PTV - Iran’s Football Federation (IFF) has suspended the activities of eight Premier League clubs over their failure to pay off their debts. The eight clubs suspended by the IFF Disciplinary Committee include Abumoslem, Esteqlal, Esteqlal Ahvaz, Pas, Paykan, Persepolis, Rah Ahan and Saba Battery.
AFC - Consistency has often eluded Iran at the threshold of world’s greatest football extravaganza. Except for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers when they finished second in the group behind Japan, Team Melli suffered do-or-die situations twice in the past 11 years, emerging victorious once and returning crestfallen the second time.
PTV - Head of the Iranian parliament’s Sports Committee rejects reports of a ban on four Iranian football players for wearing green wrist bands in the Iran-South Korea match. “No player has been banned and basically Parliament is not authorized to impose such a ban,” Jalal Yahya-zade said on Thursday.
AFP - Football’s world governing body FIFA wrote to the Iranian football federation on Wednesday to ask for answers over alleged punishments meted out to several of their players for wearing wristbands reflecting their support for opposition presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi.
PTV - Iran’s manager Afshin Qotbi has apologized to Iranians for the country’s national soccer team’s failure to qualify for the 2010 World Cup.
Goal - Osasuna midfielder Javad Nekounam has rebuffed reports linking him with a possible transfer to either Villarreal or Espanyol, insisting that he is happy in Pamplona with the Primera Division club.
FIFA - Korea DPR will return to the FIFA World Cup™ next year for the first time since 1966. Kim Jong Hun’s side sealed their second trip to the global finals with a goalless draw in Saudi Arabia, who finished third in Group 2 and will now go into an Asian Zone play-off from which the winners will face New Zealand for a place at South Africa 2010.