A Lie to Degrade Daei?

PFDC - An interview with Ottmar Hitzfeld, Bayern Munich's manager, published in an Iranian sports newspaper in Iran today, disturbed the Iranian football legend Ali Daei. This newspaper claimed that Hitzfeld has shown his dissatisfaction with Ali Daei when he was employed by German Champions three years ago.

Before taking charge of Bayern, Hitzfeld was at Borussia Dortmund, where he also won the Bundesliga twice (1995 and
1996), the Champions League (1997) and the Toyota Cup (1997). Hitzfeld is considered to be amongst best coaches in the world currently.

In this "Email Interview" with Hitzfeld as the newspaper claims!!, Hitzfeld believes that Ali Daei is a regular player and his presence is not as effective as claimed for the Iranian team. That he is way over confident as the newspaper prints the headline.

The newspaper also claims that Hitzfeld has watched Iran's qualifications games and especially the one against Bahrain!! and he thinks that Iran was not ready for the world cup even though Iran beat Ireland and among the Iranian players, only Karimi reminds him of Maradona!!!

Ali Daei laughs about this interview when he hears about it and questions its authenticity.

"That newspaper had problems with me since the qualifiers when I did not do an interview with them when we were back from Thailand at the airport. Now they are getting back to me with this. I ask them how a busy and professional man like Hitzfeld, would have time to talk about Iran and especially me once being his player? and above all, why should he accept an interview with an unknown Iranian newspaper?, I am sure this interview is as real as the writer's imaginations!"

Daei also believes that many football publications in Iran today are only after publishing rumors to sell their newspapers so they print everything they get their hands on and most of the times they even report false news.

The newspaper also talks about Hitzfeld's opinion about the previous Iran head coach Miroslav Blazevic and that he is not qualified as a coach and he has gathered some knowledge watching a few games!!

This is a true example of a misuse of the media role in the society where a newspaper bases their foundations on lies and rumors in order to make a living. Our suggestion to them is that side taking and printing lies would never belittle or twist the truth from what it really is.

Ali Daei is a legend Iranian player and will always be remembered for his great role in Iran's football achievements of recent years.