Vahid Shamsaei

Tasnim – Iran futsal coach Vahid Shamsaei bore all responsibility for the defeat against Japan in the final match of the 2022 AFC Futsal Asian Cup and said they will learn from the defeat.

On Saturday, Iran was unable to defend its title after falling 3-2 to Japan in Kuwait and Shamsaei hopes his players can learn from the heartbreaking defeat.

“I told my players that I am responsible for the defeat. They showed their best with maximum effort,” said Shamsaei.

“They didn’t want to lose the trophy and were crying, but they have to accept the result. If they want to make a good future for themselves, they will need to understand the defeat.

“We had a plan for our team and if there were any mistakes, it’s all on me and my colleagues,” he added.

“I wanted to dedicate the win to the people of my country, and I hope they will accept my apology.

Iran's Kuwait 2022 squad only featured a handful of players who won them their 12th title in 2018, but Shamsaei sees a bright future in the new generation.

“After losing, I don’t want to talk about the past. I’ve brought in 10 new players to replace 10 legends. In the very near future, these 10 new players will be the legends of Iranian futsal.

“If I continue with the team, I will definitely work on all our weaknesses. I don’t want to make any excuses or say that it was a loss of opportunity. I’m ashamed that I couldn’t dedicate a win to our people,” Shamsaei concluded.

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