Marked for Alireza Taremi
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad16 Nov 2026
Words exchanged at Rah Ahan
Mohammad Beiranvand and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Words at Rah Ahan training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ehsan Nekounam is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout16 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Alireza Taremi, and the manager let it.
Looking ahead16 Nov 2026
He used to wear the other shirt. On Saturday he plays against Persepolis in this one, and whatever he says this week about it being just another game will be untrue.
Market16 Nov 2026
The Ali Rezaeian story refuses to die
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Ali Rezaeian signs something — a contract at Rah Ahan or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
The dugout16 Nov 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Mehdi Moharrami trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match26 Sep 2026
5 matches without a win for Rah Ahan
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Rah Ahan are no longer polite ones.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Mohammad Beiranvand was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
A mark of 7.15, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
The view from the dugout
“We did not lose. Some weeks that is all you get, and I would rather have the point than not.” Masoud Gholizadeh chose the glass-half-full version of 0‑0; the supporters left with the other one.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Rah Ahan, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market28 Sep 2026
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Majid Yazdani has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Rah Ahan.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Karim Khodadad, 19, is the weekend’s best young player
Measured against every other kid in the division and first among them. The senior award is where Rah Ahan would like this to lead.
Match26 Sep 2026
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Esteghlal Khuzestan defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.