Iranian handball set for new era under Spanish coach Guijosa
Iranian handball national team will be looking to embark on a new chapter under Spanish head coach Rafael Guijosa.
The 55-year-old Spaniard, who took over from Majid Rahimizadeh last week, returns to the role for a second spell after a decade, having steered Iran to an Asian bronze in 2014, and a maiden appearance at the World Championship the following year, though his two-year stint came to an end before the finals in Qatar.
“I’m really happy to come back to Iran to work as the head coach and the sport director of the national team,” the Spanish coach said after being reappointed to job last week.
“Ten years ago, I never thought I would go back to Iran again, though I always followed Iranian handball in all these years,” added the ex-coach of Qatari club Al Arabi.
“I’m so excited to work again with the Iranian handball, fight for medals and help the national team reach the World Championship,” said Guijosa, a former World Player of the Year, who was part of the national team that won back-to-back Olympic bronzes in 1996 and 2000.
A sixth-place finish in January’s Asian Championship in Bahrain saw Iran miss out on next year’s global showpiece – cohosted by Denmark, Norway, and Croatia – but Alireza Pakdel, the chairman of the Iranian Handball Federation, said the country has already set sights on glory in the future events.
“We have the Asian Championship next year and then the Asian Games in Aichi and Nagoya. That’s why we couldn’t afford to waist much time and decided to go after a coach who is familiar with the Asian handball,” Pakdel said upon appointing Guijosa to the role.
“We’re looking for a new style of play for the national team. In Guijosa, we have hired a high-profile coach with a decent record. The Iranian federation had a 10-man shortlist for the job, but Guijosa best fitted the bill among all candidates. He is a relatively young coach and will surely help develop the next generation of Iranian players,” added the head of national governing body of the sport.
Meanwhile, top Iranian keeper Mohammad Siavashi believes Guijosa has all the right attributes to succeed in his new role.
“He is a top-notch coach. Spanish coaches are best known in the world for their tactical acumen, and, in behavioral terms, they are pretty similar to the Iranians. He will have a better understanding of Iranian players, which I’m sure will be a major boost for us in the future competitions,” said Siavashi, who was part of the team, when Iran celebrated a first World Championship qualification under the Spaniard.