Iranian volleyball in quest of high-profile coach for national team: Report
The Iranian Volleyball Federation is considering a shortlist of world-class coaches for the national team, according to sports news website Varzesh 3.
The job has been vacant for the past two weeks after Behrouz Ataei stepped down from his role in the aftermath of a 3-1 defeat against the Czech Republic midway through the FIVB Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Rio de Janeiro.
A disappointing run in the competition saw the Asian powerhouse hit rock bottom as a seventh-place finish in the eight-team table in Pool A left Iran on the brink of missing out on a berth for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The qualification campaign was the latest episode in a woeful five months for the team under Ataei, during which Iran finished third from bottom in the preliminary round of the Volleyball Nations League in July before losing out to Japan in straight sets in the Asian Championship final on home soil.
Iran still managed to grab the gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games in early October but the 53-hour trip from China to Brazil surely hindered Iran’s quest for direct Olympic qualification.
Ataei’s resignation came only two years after he had become the first domestic head coach on Iran bench in more than a decade, when he took over from Russian Vladimir Alekno following a group stage exit at the Tokyo Olympics.
And now, in a last-ditch effort to secure a place in next year’s Games, the Iranian volleyball governing body has decided to go back to the foreign coach solution, coming up with a three-man shortlist for the position, Varzesh 3 wrote this week.
Alekno, who steered his country to a famous five-set victory over Brazil for the Olympic gold in London 2012, is back in contention for the job, though he has been away from coaching since the Tokyo Games and told Varzesh 3 that he would only consider working with the Iranian federation in a “consultancy capacity.”
However, Alekno’s former Italian assistant Tomaso Totolo has reportedly been in talks with the Russian in recent days, trying to lure him back to the coaching role of Iran.
Meanwhile, Gianlorenzo Blengini is the favorite candidate for the chairman of the Iranian federation, Mohammadreza Davarzani, and the Italian has already sent a positive signal in early negotiations, but Iran still faces a tough task in securing the services of the 51-year-old coach as he is under contract with Volley Lube club in his home country.
The pinnacle of Blengini’s coaching career came in the Rio 2016 Olympics, where he led Italy to the silver medal.
He was also in charge of the European heavyweight when it came out on top in four sets against Alekno’s Iran at the Olympics two years ago.
Brazilian Renan Dal Zotto is also regarded as serious contender for the position by the Iranian federation.
Dal Zotto is currently the head coach of Brazil – a job he took in 2016 – but could make way for a new face ahead of the Olympics after a run of below-par results in recent months – including a last-eight exit in the VNL Finals in the summer.
Whoever is appointed to the Iranian role will have a daunting task on his hands to keep the faint hope of the Olympic qualification alive.
With Germany, Brazil, Poland, Canada, USA, and Japan having already joined host France, and Egypt likely to take the African slot, only four quotas remain up for grabs, which will be decided through the FIVB Men’s World Ranking by the end of the preliminary phase of 2024 Volleyball Nations League.
As it stands, Italy – third in the ranking – as well as Argentina (sixth), Slovenia (seventh), and Serbia (ninth) are the favorites to book a ticket for the French capital, with Iran lagging behind in the 15th place.