As reported by IRAF, Afghanistan international goalkeeper Mohammad Javad Safari says a minor injury has forced him to miss the national futsal team’s preparation camp and prevented him from representing both Afghanistan and his club, Giti Pasand, in recent competitions.
Safari, who has been a key player for Giti Pasand over the past two seasons, said the injury also ruled him out of the Mashhad Futsal Tournament, where the Iranian club recently competed.
“Unfortunately, I suffered a minor injury, which meant I was unable to accompany Giti Pasand in the Mashhad tournament or represent the Afghanistan national team in the Continental Competition,” Safari said in an interview with a futsal news outlet.
The goalkeeper said he hopes to complete his recovery as soon as possible and return to full training with Giti Pasand before the start of the new Iranian Futsal Super League season.
Safari also commented on recent changes to Afghanistan’s national team coaching staff, thanking former head coach Majid Mortezaei, Hamid Masoumian and the previous technical staff for their efforts while wishing them success in their future endeavors.
He said the overlap between the Thailand tournament and Giti Pasand’s training schedule, combined with his injury, prevented him from joining the national team’s camp and limited his opportunity to work with the new coaching staff.
Safari welcomed the appointments of Dejan Dedovic, Javad Asghari-Moghaddam and Morteza Samiei to Afghanistan’s coaching staff, expressing hope that the new leadership can guide the team toward further success at both the Asian and international levels.
The goalkeeper, who has won the Iranian Futsal Super League title twice with Giti Pasand in the past two seasons, said competition with Iran international goalkeeper Bagher Mohammadi had helped improve his performance, adding that the coaching staff’s confidence in him during the closing stages of last season played a significant role in establishing his place in the squad.
Despite receiving offers from several Iranian top-flight clubs as well as European teams, Safari said he chose to extend his contract with Giti Pasand, describing the club as one of Iran’s leading futsal institutions and pledging to repay the coaching staff’s trust through his performances on the court.
Following the departure of Bagher Mohammadi, experienced Iran international goalkeeper Sepehr Mohammadi has joined Giti Pasand. Safari described the prospect of competing alongside the former FIFA Futsal World Cup player and world bronze medalist as an honor, saying that whether he serves as the first- or second-choice goalkeeper is secondary to the club’s objective of achieving success in the upcoming season.
