinical finish to cap off a formidable performance by Iran. Central defensive pairing Hossein Kanani and Shoja Khalilzadeh restricted Uruguay’s heavyweight strike force of Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez and Luis Suarez. In the number six role, Ezatolahi proved an effective screen for the rearguard. Off the bench, Taremi delivered the golden touch. Above all, this was unmistakably Carlos Queiroz’s Iran, a superbly organised team full of grit and intensity.

Iran defends compactly, occupies space when out of possession and lurks on the counter. That blueprint almost worked a miracle in 2018 when Team Melli came agonizingly close to reaching the round of sixteen. At this year’s World Cup, the Iranians will play England, Wales and, last but not least, the United States on 29 November. That match could well decide who advances to the round of sixteen. At the 1998 World Cup in France, Iran defeated the US 2-1 amid geopolitical tension. This time the backdrop is different, but the political undertones will never be far away that day. Women’s rights will still be top of the agenda.

After the 1-0 victory against Uruguay, Iran’s national team players updated their social media profiles with black avatars in support of the protests. Azmoun went a step further. He wrote: ‘Because of the restrictive laws placed on us in the national team,… But I can’t take it anymore! I am not worried about being dropped. This will never be erased from our consciousness. Shame on you! You kill easily. Long Live Iranian women!’

With his statement, Azmoun risked it all: his national team spot and the World Cup, the pinnacle tournament for every player. Iranian soccer players have a history of using their popularity to call for reform. They wore armbands during the 2009 Green Movement and some have been vocal about the ban on women attending matches as well. Apollo XI could well land then on November 29, but not in a way Queiroz could have ever foreseen.