Iran in disarray as coach resigns after just two weeks

Apr 21, 2009, 9:52 GMT

   Tehran - Iran's newly-appointed coach Mohammad Mayelikohan resigned Tuesday after only two weeks in a fresh blow to the national team as it struggles to qualify for the 2010 World Cup finals.

ISNA news agency reported that Mayelikohan sent a resignation letter to the Iranian Football Federation (FFI) after quarrelling with a Tehran club coach.

   The FFI appointed Mayelikohan two weeks ago as successor to Ali Daei who was dismissed following a 2-1 home defeat against Saudi Arabia in a World Cup qualifier on March 28.

The result has left Iran with an uphill battle to qualify for the 2010 finals in South Africa.

   Since the new FFI board started its work in January 2008 it has made five coaching appointments for the national team.

Following the initial appointment of an interim coach, the federation reportedly signed a contract with Spain's Javier Clemente who however rejected the job as he did not want to live in Iran.

   After Clemente, the FFI turned in March last year to Iranian-American coach Afshin Qotbi but at the last minute chose national team skipper Ali Daei instead.

Mayelikohan's appointment was not a popular one amid speculation it was a political decision due to his closeness to the country's sports organization, which is headed by a deputy of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

   Before even naming his assistants, Mayelikohan was involved in quarrels with the media and club coaches who were against his appointment.

Local sports media said that a national coach who could not control his temper was not qualified to lead the team to the 2010 World Cup.

   Daei's earlier appointment had also been seen as a political decision as Qotbi was widely regarded as far more qualified than the inexperienced former Bayern Munich striker.

   Iran will now again have to appoint a new coach ahead of a vital match against North Korea in June, when a defeat in Pyongyang would mean the end of their hopes of going to South Africa.

   Iran has only six points from five games and must still play in Group B against the two Koreas in Pyongyang and Seoul as well as against the United Arab Emirates in Tehran.

   The top two teams qualify directly for the World Cup while the third-placed team goes through playoffs.