Injury to keep Karimi from UAE match

PTV - Reports indicate the Asian Maradona Ali Karimi will not accompany Iran's national team in a World Cup qualifier match against the UAE.

“Karimi knows the ban has been lifted but due to his injuries he will not be able to play against the Emirates on Monday,” Iran's head coach Ali Daei told reporters on Saturday.

Iran's Football Federation (IFF) suspended Karimi from playing in the national team after he sharply criticized the federation calling it the weakest in his ten-year presence in the Team Melli.

The IFF, however, cancelled the suspension after a request by the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the grandson of the founder of Islamic Revolution Imam Khomeini, Seyyed Hassan Khomeini.

The national team will play against the United Arab Emirates for the 2010 World Cup qualifier match in Tehran's Azadi Stadium at 7:00 p.m. local time on Monday.