In an interview with the sports reporter of Tasnim news agency, Reza Enayati said about Yasin Soleimani, Mohammad Omari and Mohammad Mehdi Ahmadi, the three players of the Persepolis football team, leaving the Omid camp and their return to the Sarkhpoushan training to participate in the Asian Champions League. I spoke with Mehdi Taj, the president of the Football Federation and the officials of the National Olympic Committee, and I said that with 13 players, there is no guarantee for a place in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. We had 22 players, Mohammadreza Bardbar could not come with us, Alireza Kushki was injured and Saman Fallah was injured in the game against Mongolia and missed two games. If we exclude our three goalkeepers, with the return of three Persepolis players to Iran, we have only 13 players.
He further added: In addition to these problems, three or four of our players are on the verge of a terrible injury, and it is funny to become a champion like this. We tried to bring a decent team to Hangzhou, but with this situation, we can’t do anything. The weather in China is very humid and the match against Thailand was held at a time when the humid weather was bothering the players. We have several players on the verge of injury and we need to recover so that no problem happens to them. Unfortunately, we are facing a severe shortage of players and I don’t know what to do.
The head coach of the Omid Kishoreman football team said that some players such as Omid Hamidifar were banned from the semi-final match after receiving a yellow card in the match against Hong Kong in the quarter-finals. Of course, we have to check again and make sure.
Regarding the response of the officials of the National Olympic Committee regarding the lack of players in the Omid team, Enayati said: Anyway, the conditions are difficult and the further we go, the more teams we will play with. The players give all their energy and I can’t take away from them. We don’t have replacements in some positions, especially in the defensive line.
In response to the criticism of the selection of some players over the age of 23, he mentioned: By the way, in this context, we should hold a meeting with friends and talk about the selected players. A list of 50 people was sent before my presence in the Omid team. We had limited choices. We haven’t been to the Olympics for nearly 50 years and we haven’t won a place in Asia for 22 years. On the other hand, because the games are not held during Fifadi, 10, 12 of our top players are involved in the Asian Champions League games. At one time, we chose Yasin Salmani and Aria Bozgarer, who had not yet gone to Persepolis and Nasaji Mazandaran. That is why I say that the situation is difficult. I hope everything ends well.
The head coach of our country’s Omid football team continued: When the list of 50 players was sent, we could not do anything else and we had to choose players based on the same list. Our players have done a great job so far. Hong Kong is not the team we played in the preliminary stage of the Asian Championship. They are a bully team and when I saw the physique of their players I couldn’t believe that they are from East Asia and they are tall.
Enayati stated about the facilities in Hangzhou, China: The conditions are good, but repetitive dishes may be one of the problems. Also, being in the camp for a long time can confuse the players mentally and physically, but we tried to provide better conditions with proper planning.
Regarding the return of Persepolis players to the Omid team’s camp and their absence in the quarter-final and possibly semi-final matches, he said: I told the facts and we have a hard time with 12, 14 players. When a player plays, he needs at least four or five days to recover, let alone if the players are constantly on the fly. When the player arrives on the morning of the game, it is not possible to play. This condition puts them at risk of injury.
In the end, the head coach of the Omid football team said: I want everyone to pray. Iranian media give great energy and after the game with Mongolia I thanked them for their presence and I thank them once again. Paying attention to players at this age gives players positive energy.