Iran names beach soccer squad for Asian Beach Games
Iran head coach Ali Naderi named a 12-man squad for the upcoming Asian Beach Games.
The sixth edition of the multi-sport event will kick off on April 22 in Sanya, China.
Seyyed Mahdi Mirjalili, Reza Deiri, Davoud Shokri, Saeid Piramoun, Seyyed Ali Nazem, Mahdi Shirmohammadi, Ali Mirshekari, Movahed Mohammadpour, Mohammad-Ali Mokhtari, Mohammad-Ali Nazarzadeh, Mohammad Ma’soumizadeh, and Seyyed Mohammad Dastan have received a call-up by the Iranian head coach.
Naderi said that several training camps and friendly matches have been cancelled due to the wartime situation, but stressed that his players will “give their all” at the showpiece in Sanya.
The Iranian coach explained that prior to the holy month of Ramadan, the team had completed 11 preparatory camps, during which the players reached an excellent level of physical conditioning. However, the final three camps scheduled for March were called off due to the military conflict between Iran and a U.S.-Israeli coalition.
“Friendly matches had been arranged against Russia and Belarus, followed by a planned appearance at a tournament in Brazil, but none of those fixtures materialized,” Naderi told ILNA, adding: “Losing such competitive opportunities have affected the team’s cohesion.”
Naderi added that the Football Federation had offered strong support in implementing the technical staff’s plans. However, he pointed out that Iran’s group-stage rivals had used the same period to play several friendlies and compete in various tournaments, meaning there will be no easy matches in China.
The head coach concluded by stating that the players have continued their training – individually and sometimes in small groups – since February 28. To make up for the disruption, the team will travel to the competition venue 10 days early to reach full readiness through intensive training. “Our goal is to put on a strong performance and defend Iran’s name in this tournament,” he said.
Iran will be represented by 57 athletes across 10 sporting events – including beach wrestling, beach volleyball, beach handball, beach soccer, jiu-jitsu, beach kabaddi, athletics, 3x3 basketball, sport climbing, and water polo – at the Games, which will resume after a decade, following Da Nang 2016 in Vietnam.