Jurgen Klinsmann draws around Sweden during the draw for the Euro 2024 qualifying round at Messe Frankfurt on October 09, 2022 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (Photo by Thomas Lunis/Getty Images)
Former world champion and German legend Jurgen Klinsmann defended his analysis of Iran’s approach and stance on soccer, saying his comments were “only related to soccer” in a social media post on Monday.
While Klinsmann was part of the BBC Sports committee that analyzed Iran’s surprising victory over Wales (2-0) last Friday, he highlighted the position of the team led by Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz, and criticized the pressure exerted by Melli’s team. on the verdict.
“My comments on the Wales match against Iran were just football,” Klinsmann said after the wave of criticism he received from the Iranian Football Association in recent days.
He added, “Unfortunately, this has been taken out of the context of football. I have many Iranian friends and have always had a lot of praise for its people, culture and history. I wish them well in the tournament.” Germany and the United States coach in his tweet.
Klinsmann told BBC Breakfast on Sunday that he wanted to “calm things down” by calling Kayrouz to speak.
Iran’s anger stemmed from Klinsmann’s analysis after Friday’s game when he said: “This is their culture. [la de Irán] And this is his way of acting, which is why Carlos Queiroz plays so well for the Iranian national team.”
“He had problems in South America. He failed with Colombia to qualify at that time, with Egypt he failed to qualify as well, and then he comes back just before the World Cup now and takes over the management of Iran, where he’s already worked for a very long time.”
“It’s no accident. It’s all on purpose. It’s part of their culture. That’s how the umpire plays and works. I’ve seen the bench always jump up, always run on the fourth umpire, the fourth umpire in the squad, constantly in their ears. They’re always in their face in pitch,” Klinsmann said.
The comments prompted a response from Queiroz on social media, when he responded to the German on Saturday.
“Even without knowing me personally, you question my character by virtue of my model superiority,” Queiroz wrote.
“As much as I can respect what you’ve done on the field, these comments about Iranian culture, the Iranian national team and the players are a disgrace to football. No one can harm our integrity if not our level of course.”
Queiroz added, “As an American/German, we understand your lack of support. No problem. And despite your scandalous comments on the BBC trying to undermine our efforts, our sacrifices and our skills, we promise we will not pass judgment on your culture, roots and background and that you will always be welcome.” in our family.”
In a statement, the Iranian Football Association demanded that Klinsmann apologize and resign from the Technical Study Group of the International Federation of Football Associations, to which he belongs.
Iran said it had asked FIFA for “immediate clarifications on this matter”.
CNN has contacted FIFA for comment but has not received a response.
“Analyst. Web buff. Wannabe beer trailblazer. Certified music expert. Zombie lover. Explorer. Pop culture fanatic.”