SOCCER: Iran focused on fitness in Turkey after war-enforced furlough

Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei admitted that preparing his squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup will be a challenge after most of his players went nearly seven weeks without competitive action due to the suspension of Iran’s domestic league.

The Persian Gulf Pro League was halted after the United States and Israel launched air strikes on Iran in late February, with the season not expected to resume until after the World Cup. As a result, many of Iran’s locally based players have been limited to national team training sessions in Tehran since friendly matches against Costa Rica and Nigeria in Antalya in late March.

Of the 30 players named in Ghalenoei’s preliminary squad on Saturday, 22 currently play for Iranian clubs. The coach acknowledged concerns over the team’s fitness and match readiness ahead of the tournament.

“Naturally, I am not fully satisfied with the players’ level of readiness,” Ghalenoei told the Iranian Football Federation magazine before the team departed for a training camp in Turkey on Monday.

He added that the two-and-a-half to three-week camp could help recover “about 20 to 25%” of the team’s lost preparation time.

Ghalenoei also emphasized the need to improve the level of Iran’s domestic-based players to meet the demands of the modern game, while remaining optimistic about the squad’s potential.

Iran is scheduled to face Gambia in a friendly match on May 29 before Ghalenoei finalizes his 26-man World Cup squad ahead of FIFA’s June 1 deadline. The Iranian Football Federation is also attempting to arrange another friendly in Turkey.

The team is expected to play a closed-door match against Puerto Rico at its training base in Arizona, pending travel clearance into the United States.

“I hope that in the first four or five days before our opening World Cup match, we can reach suitable physical conditions,” Ghalenoei said.

At the World Cup, Iran will open its campaign against New Zealand on June 15 in Los Angeles before facing Belgium on June 21. Iran will complete its group-stage matches against Egypt on June 26 in Seattle. -Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Peter Rutherford/Reuters