PTV - Reports indicate the
Asian Maradona Ali Karimi will not accompany Iran's national team in a World
Cup qualifier match against the UAE.
“Karimi knows the ban has been lifted but due to his injuries he will not be
able to play against the Emirates on Monday,” Iran's head coach Ali Daei
told reporters on Saturday.
Iran's Football Federation (IFF) suspended Karimi from playing in the
national team after he sharply criticized the federation calling it the
weakest in his ten-year presence in the Team Melli.
The IFF, however, cancelled the suspension after a request by the Iranian
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the grandson of the founder of Islamic
Revolution Imam Khomeini, Seyyed Hassan Khomeini.
The national team will play against the United Arab Emirates for the 2010
World Cup qualifier match in Tehran's Azadi Stadium at 7:00 p.m. local time
on Monday.