Ali Karimi Thrown Out of Team Melli Training Camp

Ali Karimi who had travelled to Ardebil for a training camp with Iran national football team, left the camp on Tuesday morning and returned to Tehran after he was suspended by the Iranian Football Federation, pending further investigations to comments made by him in a recent interview.

Karimi had criticised the Iranian football federation in a recent interview, saying “These things (mismanagement, and lack of a clear plan) have become something normal in our football. In the 10 years that I have been part of the national team, things have never been so bad. I hope these problems are solved soon, but the officials need to know that they can not solve these problems by just talking”.

Ali Karimi is a big favourite with the Iranian football fans, and the decision to suspend him will anger many of these fans, who, like Karimi, have become frustrated by the mismanagement by the Iranian Football Federation in recent months. To highlight Ali Karimi's concerns, Iran's scheduled friendly with Bosnia on May 26 was cancelled over the weekend, after the Bosnian coach  refused to take charge of his team against Iran.

Iran is preparing itself to play four crucial World Cup qualifiers in June.