On the face of it, it will be Qatar’s sixth match of their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign when they take on Iran today at the Jassim bin Hamad stadium. But the plot runs so deep that one should expect no less than a no-holds barred contest when the two teams face each other.
Iran are, on paper, the superior team with a FIFA ranking of 33. Qatar are ranked 51 places lower. The visitors haven’t lost a game yet and with 11 points are leaders of Group A. The home side have managed just one win and have conceded six goals so far. And as a result of which, they are fifth in the standings. In the nine times that these two sides have met, Iran have won five times and one match has ended in a draw. 
Those are the statistics. 
But this match is going to all about emotions. Qatar had played the first match of this campaign against Iran in Tehran and they were up for the fight till a disastrous goalkeeping error from Claude Amine gave the home side the lead in the 94th minute. Two minutes later Iran doubled their lead and Qatar had to leave empty handed. Not just that, the tie ended on an ill-tempered note with many players getting involved in a fracas. FIFA ended up having to suspend certain players from both teams for that unruly incident. 
And then it was reported that Iran coach Carlos Queiroz had questioned the team composition of the Qatar team. All of this meant that today’s match could no longer be a straightforward tie as emotions are going to run high.
Qatar coach Jorge Fossati didn’t mince words regarding the incident during yesterday’s pre-match press conference.  “What happened in Tehran, after that Iran goal, didn’t start at that moment. The atmosphere was created by my colleague (referring to Queiroz). He spoke badly about Qatar and about Qatar Football Federation. This is not his issue to talk about. He should ask the question regarding his own country – Portugal. Why does Portugal have so few players born in their country,” said an animated Fossati yesterday.
“I’m not one who supports violence. I prefer not to speak about something that was very damaging for Qatar. We have four players suspended. Iran have just two players. And that too just for one match,” he added.  
But the veteran coach was quick to point out that now the players should focus on today’s game against a “difficult opponent” and put in a strong performance to get that much-needed win. “That event occurred six months ago. But now we have to focus on this game. I am sure the players will be ready for the match,” said Fossati.
Fossati also called upon Qatar fans to turn up in large numbers to support their side. “It’s time for our fans to show their support. To show that we have fans here who have lots of passion for football. The stadium must be full for this match. We will show on the field and outside of it that Qatar has the quality to beat them,” said the 64-year-old. 
With time running out, a good performance is a must for Qatar to grab valuable points. “It’s an important game for us and there are many reasons for us to take a win. We know that we’re playing against a very tough opponent and one of the favourites to qualify for the World Cup. But I trust my players and know that they are 100 per cent ready to take on Iran. We will do our best to get the win. That much I can promise,” said the Uruguayan.   
Iran coach Queiroz, as he had then too, protested his innocence regarding the comments that was attributed to him. “Fossati should know, with the experience that he has, that he shouldn’t believe what’s written in the newspapers. I’ve never made those comments,” he said yesterday. 
Queiroz also stressed that that incident should be forgotten and asked for today’s game to be played in a fair manner. “What happened in Tehran was not something that you expect in a football game. But that is history. The referee, FIFA have all made their reports. Both teams have suffered. And both teams need to learn from that. Football is not war and should be a fair game. The players of both teams want to play good football. They should play according to the spirit of FIFA Fair Play – fair and respectful,” said the Portuguese yesterday.  
After the loss to iran, Qatar also lost to Uzbekistan – a match that they were expected to win. This loss cost then coach Jose Carreno his job and Fossati was given the reins. Queiroz believes that it has been too short a time for Fossati to have had too much of an impact on the Qatar team. “The Qatar team has indeed changed when the coach was changed. But at the end of the day he has had just 3-4 months with the team. He cannot produce a miracle. The players are the same, the culture of the players are the same. At the end of the day, it’s the players who will be on the pitch and playing the game,” said the 64-year-old.  
Queiroz went on to express his unhappiness at his counterpart focusing on the ‘fake news’. “Fossati shouldn’t have said what he said. What we needed was a fair play environment. The comments that he should emphasise on is that I had congratulated Qatar on bringing the World Cup to this region. He should have emphasised on the thanks that I gave to the Qatar officials for the effort they put in in bringing the World Cup to this country.” 
He then went on to praise Qatar for helping promote football not only in the region but all over the world. I want to say thank you to the Qatari leaders for everything that they’re doing for the game. When a football coach like me, with 36 years of experience, sees the facilities here and the multitude of coaches working with young kids here, I want to say ‘Thank You’ to the Qatar Football Federation. I want to thank Qatar for the effort that they are putting in to improve football - not just in the country or the region but all over the world,” signed off Queiroz.
The Iranian coach surely tried to appease the situation. But at 7pm in Doha today, one thing that the fans can be sure of is a feisty contest. Game on then.




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