Jabbari ruled out of Qatar clash

Midfielder Mojtaba Jabbari will be unavailable for the June 12 World Cup qualifier against Qatar in Tehran due to injury.

The 28-year-old Esteghlal man has been battling a series of complaints in recent weeks, however he has now opted to pull out of the squad for the upcoming qualifier.

Jabbari had played in Sunday’s 1-0 victory over Uzbekistan in Tashkent as well as a recent friendly against Albania despite the problem.

Iran boss Carlos Queiroz indicated Jabbari would not be replaced in the squad for the Qatar game, with Ali Karimi likely to step up in a more advanced role.

Meanwhile, the Football Federation of Iran has announced it has set up two friendlies against Syria and North Korea.

Team Melli will take on the Syrians on August 25, while they will face North Korea on October 10 ahead of a World Cup qualifier against South Korea six days later.