Carlos Queiroz wants Iran, unlikely local favourites, to have ‘heads held high’

'The enemy of my enemy is my friend,' the saying goes, and so Brazilians have, however impobably, taken to Argentina's Group F rivals Iran, coached by the idealistic Carlos Queiroz.

Iran's Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz conducts a training session on Saturday in Sao Paulo during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Behrouz Mehri / AFP / June 14, 2014

A recent poll by YouGov suggests that, after the United States, the team most World Cup fans want to see fail this month is Iran. Yet a visit to the Iranian training base in Brazil indicates the Middle East's only representative has an important and influential ally in the form of the host nation.
During a press conference in Sao Paulo, where Iran's coach Carlos Queiroz was preparing his team for tonight's match against Nigeria, a Brazilian television journalist left little to the imagination. Standing up, the male reporter removed his yellow sweater to reveal a red Iran shirt.
"Ever since you were drawn against Argentina, I have supported Iran," he said. "You do not know me, but I am like a god in Brazil. Tell me what you need to beat them and I will make it happen."
It was part tongue-in-cheek and, considering his audience, part foot-in-mouth, but the essence was clear: Brazilians will support anybody who plays against their great South American rivals. Iran faces Argentina on Saturday in Belo Horizonte.
Khosro Heydari, the Iranian midfielder who plays for Esteghlal, said he was focusing only on today's match in Curitiba, but revealed that "based on the fans we have seen, we expect good support against Argentina".
Iran do not need added motivation. Team Melli are the lowest-ranked side in Group F and such is their underdog status that Queiroz, the former No 2 to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, said it feels at times like his team are not receiving the credit they deserve.
"If you check the experts, the commentators, the newspapers and magazines, nobody talks about Iran. When they talk about our group, it appears there are only three teams in it," he said.
It is Queiroz's purpose to change that, bringing respect to his team while proving that Iran are one of the best 32 nations in world football.
Preparations started, he said, less than 24 hours after Iran qualified for their first World Cup since 2006 by beating South Korea in Seoul. At 11am on June 19 last year, while Tehran celebrated, the Portuguese coach was back in the Iranian Football Association office poring over documents and making plans.
"Our qualification was not a lottery situation," the former Portugal coach said. "We won the right to play against the best teams in the world. We come here for them to notice us, to feel that we have qualified. In each game, we must show why we are here and must do our best with honour and pride in order to bring happiness to Iranian fans."
Queiroz lamented the training conditions his side have endured in the past three months. They organised a friendly camp in South Africa, but some of the players he wanted were not released by their domestic clubs.
After a trip to Austria in which they scored one goal in three games, they travelled to Brazil, accompanied by rumours they have only two shirts each and strict instructions not to swap with their opponents – even if that opponent is a diminutive Argentine regarded as one of the best players in the world. The rumours are unfounded.
"The purpose that we have is the same: to compete against the best teams in the world and I believe my players have made history over the past three years in terms of the hurdles we have overcome," Queiroz said.
In order for the squad to maintain focus, Queiroz has given each of his 23 players a tennis ball with a five-letter acronym inked on it. They must carry the ball on them at all times and each of the letters stands for a different characteristic they should show while in Brazil.
"T is for team purpose," said Jalal Hosseini, the defender who plays domestically for Persepolis. "E for enjoyment, S is sacrifice, G is for goals and R is responsibility. The coach says these are all things we need to remember for the good of the team. We must carry the ball always and have full concentration and focus on these things at all times."
Queiroz was also given something to carry with him, at least until his team meet Argentina on Saturday. The Brazilian reporter with the lack of cultural sensitivity handed his Portuguese-speaking counterpart a key ring of what appeared to be a donkey. The message was simple: bury it under the grass at Estadio Mineirao on Saturday and victory will be yours.
The Iran coach laughed it off and instead delivered a rousing call to arms. "Now is the time to fight and play with heart and soul; with our strengths and weaknesses. It is time to be us, to be Iran, for better or worse," Queiroz said.
"My only demand is that when the games finish, I want them back in the dressing room with their heads held high. That, for me, is what matters most."
There is at least one Brazilian who would likely disagree.
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