This article was last updated on April 16, 2022
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“How could that referee not give a clear penalty in front of 40 million people watching the game? It is very sad,” Carlos Queiroz told me Saturday following Iran’s defeat by Argentina.
Against the odds, Team Melli held one of the strongest teams in the world for 90 minutes in the World Cup finals. The team had good chances of its own and a genuine appeal for a penalty turned down. Then Lionel Messi conjured a moment of magic with a marvellous injury-time winner, befitting his status as the best footballer on the planet.
“I hoped it would be different, but what can we do?” sighed Queiroz, speaking to me in Belo Horizonte’s mixed zone. “I think we should move forward now and build to win the next game.”
Iran faces Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday. If the team can win—only its second game in four World Cup finals— it will have a good chance of going through to the knockout stage.
But Queiroz wasn’t finished. He had more to say about that referee.
“I’m happy with our performance, but I always said that we didn’t come here to play as nice losers, we came here to compete and win. But when you have Messi with his genius strike and a referee who didn’t fulfil his duties, that makes things difficult.”
In his 2013 autobiography, Sir Alex Ferguson described the former Real Madrid manager as “brilliant, just brilliant. Outstanding. An intelligent, meticulous man. He was the closest you could be to being the Manchester United manager without actually holding the title.” Queiroz, 63, was twice assistant manager under Ferguson at United.
Together they won league titles and the European Cup. Ferguson sought Queiroz’s advice daily, consulting his wisdom and insight into players from areas of the globe with which he wasn’t familiar. Born in Mozambique and a polyglot who had worked all over the world at the highest level, Queiroz boasted a peerless knowledge, whether it was advising Ferguson on how to deal with one of his former students, Jose Mourinho, or recommending players. Queiroz was also instrumental in the development of Cristiano Ronaldo, from emerging talent to the best in Europe.
And now he’s in charge of the Iranian national side, a hero in Persia after leading them to Brazil. Queiroz has managed in the finals before.
“I coached Portugal to South Africa in 2010, but my grand finale there was strange and sad,” he explained when I met him in his hotel in Tehran in March. It had taken me five months to get there: thanks to Queiroz, I was the first British sports journalist allowed into the country since sanctions had been introduced in 2005. ”Spain, our rivals, knocked us out. Realistically, we were unlikely to win against Spain with injuries, but I couldn’t use excuses before the match, it’s not professional. And the real Cristiano was not at that World Cup, not in a good shape or form. We expected him to make a difference and he didn’t. With Cristiano playing well for Portugal it was like having 14 players. He’s that good. Only Messi can match him.”
Elimination by a single David Villa goal in the last 16 seemed inevitable, but that was only the start of Queiroz’s problems. He was accused by a Portuguese minister of interfering with doping controls.
Queiroz had been unhappy with his players being disturbed by early morning tests and admitted using inappropriate language to testers, but denied disrupting tests. None of the players tested positive.
His anger is still obvious. “The minister accused me, judged me and damaged my reputation. He condemned me before any facts had been proved, turned Portugal against me.”
Queiroz was suspended for six months by the Portuguese Anti-Doping Authority in September 2010 and sacked a week later.
“This was not 1810, this was 2010 in Europe where one person had the power to accuse, judge and condemn. I felt alone, against the system and the country,” he said with a sigh during our five-hour interview.
Queiroz appealed to the Court of Arbitration in Switzerland, who overturned his ban. It took him a year to clear his name.
During that year he refused offers to manage other countries until he was exonerated. Iran approached him and said they wanted him regardless. Having worked in Mozambique, Portugal (once replacing Bobby Robson), USA, Japan (as a permanent replacement for Arsene Wenger), UAE, South Africa, England and Spain, it was exactly the job to satisfy his wanderlust.
“I have the right to be different,” he opines. “When I retire I want to look back at a great life where I’ve worked in many countries. I’ve travelled so much I don’t know where my home is.”
But football as well as travel swayed his decision. “I watched Iran play Russia in Abu Dhabi to make my analysis,” he explains. “I knew that only four teams could qualify for the World Cup from Asia and that countries like South Korea and Japan would be favorites.”
Four from 43 teams would qualify, with another going through two play-off games. Iran was ranked seventh of the 43 and 54th in the world at the time of the draw, yet Queiroz had seen enough in Abu Dhabi. “I thought the team were short of international experience and quality, but saw potential to reach Brazil,” he said.
With his loyal American assistant coach Dan Gaspar, he set about qualification.
“Managing in Asia is very difficult for coaches,” he explains. “Only Japan, South Korea and Australia have a high level because they can invest in and benefit from some players in Europe.
“It will take years to improve and the distances and travel make things very difficult. For Iran, the team flew commercial airlines to most games.”
Queiroz set about making changes. Small details mattered. He wanted envelopes with the players’ names, room keys, a daily agenda and their teammates’ room numbers ready when they arrived. He didn’t want housekeeping disturbing players in rest time. Or random drug testers. “He has a crystal clear vision of how things work,” says Gaspar.
“Iran’s president and the football federation understood and helped,” states Queiroz. “They provided chartered planes for us. We started to win. We would not have been able to perform taking commercial flights. Logistics ruin many campaigns, especially as some rival wealthy countries, like Qatar, can use the best airlines in the world.”
Iran had to negotiate a lengthy and tricky qualification for the World Cup. Queiroz felt his side was short of experience. He did some research, speaking to coaches to find out about players with Iranian backgrounds who could play for Iran. He began to scout in Germany, Belgium and Sweden.
In Belgium, he saw Reza Ghoochannejhad come off the bench for Standard Liege. Born in Iran and raised in Holland, he’d played for Holland up to under-19 level.
“I’d done a lot of video analysis, but I like to see players in the flesh,” Queiroz said. “I saw 30 minutes of ‘Gucci’. That was enough.”
In Germany, Queiroz watched former German youth international, Ashkan Dejagah, now also in London with Fulham, but then of Wolfsburg.
They would become key players as Iran progressed through their 16 qualifying matches. For the final match, Iran flew to South Korea, in what was the hardest game in Asian football. A draw would be enough for both teams—providing Uzbekistan didn’t score five against Qatar. Iran won and Queiroz was relaxed at the draw in Brazil. He felt he’d earned the prize. Iran drew with Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Nigeria. They drew 0-0 with Nigeria and then lost to Messi.
“We are going to do everything to reach the second round,” he said before the tournament. “People can say this is not realistic, but we need a target. We’re not going to Brazil for tourism. We have the opportunity to play the best teams. Imagine how much it would cost us to play Argentina with Messi in a friendly? Now we’ll play them for free!”
Iran came agonisingly close to holding Messi’s Argentina. Iran deserved more and the 10,000 supposedly neutral Brazilians in the crowd were chanting “Ole, ole, ole, Iran” long before the first half had even ended. Iran won respect in the stadium, they won respect in the football world that had previously been denied to them. And a large part of that was down to Queiroz.
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