Asian Games champions Iran were unveiled yesterday as the final team to take part in next year's Carlsberg Cup Lunar New Year tournament at Hong Kong Stadium. The February 1-4 showpiece also features World Cup finalists Denmark and Uruguay, and a Hong Kong League XI Select.
Iran, who are ranked 33rd in the world, overcame World Cup finalists South Korea and Japan on their way to victory at September's Pusan Asian Games. Carlsberg spokesman Derek Currie said star striker Ali Daei, the former Asian Footballer of the Year who plays for German side Hertha Berlin, was likely to lead the team.
'I don't see any reason why Ali Daei will not come, unless he is injured. It's a FIFA competition, so it's a good opportunity for Iran to get the national team together,' Currie said. 'Obviously, there will be some [European-based] players missing. But it doesn't matter because the teams don't come here for a holiday.'
While Denmark, who won the 1992 European Championship, are aiming to emulate their success in 1994 when they won the Carlsberg Cup, former world champions Uruguay will bid to become the first South American team to be crowned champions after Paraguay won the inaugural event in 1986.
Hong Kong, meanwhile, hope to build on their weekend success which saw South China and Happy Valley spring upsets against the mainland's Dalian Shide and South Korea's Anyang LG Cheteehs in the ATV Cup. South China went on to win the title. 'It's a big boost, especially with the Carlsberg Cup coming up,' Currie said.
