We want to be representatives from Iran, states Mehdi Rahmati

Match against Mumbai City FC set to be FC Nassaji Mazandaran debut ACL game

Come Monday, the 18th of September 2023, Mumbai City FC play host to FC Nassaji Mazandaran in the  Group D fixture of the 2023-24 AFC Champions League. The match will be played at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Balewadi, Pune with kick-off scheduled at 7:30 PM IST. Ahead of the game, the visiting team from Iran represented by manager Mehdi Rahmati and captain Mehrad Abdi shared their thoughts in the pre-match press conference.

First impression and team preparation

On being asked about the first impressions and his team’s preparedness, FC Nassaji Mazandaran manager Mehdi Rahmati said, “Me and my players are counting the seconds to play in AFC Champions League. We are waiting for the tournament. What we have got is a lot of talented young players and they are ready to prove themselves in Asia.”

As tournament debutants, the manager also pointed out the fact that his players are very motivated to start the championship. “For sure, by playing in this tournament we will gain a lot of experience. We want to be the best of ourselves so that we can be good representatives from Iran.”

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About foreign players

The Iranian tactician also addressed the issue of having only two foreign players in his squad as against six of Mumbai City FC. “Doesn’t make any difference. We have only two (foreign players), but one of them was actually not granted visa to travel to India for this game. I don’t have one of my best players, who is an Iraqi national player. Now instead of having two good forwards, I have only one good striker at the moment because of the visa situation.”

Expressing his disappointment further, Rahmati said, “Not granting visa to one of my players is a big problem for me. I hope AFC finds a solution to such situations in the future so that other teams do not suffer. It is not acceptable for teams to spend a lot of money on players and then not get visa to represent the team in competitions like these in other countries.”

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Talking about his opponents, the 40-year old coach said, “As far as I know, MCFC has 6 foreign players, also 4 Indian national team players. Additionally they have experience of playing in the AFC Champions League which is very important. We are prepared to confront a very good team.”

On playing conditions

The visiting manager wasn’t much worried about the weather in Pune ahead of the crucial Group D AFC Champions League game. “We are familiar with the climate. In fact we had a good training session yesterday. Also our team also plays in similar climate back home, so we don’t have any problem. We request all our fans in India, especially in Pune, to be there in the stadium and support the team.”

Also attending the pre match press conference was captain Mehrad Abdi. The experienced midfielder knows it is a special moment for the team playing for the first time in the AFC Champions League. “In this knockout stage of the league, we want to do the best and be the best version. We have a lot of young players, but then we also have a lot of experienced players who have played in this stage before, so hopefully we can count on their experiences for tomorrow’s game.”

“We have a lot of motivation for tomorrow’s match and are exactly counting the seconds for the match to begin,” he concluded.