Iran approached the 1986 Asian Games with little preparation and a new/old coach, Dehdari. Dehdari had previously led Iran during the 70s but this recent stint of his as coach was not received well. With the Iran-Iraq war is full swing, Dehdari managed just two friendlies prior to the Asian Games. For an away 2-1 loss at China (with Fathabadi scoring the lone goal) Dehdari accompanied the team although in his own words as an observer and evaluator and with no interference in player selection and tactics. Just prior to the start of the tournament, Iran played Thailand in Seoul, defeating them 4-0 with goals by Bavi, Derakhshan, Pious and Changiz. Two new goalkeepers, Sajjadi and Rezaei were brought into the team who would end up being rotated from game to game.
Iran’s group consisted of Bangladesh, Japan, Kuwait and Nepal, with the top two teams qualifying to the quarterfinals. The opening game against Japan appeared to be a tricky test.
While Japan had yet to become a powerhouse in Asia, however, it was no secret that they had improved in leaps and bounds and were still continuing to gain momentum. With Sajjadi in goal, a tense battle on paper between the two teams was settled early in the match with Abtahi giving Iran the lead in the 5th minute. Mohammadkhani’s beautifully floated freekick in the 17th minute produced the highlight of the match and gave Iran a 2-0 win.
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Up next was Bangladesh, who on paper at least would seem would have little to offer. However, Iran’s lack of cohesiveness (to some extent due to the many changes in the lineup) was clearly evident as it took more than an hour for the second half substitute Pious to finally open the scoring off of a shot from well outside the penalty box. The second goal arrived in the 82nd minute where some hesitation in clearing a cross allowed Fathabadi to double Iran’s lead. Iran would score two more goals in the final minutes. In another defensive mixup, Fathabadi once again took advantage and poked the ball into the net. One minute later, Ghayeghran completed a give and go at the edge of the box and unleashed a shot that bounced off of the post only for him to put in his own rebound. An ultimate 4-0 win came much harder than the scoreline suggested.
Barring an uncharacteristic loss against Nepal, Iran had all but qualified for the quarterfinals. While the Japanese hoped for the unthinkable to happen to leapfrog Iran in the standings, Iran dully demolished Nepal 6-0 to advance. Another changed and unfamiliar lineup took the field with Rezaei barely being bothered in goal. An early goal by Derakhshan was followed up by Shahrokh Bayani’s penalty with a minute left till halftime. In the second half Pious headed a perfect ball to Fathabadi for him to score Iran’s third goal. Pious would once again act as provider as his shot slammed under the crossbar and Yekkeh tucked away the rebound. Further attacks would see Fathabadi’s shot rattling Nepal’s crossbar while Derakhshan’s penalty kick would be saved by the keeper. Derakhshan would make up for his miss by completing a give and go with Pious in the box that he put away for Iran’s fifth goal. Fathabadi would complete the route by taking advantage of Nepal’s goalkeeper exit and heading past him and bouncing the ball off of a defender who was attempting to block the header. At the end of the 1st round Fathabadi emerged as the surprise leading scorer for Iran.
Facing the Korean hosts fresh off of a World Cup appearance would have been a difficult task for any team. Playing in a downpour the Koreans were 1st to get on the scoreboard in the 34th minute with a perfectly placed penalty kick that sent Sajjadi the wrong way. With the game winding down and elimination in sight, Iran attacked ferociously and finally was rewarded with six minutes to go. Changiz’s freekick was punched in the air by the Korean keeper. The rebound was struck towards goal and fell kindly to Bavi who would tap it into the unguarded net. Overtime yielded no result and after five rounds of penalty kicks and Mohammadkhani’s shot going wide, it was the Koreans who escaped with a victory and sent Iran packing.
Upon the return to Iran a problem that had seemingly been kept under wraps during the Asian Games finally surfaced. More than half of the team declared they were unsatisfied with Dehdari’s coaching methods and would not play again for the national team unless he was removed. It was rumored that Panjali had initiated the resignation talks due to dissatisfaction with the playing time of Mesgar Saravi. More specifically he (and other Persepolis players) could not have been too happy with his own benching in three out of four group games. Undoubtedly the strict disciplinary measures and insistence upon moral and ethical behavior also played a role. It was said that Dehdari’s assistant, Reza Vatankhah, had berated Changiz for a simple mistake, adding further shock to the already disintegrating team spirit. There was also an incident with Abtahi and another assistant, Salehnia, in which while Abtahi was having some ice cream, Salehnia chewed him out, declaring that if the ice cream had been laced with steroids then he is jeopardizing the entire team’s fate. There were issues with Dehdari’s player selections, specifically lack of adherence to the unwritten rule that all players should come from either Persepolis or Esteghlal. All together 14 players submitted their resignation and the list of players consisted of Sajjadi, Hajiloo, Panjali, Morteza Fonoonizadeh, Shahin Bayani, Shahrokh Bayani, Derakhshan, Yekkeh, Abtahi, Arabshahi, Pious, Changiz, Mohammadkhani, and Fathabadi. Initially Ghayeghran was also part of the group although shortly afterwards he reversed his decision.
The IFF stuck by Dehdari and thus a huge portion of a
talented roster would go to waste. Changiz would be suspended for nine months,
Panjali received a six-month suspension while Derakhshan and Hajiloo were banned
for three. Some of the players would leave Iran for Arab soccer leagues of the
Persian Gulf. Over the years some of the players would announce their intention
of once again representing Iran internationally although others would never
wear the national team jersey again.
Iran roster: Sajjadi, Rezaei, Hajiloo, Shahin Bayani, Panjali, Fonoonizadeh, Rahimpour, Mesgar Saravi, Nader Mohammadkhani, Abtahi, Shahrokh Bayani, Namjoo Motlagh, Ghayeghran, Derakhshan, Arabshahi, Bavi, Naser Mohammadkhani, Changiz, Yekkeh, Fathabadi, Pious. Coach: Dehdari
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