Behrouz Rahbarifard’s revelation: They told Blazevic not to win the game against Bahrain
Behrouz Rahbarifard, a former player of Iran’s national football team, said in a video interview about Iran’s 3-1 loss to Bahrain in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers that after the game, they realized messages had been sent to Blazevic, the then national team coach, from inside Iran suggesting it would be better not to win this game.
Rahbarifard continued, emphasizing that it was a political issue, and added that during that period, especially after the national team’s victories, public gatherings would form in certain areas like Noor Square, making it difficult for law enforcement to control the crowds.
For this reason, such a message was sent to the coaching staff that winning this game was not desirable.
The loss to Bahrain in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers led Iran to the playoff matches, and the national team eventually failed to qualify for the World Cup after losing to Ireland.