Playing Today

National Flag of Iran

Thought I would look up the team I picked out in my work world cup sweepstake.

IRAN

Coach: Branko Ivankovic

Tactics: Hard-working and passionate.

Star Player: Ali Daei - veteran striker who holds the record for goals in international football.

Verdict: Appearance in Germany will raise the profile of Iranian football but it will take a miracle for them to qualify for the last 16. Daei will be looking for at least one more goal to add to his collection before bowing out of international football after the tournament. Group makeweights.

Ten things your didn’t know about Iran

1. Formerly known as Persia, Iran was adopted as the country's official name in 1935.

2. The highest peak in Iran, Mount Damavand (5,604 m/18,386 ft high), is a volcano which last erupted in 500 AD.

3.The country is served by some 167,157 km (103,867 mi) of roads, of which 56% were paved in 1998.

4. In January 2002, in his first State of the Union address, US president George W. Bush referred to Iran as one of three countries operating as an “axis of evil” (alongside Iraq and North Korea) because of its development of long-range missiles. The statement was uniformly condemned in Iran and, indeed, travel guides report the country to be a pleasant place: “Axis of evil?” asks the www.lonelyplanet.com site, “most visitors, after experiencing this friendliest of countries, couldn't agree less.”

5.Jaam-e Jam, Iran’s large-circulation daily newspaper, translates as Jam’s Cup.

6. Iranians can vote in elections from the age of 15

7. The national emblem (a representation of the word Allah in the shape of a tulip, a symbol of martyrdom) appears in red in the white band of the Iranian flag (according to www.flags-flags-flags.org.uk).

8. The text on the Iranian flag, which appears in white on the green and red bands, repeats the words ALLAH AKBAR (God is Great) 22 times. This number relates to the Islamic Revolution of 1979 which occurred on the 22nd day of the 11th month of the Iranian calendar.

9. The currency is the rial. According to www.lonelyplanet.com a double pack of toilet paper in Iran costs IR7,000 (about 43 pence).

10.Shiraz, in addition to being a pleasant variety of red wine, is a city in Iran with a renowned university.