National coach Carlos Queiroz of Iran is furious after statements by Jürgen Klinsmann about his team and wants the German former national coach to resign his role as an expert at world football association FIFA. The German had criticized Iran’s way of playing in the 2-0 win against Wales.
Klinsmann is on a FIFA technical study group analyzing the World Cup in Qatar. As an analyst at the BBC, the former player said the series of fouls and the behavior of the Iranian coaching staff were part of a preconceived strategy to make the opponent lose focus.
“This is not by chance. It’s all intentional. It’s part of their culture, that’s how they play,” Klinsmann told British television. “They influence the referee. You see that they always jump up from the bench with every foul and try to work on the linesman and fourth official.”
Queiroz called Klinsmann’s statements a disgrace to football. “Without knowing me personally, you question my character with typical prejudices of superiority,” said the national coach on Twitter. “As much as I respect what you have achieved on the field, these statements about the Iranian culture, the Iranian national team and my players are a disgrace.”
The national coach invited Klinsmann to visit the Iran squad’s training camp at the World Cup to hear how much his players love and respect the sport. But the German is only welcome if he has first resigned from his position at FIFA.
The Iranian Football Federation on Sunday agreed with Queiroz’s statements. The association wants an apology from Klinsmann and has asked FIFA for clarification. Iran has invited the German to explain millennial Persian culture and the values of football and sports, emphasizing that Klinsmann, as a former player, is also not judged by his “famous dramatic schwalbe”.
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