Iranian Kazimian happy to be in UAE

Gulfnews - Jawad Kazemian, the Iranian player who signed recently for Al Shaab cub in Sharjah, said he was happy to play in the UAE league along with his compatriots who have signed up to play for various UAE clubs.

Kazemian is the ninth Iranian player to sign up for a UAE club. Before him, Farhad Majidi and Arash Borhani (Al Nasr), Eman Mob'ali and Mehrdad Awladi (Al Shabab), Rasoul Khatibi and Masoud Shojaey (Sharjah) and Redha Enayati (Emirates Club in Ras Al Khaimah) had all joined UAE clubs.

Ali Samerah will accompany Kazemian at Al Shaab club.

Kazemian's association with Al Shaab will be his second stint in the UAE. Four years ago, he had played with Al Ahli for a season. He was quite raw then and did not achieve much success. He then went back to Iran and turned out for Perouzi in Tehran.

One of the reasons that prompted Kazemian to return to the UAE was the good offers and excellent treatment that professionals got from the UAE clubs. In addition, Iran is virtually a neighbour of the UAE and it takes only two hours by air to reach the UAE from Tehran.

However, the main reason that influenced Kazemian and the other Iranian players opt for the UAE, and Dubai in particular, ahead of any other GCC country, is the huge support from the soccer-loving Iranian supporters residing in the UAE.

The Iranian stars, especially those who play for Pirouzi and Esteghlal, the biggest clubs in Iran, are followed very closely here.

Most of the Iranian players like to start their professional career in Dubai. When Ali Karimi played for Al Ahli, he was 22 years old. After four years, he signed up as a professional for top German club Bayern Munich.

Karimi contributed in Al Ahli winning the President Cup twice. Another Iranian, Farhad Majidi, helped Al Ahli to win the league title for the first time in 25 years.

The Iranian players began to play in the UAE in the late '70s. Hassan Roshan and Hasan Nazari were the first Iranian stars to play in the UAE league for Al Ahli club in 1979.

Other Iranians who played for the UAE clubs are Qasimbour, Barzerkari, Khodadad Azizi, Sattar Hamdani, Krim Bageri (Al Nasr), Ali Daei, Menavand (Al Shabab), Ali Reza Wahedi, Hamed Kavianpour (Al Wasl), Jawad Neconam (Sharjah), Hussain Faraki (Al Shaab).

Many Iranian coaches have also worked with UAE clubs, Heshmat Mohajerani being the most prominent among them.