The big Middle East Football - thread

[Ceylal]

 

[ResurgentIran]

World Cup is approaching at lighting speed!
Are you getting excited yet Ceylal jan?

 

[Ceylal]

World Cup is approaching at lighting speed!
Are you getting excited yet Ceylal jan?

I was going to Brasil, but family kept me from it..
Excited? you bet...Pity that we didn't get to play a friendly...

 

[Fotol]

^^ You are also sanctioned

 

[Al Bhatti]

May 13, 2014

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany leads the squad off their Etihad Airways flight after landing in Abu Dhabi. Photo Courtesy EAA

Sheikh Mansour welcomes his Man City stars to Abu Dhabi

Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed welcomed his players to Abu Dhabi on Tuesday with their haul of silverware from a triumphant season.

The team won the Premier League title on Sunday and the Capital One Cup in March.

Both trophies will be on show at their open training session on Wednesday at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, home of the Abu Dhabi club Al Jazira, and at their friendly against Al Ain on Thursday at the new Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.

Stars Samir Nasri, Matija Nastasic and Stevan Jovetic paraded the Premier League trophy for hundreds of fans who mobbed a shoe shop in Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

“I’m really happy to have won a second title with City,” said Nasri.

Thursday’s event will also feature a wide range of activities and entertainment, with live music provided by the Emirati singer Eidha Al Manhali, appearances by footballing world record holders, carnival acts, dancers and drummers.

Kompany will be there along with the team’s manager, Manuel Pellegrini. Abu Dhabi “really has become a home from home for City and we can’t wait to share the title winning experience with all those who supported us”, the manager said on Tuesday.

“To win two trophies in one season is an honour for me, for the players and for the whole club. Going to Abu Dhabi gives us the opportunity to share this special moment with our fans in a country we always look forward to visiting.”

This is City’s second visit to the UAE. In 2009 they lost 1-0 in a match against the national team.

Manchester City to show off silverware haul on UAE visit | The National

 

[Ceylal]

^^ You are also sanctioned

By whom? Eldjazira sport or BeIn sort...Most Algerian refuse the dictat of the Qatari...and resort to hacking...

I am ready...

WC 2014 : An elite Algerian police squad, will escort the national team

EQUIP NATIONALES

Published May 1, 2014 at 13:37 by HMF

Algeria has decided to send police in Brazil. A "handpicked" squad is to ensure the safety of the Algerian football team at the World Cup 2014, was announced Wednesday by a senior police official.

 

[Fukuoka]

Fifa Head: Qatar Summer World Cup A 'Mistake'

http://news.sky.com/story/1262637/anti-world-cup-clashes-hit-cities-in-brazil

Looks like this world cup will be peaceful

 

[Fotol]

Friendly :

Iran 0 - 0 Belarus

Highlights
فوتبالی‌ترین | خلاصه بازی ایران و بلاروس

 

[Syrian Lion]

 

[al-Hasani]

KSA proving yet again that they have the best football league in the ME and maybe even whole of Asia (after Japan).

Great to see 4 out of 4 possible Arab teams advance from round of 16 to the quarter-finals from the first branch (Western Asian). 2 of them Saudi Arabian clubs (Al-Ittihad & Al-Hilal) and the remaining 2 are Emirati Al-Ain (overall favorite in my opinion to win it all) and Qatari Al-Sadd.

There would have probably been 3 KSA teams had Al-Ittihad and Al-Shabab not met each other.

In the Eastern Asian branch of the round of 16, 2 South Korean teams (Pohang Steelers) and FC Seoul have advanced while the two remaining teams are Chinese Guangzhou Evergrande (current champions) and Australian Western Sydney Wanderers.

2014 AFC Champions League - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Fotol]

KSA is doing well on club level, but they suck on the National Team level currently, they just lost to moldova 4-0 !!

 

[al-Hasani]

KSA is doing well on club level, but they suck on the National Team level currently, they just lost to moldova 4-0 !!

Yes, but that team was a reserve team with many youngsters. Still a bad result. I did not watch the game since I never watch friendlies against such lowly profiled opponents.

Still historically KSA is a Asian powerhouse and has been to the World Cup 4 times and managed to qualify from the Group Stage during the 1994 World Cup as the first and to date only country from the ME. Also won the AFC 3 times and made 3 final appearances (latest in 2007). Only Japan has a better track record there in all of Asia.

The youth is promising though and earlier this year the U-21 team managed to reach the AFC final where they lost by 1 goal against Iraq. So not all is bad.
It has just been a bad period for the team since the late 2000's. That is slowly starting to change since Rijkaard got sacked and that Spaniard was appointed as a manager.

Already qualified for the Asian Cup in 2015 as well.

I believe that World Cup qualification in 2018 will happen. But the aim should not just be to compete in the World Cup but to qualify from the group stages again which would be a huge achievement but something that is probably not going to happen since ME teams in general suck compared to the best European/South American teams.

 

[Ceylal]

World cup 2014's song
[video]

 

[ResurgentIran]

Palestine just qualified to the Asia Cup!
Congratulations!!

@Hazzy997

 

[Falcon29]

Palestine just qualified to the Asia Cup!
Congratulations!!

@Hazzy997

I just noticed that! Could you tell me what that means and how is this game structured?

So is this like the tournament for championship?