Halali, “No one is better than Pourheidari”

PLDC - In the 6th week of the Iranian Professional League, on Friday, 7th December, Peykan Tehran and Sanat Naft finished their games without any goals being exchanged. Since the start of the season, Esmaiel Halali, 
ex-Estehglal Tehran player, has been with Sanat Naft. He commented on the game, his club and the fan violence after the match, “The team wasn’t bad. We were short of breath in the last 20 minutes. We lost at least seven opportunities to score.”

“I did not want to say this but I have to. The fans of Sanat Naft are not faithful or polite. They broke the glass of the player changing rooms. All the players were under stress and afraid. Everyone wants us to win but what happened there was really ugly. If the fans like Sanat Naft, they should help us. We were very unlucky in the 6th week.”

“If such things are repeated I’ll change my club. Nothing was said about me but anything said about any of the boys includes me and is an insult to me as well. I’ll cancel my contract if I see such things again. If the Federation investigates it, they won’t allow any games to take place.”

“Each player has to be respected and honored. Fans that break windows and are violent have no respect for their team. Everyone knows where the trouble comes from. Twenty minutes after the game the fan gathering was like a protest march. Other teams win away from home because they are supported.”

“Our team plays well but we had bad luck recently. If things go well, Sanat Naft has a good future. The club will never manage to get a coach as good as Pourheidari. He has the best possible record. They must try not to lose him.”