In the past few months, there have been concerning reports about Israel and Iran being in conflict, creating the impression that both countries are unsafe.But no so for Kenyan striker Masoud Juma who turns out for Tehran-based Esteghlal FC.The 28-year-old striker joined Esteghlal FC in December last year on a seven-month deal which comes to an end in June this year.Kenya’s AFCON 2027 Stadium Talanta Sports City takes shape [VIDEO]Despite concerns about his well-being, the widely travelled forward describes Iran as one of the safest countries he has ever played football in.“It is like Europe when you look at the infrastructure in the country. They have modern airports in almost every town and even with our team, we use private jets to travel for matches. It is very safe and for those of us who live there, we don’t understand the negative headlines about Iran,” he said.##NAJAVA_MECA_8624832##Playing under Pitso MosimaneMasoud describes playing under the award-winning South African coach as a ‘big blessing.“He treats me like his son. When he brought me here in December, he encouraged me not to put myself under pressure. He has helped me grow in my confidence tremendously. He is the best coach to work under,” he said.The former Cape Town City FC striker explains that he met the South African tactician last year while playing in Saudi Arabia.OFFICIAL: Gor Mahia rescind decision to offload longest-serving duo“My team was playing against his team in a crucial match. I had a good game-actually my best game ever. After the match, he came to me and told me that we needed to work together. He took my number and we kept in touch and when the opportunity came, I didn’t think twice,” he explained.Masoud says that even though he was injured at the time, Mosimane still insisted on him joining him at the Tehran club.##NAJAVA_MECA_8624857##“He told me not to worry about the injury and showed me that he trusts me more than anyone else.”His Harambee Stars’ future Masoud says he is more than ready to come back to the national team when the opportunity arises.“It is always an honour to play for the national team. When you represent your country the feeling is great and it is unfortunate that I had a long-term injury and did not take part in the last Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.”Harambee Stars captain Abud Omar punched by referee during defeat to Zanzibar [VIDEO]The 28-year-old says he is disappointed that Harambee Stars did not qualify for the 2025 AFCON finals in Morocco and admits to having been taunted by his teammates in Iran.“It is disappointing that we did not qualify and my team-mates always reminded me every day about the failure and we hope we can get it right next time,” he concluded.
