DID Press: Majid Mortazaie, the Iranian head coach of Afghanistan’s national futsal team, said after the defeat against Morocco that refereeing errors were the main reason his players lost focus during the match. He nevertheless praised his team’s performance as commendable.
Afghanistan’s national futsal team, despite a strong showing, lost to Morocco on Saturday, November 8, in the Islamic Solidarity Cup. Mortazaie told Futsal media that a clear foul ignored by both the referee and the video review system disrupted the team’s concentration and paved the way for Morocco’s opening goal.
Referring to Morocco’s tactical play, Mortazaie said: “Their coaching staff used their experienced players well and shifted their formation to 3–1 in key moments. We used the power-play strategy in the closing minutes, but Morocco’s goalkeeper had an outstanding day, and none of our shots went in.”
Defending his players’ efforts, he added: “This was one of our best matches against Morocco. We showed that we have the ability to change the outcome. The team played with structure and motivation, and I’m confident we can beat this strong side in future encounters.”
Mortazaie also spoke about preparation plans for the upcoming AFC Futsal Asian Cup, saying that with new sponsorships and more friendly matches, they aim to further improve the team’s performance. Two young players will join the squad in Riyadh, bringing the total number of Afghan futsal players active in Iran’s professional league to eight.
According to sports analysts, although Afghanistan did not advance, the team’s cohesion and technical performance were impressive and signal promising progress for future international competitions.