TEHRAN – Iran national team striker Sardar Azmoun has accused Iran football federation of telling lies about the 2019 AFC Asian Cup’s preparation.

Iran suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat against Japan in the Asian Cup semifinal and failed to qualify for the final match.

Shortly after, Carlos Queiroz stepped down from his post as Team Melli coach. The Portuguese coach also said participation at Asian Cup was only possible due to the financial aid provided by the Qatar Football Association. 

Now, Azmoun has supported his former gaffer and has accused the Iranian federation of withholding the truth about Team Melli’s preparation.

“Everything the football federation says is a lie. The federation did nothing for us, and Qatar paid for everything in our training camp in Aspire Academy,” Azmoun said.

“We flew economy class to Tehran while it could be harmful to a player’s [health] like me who wanted to play 90 minutes for his national team.  They also said we were given cash prize for beating Oman and China, but they gave us nothing. We don’t want awards, we just want them not to lie,” Azmoun, who has recently joined Zenit, explained.

“How could we have won the title under this circumstance? Besides, from the beginning of the competition many put us under pressure by saying Iran must win the title,” Azmoun concluded.

Reporting by Masoud Hossein