So miscular yet so thin - Iran's struggle to continue being recognised as an Asian football superpower
When Iran advanced to the final phase of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification in the Asian zone, there is a lot of optimism when Iran was drawn into a group that also includes South Korea, the UAE, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria. Many Iranians are hoping to make its third consecutive World Cup appearance, but with the way how Iran demonstrated in the second round, and further past, it is something to take concerns rather than any celebration. It should be. Iran finished top of their group D at the second phase, ahead of Iraq and Bahrain. But Iran's performance was not consistent, it was drowned twice by Bahrain and Iraq, floundered in third place with a nervous warning sign of an early elimination. At that time, Iran was led by Belgian manager Marc Wilmots. After Wilmots was fired, Iran appointed Croatian Dragan Skočić as coach, and he temporarily solved these problems well. But if this is new for many Iranians and new-era football fans, perhaps older memories may indicate Iran is not as...