A Captain's Criticism

Even though his anger was because of his overwhelming desire to win the derby, that desire has not been without consequences.

Criticism in the Changing Room

The head coach of Esteghlal sent the experienced defender, Bijan Kooshki, on in the second half against Persepolis so that he would stop the playmaking and goal scoring of Ali Karimi. However, Ali Karimi's goal in the final minutes brought all of Ghalehnoie's plans for defeating Esteghlal's traditional rivals to a dead end. This anger was to the extent that Ghalehnoie confronted Kooshki on the pitch furiously after the match.

The confrontation on the pitch was resolved after the intervention of Esteghlal's coach and managing director; however, it was not the end of Ghalehnoie's criticism of Kooshki. Informed sources report that Amir Ghalehnoie was extremely upset at the result and he heavily criticized Kooshki in the changing rooms. This was while the majority of the players were spared much of the criticism leveled by their head coach.

During Ghalehnoie's criticism in the changing room, Kooshki, clearly told his teammate, Hadi Shakoori: "Ghalehnoie says whatever he wants to his players, but I will not stay silent." Kooshki, who was deeply upset at his head coach's criticism, intended to answer and stand up to Ghalehnoie's criticism, however, each time he was about to, the managing director and most of Esteghlal's technical staff stepped in and prevented him.

In the changing room, Esteghlal's forward, Farhad Majidi also began complaining. He was extremely upset at not playing in the derby and in the changing room muttered his discontent at not playing. He said: "Players who were walking around in training played for Esteghlal in the derby, however, me and a few other players who were in peak condition unfortunately didn't even get one minute."

Ghorbani: The Way of Dealing with Players has to Change

Regarding the game against Persepolis, Pirooz Ghorbani said: "We played well and had good chances. We defended well but a negligent moment led to conceding a goal." Regarding Kooshki's mistake that led to the equalizing goal, Ghorbani stated: "These things happen in football and we shouldn't make a big deal out it. And if Bijan Kooshki is upset, he has the right to be because he is fed up."

He added: "I apologize to the reporter that was involved in a confrontation with Bijan. Given the situation, he was not in the right state of mind. I myself was upset, let alone Bijan who was treated badly."

Ghorbani stated: "It's true that the head coach bears a lot of pressure, but no one is under more pressure after a game than the players. I am hopeful that the way of approaching each other is corrected. Everything has its own place, and you shouldn't single out one player in the changing room for criticism. If the situation had been handled differently, it would definitely have been better.

Even though he stated that he does not want to speak about Karimi, Esteghlal's captain said: "He is a big player. We were able to control him well. Our team was playing well; however, I think we started to play defensively too soon."

Ghorbani emphasized: "I don't have anything to say about the coach's substitutions. I have to fulfill my responsibilities as a player. We had better opportunities than Persepolis and we could have won."

Criticizing the situation confronting Esteghlal before the derby, Ghorbani said: "The most important thing is to fix the structure of the club so that before such games there are no fights in training. You have to respect Esteghlal's players." He continued: "When the managing director or head coach is insulted, it is as if you have insulted me."

Regarding the opinion that Esteghlal's defence played well against Persepolis, Ghorbani said: "We have to decrease our individual mistakes. All players have good and bad days and we shouldn't just accuse one player. The players have to be united so that we can make this team champions."

Letter of Warning for Ghalehnoie from the Federation

The Iranian Football Federation's representative yesterday prepared a report regarding Ghalehnoie’s behavior with reporters and sent it to the disciplinary committee. In his disciplinary report, the representative noted Ghalehnoie's unethical behavior. The report included the details of what occurred in the press conference after the derby and the recommendation for a written warning. Although this report will not lead to the suspension of Amir Ghalehnoie, the written warning will be recorded in his file. The head of the federation's disciplinary committee, in an interview with ISNA, also said: "because of his provocative behavior, he might be called to appear in front of the disciplinary committee."