Persepolis coach quest to continue as Ivankovic snubs Reds offer
Persepolis was dealt a major blow in its pursuit of a new head coach after Croatian Branko Ivankovic turned down the offer for a dramatic return to the Persian Gulf Pro League champion’s bench.
The Reds role has been vacant following the 1-1 away draw against Mes Rafsanjan on the first day of the new year, when Yahya Golmohammadi stepped down from his job to end a glittering four year, in which he led the club to three top-flight crowns and last season’s Hazfi Cup title as well as the AFC Champions League final in 2020.
Ivankovic, now in charge of the Oman national team at the Asian Cup in Qatar, is widely regarded as the linchpin of Reds’ domestic success over the past seven years – also leading his side to three league titles, a cup triumph, and a maiden place in the Asian elite clubs’ competition final before parting ways with Persepolis by the end of 2018/19 season.
Persepolis chairman Reza Darvish was in Doha on Thursday to lure Ivankovic back to the job but Persepolis announced later on the day that the Croatian declined the position for “personal and family” reasons.
“Iran has been like a second country to me and I love Persepolis and its supporters but, unfortunately, I am not in the right situation at this time, from a family and personal point of view, to return to Iran,” Persepolis quoted the former Iran manager as saying.
Ivankovic’s decision means Persepolis will now be facing a race against time to appoint a new coach before the Iranian league resumption, once the national team’s Asian Cup campaign is over.
Persepolis is third in the table with 30 points after 15 rounds of matches – two points adrift of archrival Esteghlal on top – and crashed out of the AFC Champions League after finishing second to Al Nassr in Group E in November.
Brazilian Osmar Loss, an assistant to Golmohammadi, has been in charge of the first team’s training sessions in recent days and could be handed a caretaker role for the rest of the season if the club’s quest for a new coach ends in vain.
Iranian sports website Varzesh3 reported late on Thursday that the club will make an approach for Spanish coach Javier Pereira, who led Shanghai Port to the Chinese Super League title in 2023 but left the club in December.
The Spaniard, 57, is also a former manager of Alavés and Levante in his home country while serving as an assistant coach in Premier League clubs Watford and Fulham.