Sadeghpour: Iranian Futsal grow up by Esteghlal

Courtesy: www.sharghnewspaper.com

Esteghlal FC has had an important role in Iranian futsal's progress and development. They were serious in futsal those years that Tehran's Futsal Cup was helding in Ramadhan month, and they were one of the first clubs who separated futsal from football.
If you know Iranian futsal with names like Ansarifard and Doroudgar, you should change your mind. There are other people who work seriously and like futsal. In "Esteghlal", there were many coaches who came and started their job in this club's futsal team. Unknown people who are famous coaches now.
Their previous coach "Taheri" has an invitation from England to lead their national team, and today, "Reza Sadeghpour" has a good profile as their head coach. The interview with Esteghlal's head coach was made, while futsal news in Iran are around Menezes' presence in Tehran.

* At the begining of the season, you didn't start as it was expected.

Before the season, we had lots of changes in our team. We moved our team's column to foreign clubs and transfered some other players to other Iranian teams. In the other hand, 6 major players of our last season team left Esteghlal because of different reasons. In fact we had to start from zero for this season. So we looked for young talented players who have an acceptable quality for Esteghlal, and can help us to gain a good place in the table. Our objective was having players who can benefit us for at least 3 or 4 years. If you look at Esteghlal futsal team, you can see some unknown talented youngsters, but they have great motive and they are energetic. Therefore, maybe we can't do as a champion this year, but we'll retake Esteghlal's previous place in the future.

* Why these situations exist now ?

If we had invited some youngsters and grew them up, we wouldn't be in these conditions now. But we'll do this job from now. We want to train some of these young players beside the main squad, to can easily fill the empty place of others who leave the team in the future.

* When did you get the title of head coache in Esteghlal?

About 15 days before the Ramadhan Cup.

* Then you got the 3rd place at you first experience.

Yeah, I think the 3rd place of Ramadhan Cup was good for us, because every teams had reinforced their equipments, but Esteghlal started with some new unknown players. In my idea, the level of Ramadhan cup was even higher than the league, because the teams had chance to use other players. But we didn't use this advantage coz we were going to upgrade our players' self reliances. The interesting was that all top 3 teams of those competition had one lost.

* How many players of last season have left Esteghlal ?

According to the special conditions of the club, we sent Heidarian to Italy, while Shamsaee had transfered to Italy before. Also, Reza Naseri went to Persepolis after some conflicts. Ahmad Baghbanbashi joined Zobahan Isfahan football team. and we transfered Abolfazl Shabani to Tractorsazi Tabriz football team. In fact, the futsal team had income for the Esteghlal club in last year. It's one of the strategies of mine and Esteghlal futsal manager to let even second level players of the club to join other teams who want them, even to football clubs.

* Then, is it possible for Esteghlal football club to use their futsal team's players?

It's not far, if there is somebody who has this conditions.

* The futsal league is held with 12 teams. It seems that the number of teams are few, aren't it?

Yeah, it's a fact that the number of matches are few in Iran. We should try to decrease the rest between matches. I think we should also have a Cup. Increasing the number of matches will cause that more players join futsal and more people follow this sport.

* Are you directly contact to Mr. Gharib (Esteghlal's president)?

No, I have contact with Mr. Nazari Jouybari, the futsal manager of the club. There is a special organization in Esteghlal. The president's assistants are completely specialized. I know that some clubs have patterned Esteghlal in this system of management.

* Days ago, Mr. Gharib had a meeting with Mr. Ansarifard, and it seems it was about Esteghlal futsal team and Iranian national team. What are the results of that meeting?

These kinds of meetings are necessery for Esteghlal. These relations are in the way of reinforcing Esteghlal in national level. If Esteghlal's futsal wants to have a good place in Iran and even Asia, they have to had a chair in federation. The other important matter is that the futsal league, and even the national team started to move by Esteghlal. Because in the last years, teams like Pas or Persepolis hadn't done much works and spent much money on futsal, and it was Esteghlal that carried the heavy load. But Esteghlal's players and coaches never located in the suitable place, and never did thank them. In conditions that most of clubs look at futsal as a sport for spending, not for earning, Esteghlal's job has been admirable. I think the responsibles haven't treated well to Esteghlal. Even they didn't send Esteghlal to any foreign competition to show the technical abilities of Iranian futsal. Even when a Brasilian (Menezes) did courses in Iran, anybody didn't invite any coach from Esteghlal for attending in those corses. I think it's not a good attitude against a team who has won the league many times.

* What's the reason of this kind of attitude?

In all over the world, if any progress is gained in a basis, usually they look for its main reasons. If Iranian futsal has had progresses, "The Clubs" have been the reasons and factors, specially Esteghlal FC. I think there is no attention to this fact in our futsal. If Esteghlal and Persepolis leave futsal, the fans will leave futsal. Persepolis has started to work in futsal seriously for just 1 or 2 years. And nobody has noticied the key role of Esteghlal in these years. In fact Esteghlal don't have a suitable seat, although they did great jobs. It's true that the men who have seats in Iranian futsal have tried much and should be thankful of them, But they have gained the seats, not the Esteghlali ones !