Aug. 26, 2021 Portuguese club Santa Clara striker Shahriar Moghanlou, who joined Persepolis midway through last season on loan, signed for giant 7 Sepahan in a swap deal for striker Mohammad Mohebbi, Varzesh3 reported.

Iran’s GR team unveiled for World Wrestling Championships

Sports Desk Tehran. also be in the Iranian squad in Oslo and Mohammadreza Geraei, a gold participate at the 97kg contests. Iran head coach Mohammad Bana medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, will Joining the trio at the event will be named the country’s Greco-Roman be seeking a second major internation- Mehrdad Mardani (60kg), Asian silver squad for the upcoming World Wres- al medal in two months, when repre- medalist Meysam Dalkhani (63kg), Pej- tling Championships. senting the country in the 67kg weight man Poshtam (82kg), three-time Asian The competitions will take place in class. champion Ramin Taheri (87kg), and Oslo, Norway, from October 2-10. Geraei will be joined by his older Amin Mirzazadeh (130kg), who came The Iranian team members were se- brother Mohammad-Ali, a two-time short of winning a bronze in Tokyo after lected based on their performances at world bronze medalist, who left Tokyo suffering a defeat in the third-place bout. the recent international events, rather empty-handed and will be looking to The Iranian 55kg representative will than trials, including the Tokyo Olym- make up for his Olympic setback with be picked from Sajjad Abbaspour or pics, as well as April’s Asian Wrestling a 77kg medal. Amir-Reza Dehbozorgi who cruised to Championship in Kazakhstan, and the Mohammad-Hadi Saravi, a joint the gold at the World Junior Wrestling International Takhti Cup in May in bronze winner at the Olympics, will Championships in Russia last week.

MOHAMMADREZA ABBASI/MEHR NEWS AGENCY

Sports Desk The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Tuesday gave the go-ahead for Iran to play its home fixtures at Teh- ran head coach Dragan Skocic announced a 22-man ran’s Azadi Stadium. squad, comprising the Persian Gulf Pro League players, The AFC’s announcement came as a relief for Skocic’s Ifor the upcoming fixtures at the final group stage of the team amid rumors in recent weeks suggesting Iran Foot- World Cup Asian qualifiers. ball Federation might have to name a neutral venue for the Skocic’s team will resume its qualification campaign on home ties as the Azadi Stadium is yet to be equipped with September 2 with a home game against Syria in Group A, the video assistant referee (VAR) technology, which will which also features South Korea, the UAE, Iraq, and Leba- be an obligatory for the remainder of the qualifiers in Asia. non. The following is the full 22-man squad: The final squad, which will include the overseas players, for Iran’s first two games will be announced on August 30. Goalkeepers: Seyyed Hossein Hosseini (Esteghlal), Mo- Iran will play away to Iraq on September 7, in a repeat of hammadreza Akhbari (Tractor) olympics.com preliminary round encounters between the old foes. Defenders: Saber Hardani (Foolad Kuzestan), Aref Persepolis striker Mehdi Abdi, who scored six in the Aqasi, Siavash Yazdani, Mohammad-Hossein Mordamand final six league games, received a first call-up for the in- (Esteghlal), Saeid Aqaei (Persepolis), Omid Nourafkan ternational duty, as well as new Esteghlal signing Zobeir (Sepahan), Armin Sohrabian (Golgohar Sirjan) Niknafs and his teammate Mohammad-Hossein Morad- Midfielders: Mehdi Tikdari, Ahamdreza Zenderouh mand. (Golgohar Sirjan), (Esteghlal), Vahid Also being named in the Iranian squad for the first time Amiri, Mehdi Torabi, Milad Sarlak (Persepolis), Moham- are Sepahan’s wunderkind Yassin Salmani, club teammate mad Karimi, Farshad Ahmadzadeh, Yassin Salmani (Sepa- European clubs, FIFA at odds Mohammad Karimi, Foolad Khuzestan fullback Saber han), Zobeir Niknafs (Esteghlal) Hardani, and Golgohar Sirjan skipper Ahamadreza Ze- Strikers: Amir-Arsalan Motahari (Esteghlal), Mehdi nderouh. Abdi (Persepolis), Shahriar Moghanlou (Sepahan) over World Cup qualifiers

European clubs have accused world soccer’s governing body FIFA of abusing its regulatory function in a growing row over the extended Real Madrid make £137m bid release of players for World Cup qualifiers in September and Octo- ber. for PSG star Mbappé The Premier league and Spain’s La Liga both said they backed clubs ready here,” said Messi. “I’m eager to refusing to make players available get playing and I’m going to be doing for matches in South America, Re- it alongside some of the best players uters reported. in the world. It’s going to be a marvel- Premier League sides will be par- lous experience every day. I hope I ticularly hard hit by FIFA’s decision can continue to win titles. I have the to extend a mandatory release pe- same hunger as when I was younger.” riod from nine to 11 days, to enable triple-headers to take place in South Calm Carletto America. England’s strict quarantine rules Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti have also added to the headache,

previously said he does not know with the Premier League saying no KAI PFAFFENBACH/REUTERS if the Spanish giants will land the exemption had been granted by gov- 22-year-old and is satisfied with his ernment for soccer players. La Liga support FIFA had taken decisions unilater- current selection. Liverpool had already refused to ally and “against the explicit ob- “I don’t know if he will arrive,” allow forward Mohamed Salah to Spain’s La Liga said in a state- jection of ECA and the rest of the he said at a recent press conference travel to Africa for World Cup quali- ment it would support clubs refusing stakeholders. when asked about his side’s interest in fiers with Egypt next month because to release their players for the South “ECA has firmly expressed its Mbappe, goal.com reported. he would be forced to quarantine on American qualifiers. objection to FIFA’s decision and has FEP “I don’t care what will happen. his return to England. “At the moment there are 25 play- urged FIFA to review its position,” I have a very good and very strong The same measures could affect ers from 13 different clubs (affect- it said. Paris Saint-Germain are consider- was made on Sunday but PSG have squad. They give me a lot of happi- Liverpool’s Brazilian trio of Ro- ed), a number that could be expand- “ECA will not accept that a gov- ing a €160m (£137m) bid from Real yet to respond, although they may ness. I am focused on that. berto Firmino, Alisson Becker and ed when the calls of Ecuador and erning body like FIFA abuses its Madrid for Kylian Mbappé, with the now decide to cash in on a player “Let’s wait these 10 days and now Fabinho, who have been called up Venezuela are announced,” it said. regulatory function in order to place France forward hoping to seal a move who has scored 133 goals in just 174 I am focused on the team that I have.” for next month’s qualifiers against “The Spanish association under- its commercial interests and those to the Spanish giants. games for the club in all competitions. PSG manager Mauricio Pochet- Chile, Argentina and Peru. stands that the world calendar can- of its member associations above The 22-year-old has less than a Mbappé has been linked with a move tino meanwhile said before the Brest Brazil, Chile, Argentina and Peru not and should not be changed in the physical wellbeing of players year remaining on his contract in the to Madrid for several months despite game in the opening week of the new are all on the British government’s this way, especially if there are alter- and legitimate sporting interests of French capital having turned down the Spanish club suffering an estimat- French league season that he still ex- ‘red list’ of countries that trigger a native solutions.” clubs.” more than three different proposals ed €300m in losses due to the corona- pects to have Mbappe at his disposal 10-day hotel quarantine to guard It said affected clubs would be The ECA said FIFA had decided from PSG to extend it over recent virus pandemic. this campaign. against the spread of COVID-19. summoned to a meeting in coming this month, at the request of South months, the Guardian reported. Messi is in line to make his PSG He said: “Kylian, I see him being “Premier League clubs have to- days. American confederation CONME- Despite the arrival of Lionel Messi debut this weekend at Reims. Asked very well. He’s working really hard day reluctantly but unanimously de- With World Cup qualifiers also BOL, to extend the mandatory re- from Barcelona, Mbappé has made it about the prospect of playing with to be ready this season. And I see him cided not to release players for inter- in Africa, Asia, the CONCACAF lease period “in complete disregard clear that he would like to move to La Brazil superstar Neymar and the staying with us this season. We also national matches played in red-list region and Europe, the clubs are to the clubs’ interests”. Liga after signing from Monaco on an French World Cup winner in Ligue 1 know that during these periods, a lot countries next month,” the league on a potential collision course with It said FIFA was unlikely to change initial season-long loan in 2017 be- this season, he described it as “mad- of things are said. Some things hap- said in a statement. FIFA. its decision and the ECA would have fore joining permanently for £165.7m ness”. pen, others don’t. I see Kylian work- Premier League players would The European Club Association to consider what action to take. a year later. “PSG have made spectacular sign- ing well, he’s got his head in tomor- potentially miss two matches if they (ECA) wrote to members, in a Q&A There was no immediate com- It is understood that Real’s offer ings on top of the players that were al- row’s game. He is focused.” quarantined on their return. document seen by Reuters, saying ment from FIFA.