sport news Iran coach Carlos Queiroz REFUSES to answer questions about the situation in ... trends now
We were under orders not to pose Carlos Queiroz questions about the protests engulfing the nation he is managing, so a cursory mention had to do, to prevent the interview from being terminated.
‘What are your thoughts on the situation in Iran?’ the Portuguese coach was asked. ‘I have no thoughts,’ he replied.
This was hardly believable. Questions about the escalating protests about the oppression of women in Iran since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September will stalk Queiroz throughout the World Cup and the coach who arrived with a smile on his face here on Monday left with a face like thunder.
Carlos Queiroz refused to answer any questions about the protests in Iran regarding the oppression of women
‘How much you pay me to answer that question? How much you pay me? Talk to your boss and give me your answer,’ the former Manchester United assistant manager said when asked about working for a country that oppresses women. His final comment to a UK journalist was picked up by microphones: ‘Think about what happened in your country with immigration.’
Despite that parting shot at Iran’s Al Rayyan base west of Doha, Queiroz has actually been doing a very good job of maintaining a semblance of credibility for the country’s hapless football association — insisting that an interview take place at the team’s base in Vienna last month, where he was far more talkative, despite officials trying to shut it down.
The minefield is something he is prepared to navigate for the chance to take to football’s greatest stage for a third time with Iran, who are paying him just £50,000 on a four-month deal until the end of the tournament. He took Iran, who face England on Monday in their opener, to within a point of the knockout stages four years ago but they descended into disarray under his successor Dragan Skocic, with one player describing the Croat’s drills as encouraging them to hit the bar from distance: the crossbar challenge. The potential for geopolitical humiliation against the USA and England led to Queiroz’s return, just 74 days before the tournament kick-off, seemingly at the diktat of the state apparatus.
Protests continue to escalate in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini back in September
The chaos is only part of the difficulty. Speaking to Sportsmail in Vienna, Queiroz, 69, described what lies ahead against the European sides as
