Rene Simoes: "I Cannot Believe It! "

PLDC - In discussion with ISNA, Rene Simoes stated: "I will give my all until the moment that the federation officially announces that we are not going."

Two nights ago, the Under 23 team defeated Bahrain in a friendly, even though the news of Iran's suspension had a negative effect on the performance of the team. Simoes said: "The news of the suspension was announced to the players before the match. I told the players to go and play their own game because at the last moment everything may change. Nonetheless, the team did not play like one of my teams and they did not perform the way I expected."

He further stated: They only played well in the first 15 minutes of the second half, however, it is only natural that the players did not give their best performance considering the news they received.

Simoes, while criticizing the organization of Iranian football, said: Maybe the things I say will be to some peoples' liking, however, the truth is that Iranian football lacks organization and planning. If you name any country, I can tell you their plans until March-April (Farvardin) of next year, however you will not be able to tell me what the plans are for Iranian football over the same period.

Simoes finally told ISNA: "We have worked hard for over one year and I cannot believe that the team is not going to Qatar. The news of Iran's suspension has shocked everyone."