The Caspian Kids

Iran internationals Javad Nekounam and Masoud Shojaei have agreed contract extensions with Osasuna until 2013.

This could be the club where I finish my sporting career," 30-year-old midfielder Nekounam told the club website after signing his deal which has options for automatic extensions in the future.

Nekounam joined Osasuna in 2006 and has won over 100 caps for Iran.

Forward Masoud, 26, had surgery on his left foot on Tuesday after suffering an infection from an operation on the same problem back in April.

The Pamplona-based side finished a creditable ninth in La Liga.

Reuters

The almost 70.000 spectators saw entertaining 120 minutes with loads of chances on both sides, however no goals.

So the match had to be decided on penalties and while Hadi Aghily and Ibrahima Toure hammered their efforts wide of target for Sepahan, on the other side only Moataba Shiri's shot came off the woodwork.

So youngster Hamidreza Aliasgari got the party started when he converted the Reds' final penalty kick.

Persepolis now have to travel to Ahvaz to face Foolad in semis on Thursday, while rivals Esteghlal Tehran will host Malavan Anzali on the same they to determine the second finalist.

The winner of the Hazfi Cup will qualify for next year's AFC Champions League.

While Sepahan, Esteghlal and Zob Ahan have already qualified for next year's competition, Hazfi Cup title holders Persepolis have only finished fourth in the league and need to defend their title for a Champions League spot.

Full Highlights:

Dancers wear black leggings, white T-shirts to respect cultural sensitivities

By Alexandra Hudson, http://nbcsports.msnbc.com

ISTANBUL - Cheerleaders donned black leggings and white T-shirts for a World Championship basketball match between Iran and the United States in Istanbul on Wednesday to respect cultural sensitivities.

Some Iranian officials still left the arena shortly before their routine began, however. At previous matches officials had stood up and turned their backs.

Cheerleaders were missing altogether from Turkey's last two matches in Ankara, raising eyebrows in the overwhelmingly Muslim but officially secular nation, particularly as scantily-clad cheerleaders had been present at other matches.

Patrick Baumann, secretary-general of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), said "special arrangements" had been made with the dancers' dress on Wednesday.

"We want entertainment to be part of the basketball game. If it needs a little bit of adjustment that is fine with us," he told a news conference.

"It is a balance between respecting the culture and making sure basketball delivers all the pace, excitement and entertainment that goes with the World Championship."

Four teams of dancers have been entertaining fans in the Turkish host venues of Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir and Kayseri.

The dancing troupes come from Ukraine, Russia and Lithuania.

The local organizing committees are in charge of arranging the entertainment but it has to be approved by FIBA, a FIBA spokesman said.

The Ankara troupe, named the Red Foxes and hailing from Ukraine, were absent during Turkey's match against Greece on Tuesday and their match against Russia on Sunday.

The Russia match was attended by Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his wife, who wears the Muslim headscarf.

A spokeswoman for Turkey's Sport and Youth directorate said she was not aware of any ban on cheerleaders at Turkish games.

A source close to the situation said however that Turkish government authorities had asked informally that cheerleaders not be present at games attended by officials of the ruling AK Party, which has roots in political Islam.

The party rejects the Islamist label and points to its liberal economic and political reforms.

ISTANBUL — Roko Ukic and Bojan Bogdanovic both scored 13 points, and Croatia easily withstood Iran's one-man show in a 75-54 victory Sunday at the basketball world championship.

Hamed Haddadi, who plays for the Memphis Grizzlies, had 27 points for Iran (0-2), but Arsalan Kazemi was the only other player in double figures with 12 for the Asia champions.

Ante Tomic finished with 12 points for Croatia (1-1), which lost 106-78 to the United States on Saturday.

The Croatians pulled away with an early 11-0 run and led by as many as 22 points in the first half.

http//:www.cnn.com

Ali Karimi, an Iranian soccer player, has just been fired because he did not honor Ramadan fast. His soccer club Steel Azin declared this on its website.

Karimi was dismissed after the club had issued several warnings. Despite his statement that he respects Islam, Ali Karimi is said to have insulted officials of the Iranian Football Federation.

"Respecting God´s laws and honoring the sacred laws of Islam are of the utmost importance to Steel Azin and unfortunately these matters have not been adhered to by the named player," the report said.

The soccer teams of Iran and Armenia played a friendly on Wednesday in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. The Armenian hosts were overpowered by the Iranian's in a score of  3-1.

The Iranian ladies rugby team attracted attention when they made their European debut wearing veils and full length tracksuits.

By Nick Pisa in Rome

Published: 5:45PM BST 01 Aug 2010. www.thetelegraph.co.uk

Rugby and women may not seem the ideal combination in the deeply Islamic Iran. But women’s rugby has been growing in popularity since the game was introduced more than 10 years ago This weekend marked the team’s first time in Europe when they took part in a sevens tournament. The first match in Cortina D’Ampezzo, in the Italian Dolomites, ended in two defeats against the host nation losing the first match 10-0 and the second 33-0 however they did beat club side Valsugana 10-3.

In all the matches the team played wearing the 'maghnaeh’, a veil that fully covers the head, shoulders and neck, along with red tracksuit tops and bottoms.

Iranian team coach Fatme Molai, who has been in the job for four years, said: “Wearing a veil does not change our method of play – clothes are something you wear and don’t influence what you know how to do.

“To be honest the federation are looking at other head covers which are perhaps more practical. This was our first tournament in Europe and although we didn’t win as we did in Laos and Thailand I am very happy.”

Captain Zohre Eyni, 22, said: “The whole team has learnt how to keep the veil in place so that it doesn’t interfere with play and I think we have shown that even a physical game like rugby can be played in a veil.

“There are no risks playing in a veil, as I said what is important is that you arrange it safe and well, what you have to be careful with is losing your tracksuit bottoms in a tackle or scrum.”

The U.S. six-member freestyle wrestling team arrived Tuesday in Tehran to take part in the Imam-Ali Habibi Cup.

The team traveled to Ghaemshahr, 237 km north-east of the capital Tehran, where the competitions will be held from July 31 to August 1.

Coleman Scott (60 kg), Trent Paulson (74 kg), Raymond Jordan (84kg), Pat Cummins (96 kg), Tommy Rowlands and Tervel Dlagnev (both 120kg) are the American participants in the event.

The team will be competing in the freestyle wrestling tournament while diplomatic tensions between the U.S. and Iran governments have increased in the recent months over Iran's nuclear issue.

Iran international Andranik Teymourian has turned down the chance of an extended trial with Blackburn.

The former Bolton and Fulham player was invited on Rovers' pre-season tour of Australia after featuring in friendlies against Southport and Huddersfield this week.

The 27-year-old midfielder has chosen to remain in the UK to pursue other options.

Blackburn are playing Rangers, AEK Athens and host club Sydney FC in the Festival of Football Tournament this month.

They then return to Britain and play a friendly away to Hearts before beginning their Barclays Premier League campaign at home to Everton on August 14.

By June Navarro

Philippine Daily Inquirer

Captain Saman Nikkah in a match against the Croatian national team earlier this year.

HSINCHUANG, TAIWAN—Smart Gilas-Pilipinas stayed within upset range but the winning punch never came.

Powerhouse Iran shrugged off jet lag to exact an 81-68 win over the Filipinos in its opening match in the 32nd William Jones Cup International Basketball Tournament on Thursday at the Hsinchuang Coliseum here.

Bone-tired following a 26-hour flight from Italy on Wednesday, the Iranians had to lean on Iman Zandi’s three-pointer and the inside game of Asghar Kardoust in the waning minutes to finally break the resolve of the Filipinos.

Smart Gilas absorbed its second straight loss this year to the Iranians, who have won all the major continental tournaments in the past two years.

Scheduled to represent Asia in the FIBA World Championship next month in Turkey, Iran ruled the 2009 FIBA Asia Championships, defended the crown with its club team Mahram in the Dubai International Tournament in January, and topped the FIBA Asia Champions Cup in Doha, Qatar in May.

“We cannot be disappointed because we played with a lot of heart,” said Smart Gilas coach Rajko Toroman, the genius behind Iran’s 2007 FIBA Asia Championship victory and 2008 Beijing Olympic stint.

Trailing 58-44, Smart Gilas cut the deficit through the efforts of Mark Barroca, Chris Tiu and Marcus Douthit.

Tiu nailed a three-pointer and Douthit split his free throws to push Gilas within 57-63.

But Zandi fired a triple from the corner and the 6-foot-10 Kardoust, who scored 12 of Iran’s 20 points in the final period, threw his weight in the paint to put order on the Iranian offense.

Samad Nikkah Bahrami finished with 27 points while Kardoust and Zandi added 18 and 16 for the Iranians.

“The Philippines is improving every game. They become better and better every time we play them,” said Iran head coach Veselin Matic. “Give this team three more years together and we will have a tougher time beating them.”

Missing in the Iranian lineup were the 7-foot-2 Hamed Haddadi and 6-foot-10 forward Hamed Afagh.

Smart Gilas, who dumped the Chinese Taipei University All-Star, 83-52, in Wednesday’s inaugurals, had its last taste of the lead on Greg Slaughter’s putback, 22-21, off Marcio Lasitter’s miss.

The scores:

IRAN 81—Bahrami 27, Kardoust 18, Zandi 16, Kamrany 9, Sahakian 5, Amini 3, Davarpanah 2, Doraghi 1, Davoudi 0, Baheran 0, Arghavan 0.

SMART GILAS 68—Douthit 16, Lasitter 15, Tiu 11, Baracael 8, Barroca 8, Slaughter 6, Casio 4, Lutz 0, Aguilar 0.

Quarters: 25-22, 45-35, 61-51, 81-68