By Mark Baber
August 24 – Iranian football fans will have a once in a lifetime opportunity to see some of the greats of world football playing this Friday, August 28 as a team of World Stars take on a team of Iranian Stars in a charity match.
At a press conference on Sunday, Hossein Yaryar, the Head of Artists Football Players for Charity, a group of artists regularly appearing in matches for charity, announced details of the game which will be held in the Azadi Stadium and which will be held to benefit sufferers of MS.
According to Yaryar, the first group of world stars including Roberto Carlos, Luis Figo, and Joaquin Romeo will arrive in Tehran on Thursday August 27, with the rest of the team will arriving on the Friday.
Those players expected to participate in a team captained by Michel Salgado include Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos, Fabio Cannavaro, Guti, Fernando Hierro, Fernando Couto, Vitor Baia, Bodo Illgner, Clarence Seedorf, Patrick Kluivert, Steve McManaman, Fernando Morientes, Marcel Desailly, Gaizka Mendieta, Edgar Davids, Jari Litmanen, Christian Karembeu, Boudewijn Zenden and Santiago Solari.
With a nuclear deal having been agreed with world powers, Yaryar emphasised the match was a milestone for Iran, saying; “The prestige and fame of the players coming to Iran would be an indication that sanctions targeting Iran’s sports have unravelled and we should expect new global horizons in sports; with 62 years of age, I have invested all my energy and motivation to promote Iran’s place in the world, and especially canvassing support for MS patients.”
However, Yaryar did not appear happy with the level of support he had received from the Iranian authorities in organising the game, criticising their “stark inaction” and saying: “This match is unofficial; however, the impact is great; the match could be played only every 50 years.”
The game is expected to receive widespread publicity in Iran, including on Adel Ferdowsipour’s highly popular TV Show “Nevad (90)” which is watched by 20 million+ Iranians.
Iran’s All-Star team is expected to feature 1998 and 2006 Iran World Cup players as well as Iranian celebrities, with Yaryar’s group of artist-footballers less likely to get a chance to play.
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