Azmoun given go-ahead by Roma for Asian Cup
Serie A club AS Roma gave Iranian striker Sardar Azmoun the green light to feature in the upcoming AFC Asian Cup – starting January 12 in Qatar.
The Iranian Football Federation said on Sunday that the prolific frontman could miss out on the continent’s flagship international event due to a clause in his one-year loan contract from Leverkusen with the Italian side.
However, the Iranian federation, announcing the 26-man squad for the tournament on Tuesday, said the Giallorossi’s sporting director Tiago Pinto was convinced to release the Iranian after next Sunday’s top-flight game against Atalanta, as he will join up with his teammates in Doha on January 10 – four days before Iran’s Group C opener against Palestine.
Sepahan prodigy Mohammad-Javad Hosseinnejad – named in the provisional squad on Sunday – was omitted from the list, while Mahdi Qayedi, whose last international appearance came in the CAFA Nations Cup final against Uzbekistan in June, kept his place in the squad following an impressive run of late with Farhad Majidi’s Ittihad Kalba in the UAE Pro League.
Chasing a first Asian Cup title since lifting the trophy on home soil in 1976, the three-time champion Iran will take on Hong Kong in its second game in the group in Al Rayyan’s Khalifa International Stadium on Jan. 19.
The final round of the group fixtures will see Amir Qalenoei’s side face the United Arab Emirates at the Education City Stadium on January 23.