According to the sports reporter of Tasnim news agency, the Iranian youth football team will leave for Uzbekistan in less than a month to participate in the 2023 Asian Under-20 Nations Cup.
Iran is placed in one of the most difficult groups and will face Qatar, Australia and Vietnam to pass the group stage. This period of competition is the selection round of the 2023 World Cup in Indonesia, and the four teams that have reached the semi-final stage of the Asian Nations Cup will be allowed to participate in the World Cup.
In a situation where Samad Marfawi talked about his students’ efforts for the Asian Championship on 21 Azar, the camps and preparations planned for the youth team do not indicate the preparation of a contender for the championship. In recent months, Iran’s youth had trips to Oman, Belarus, and Jordan and had friendly matches with the youth teams of these countries, which does not seem to be a good preparation for advancing to the World Cup.
The head coach of Iran’s youth team had previously said about the implementation of his plans: “Our only problem is the issue of overseas camps and the players must participate in various tournaments. “We could not participate in tournaments, but we had foreign visits.”
Taj meeting with the head of the youth committee and head coaches of Iran’s youth and youth teams
On January 24, Marfawi announced the possibility of sending the Iranian youth team to Turkey, but after that there was no mention of this camp and it seems that this camp has been canceled in silence. The head coach of the youth team called 30 players to the team’s camp on 11th of Bahman, and their camp has started on 14th of Bahman. This camp will be held in Tehran until March 4 to select the final 23 players of the youth team.
In a situation where the federations of Asian countries provide the necessary mechanism for their youth, it seems that holding intra-team games and training in the PEC complex is not enough to win the championship. In the 21st century, Iran has participated in the Youth World Cup only twice (in 2001 and 2017) and failed to advance to the other rounds of these games. The federation lost a lot of opportunity to prepare the necessary camps in foreign countries for the youth team, and in the short remaining time, it must provide the necessary support.
It is heard that the Football Federation has not yet paid the salaries of Marfawi and his assistants. Earlier, Mehdi Taj said in a meeting with Marfawi and Hossein Abdi (head coach of the youth team) on December 12 that he expects Iran’s youth and youth teams to advance to the World Cup in both age groups. Of course, the managers of the football federation know that taking more care of the teams and solving the concerns of its members is what fulfills the expectation of globalization; An event that we have not seen before.
According to Tasnim, the schedule of matches of the Iranian team in the group stage of the 2023 Asian Under-20 Nations Cup is as follows:
Wednesday, March 10
Iran – Qatar, 19:00 local time, Esteghlal Stadium, Ferghana, Uzbekistan
Saturday, March 13
Iran – Australia, 15:00 local time, Esteghlal Stadium, Ferghana, Uzbekistan
Tuesday, March 16
Iran – Vietnam, 15:00 local time, Esteghlal Stadium, Ferghana, Uzbekistan