End of an era as Persepolis set to replace Golmohammadi
Persepolis is up for a new chapter in the Iranian club football as the Persian Gulf Pro League champion has begun the quest for a new head coach to replace Yahya Golmohammadi.
Golmohammadi stepped down from his role after a frustrating 1-1 draw away to Mes Rafsanjan last week for what he labeled as the club’s “financial and infrastructural problems”, and though Persepolis board was quick to reject his resignation, it now seems be to be a matter of days before his departure is officially announced, bringing the Iranian’s trophy-laden reign on the Tehran Reds’ bench to an end.
Having joined the club midway through the 2019/20 season, the 52-year-old coach led Persepolis to a fourth successive top-flight title by the end of the campaign and repeated the success the following season, while steering his team to the final showdown of the 2020 AFC Champions League, only to miss out on a maiden Asian silverware after a 2-1 defeat against Ulsan Hyundai.
The Reds’ title streak came to an end by archrival Esteghlal in the 2021/22 season but Golmohammadi’s side restored domestic dominance a year later, as seven wins in a row – including a victory in last April’s crunch Tehran Derby – helped Persepolis win the league and then a seal a memorable league and cup double in May, thanks to a second win against the Tehran Blues in a month.
However, Golmohammadi’s falling-out with the club CEO Reza Darvish, as well as long-term injuries to Morteza Pouraliganji, Vahid Amiri, and Yassin Salmani – with star player Mahdi Torabi far from his best form – led to a run of inept results and performances in the new season.
The Reds only managed three wins in 12 outings across all competitions between late October and the Mes draw, while crashing out of the Asian elite clubs’ competition at the group stage, which was met by chants from sections of the stands against Golmohammadi in the aftermath of the 2-1 home defeat against Qatari club Al Duhail in December.
Branko to save the season?
In a statement late on Saturday, Persepolis said the club’s priority would be to continue with Golmohammadi but in case of his permanent departure, the Iranian would be replaced by a “high-profile foreign head coach.”
With Esteghlal and Sepahan sitting above Persepolis in the league table and Tractor closing the gap on the top three at the mid-point of the season, Reds faithful have every reason to be concerned about the future of their team for the rest of the campaign.
However, they could still be treated to a return to good old days as former head coach Branko Ivankovic is reportedly the favorite to make a dramatic comeback to the Persepolis bench.
Now in charge of Oman for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, the 69-year-old Croatian is widely regarded as the linchpin of the Reds success over the past decade by leading the club to three successive league titles and a first-ever AFC Champions League final in 2018.
Ivankovic, who ended his five-year stint following a domestic double in June 2019 to join Saudi club Al Ahli, told IRNA last week that he is yet to be approached by Persepolis but he would be “open to negotiate with any team” once he sees out his contract with the Persian Gulf country by the end of their Asian Cup campaign.
The other familiar face lined up for the role in the media is Ivankovic’s fellow countryman Dragan Skocic – the manager of Croatia’s under-21 side – who might have personal reasons to return to the Iranian club football after being harshly treated to be sacked as the national team coach only a couple of months before the 2022 World Cup despite a dominant run in the qualifiers.