Iran futsal coach Shamsaei nearing exit door: Report
Head coach Vahid Shamsaei is on the brink of parting ways with the Iran futsal national team, according to ISNA.
Shamsaei, who led Iran to the World Cup last 16 in September, is on a contract with the Iranian federation until the end of Persian calendar year (March 20), but the sport’s governing body is willing to terminate the deal, should the two sides agree on a compensation fee, the news agency wrote on Sunday.
Widely regarded as the greatest Iranian futsal player of all time, Shamsaei took charge of the national team in 2022 but had to settle for a runner-up finish in his maiden event after a 3-2 loss to Japan in the AFC Asian Cup, a tournament the Iranian great won on eight occasions as a player.
The 49-year-old coach successfully steered Iran to a record-extending 13th Asian title in April, thanks to a 4-1 victory over host Thailand in the final, and when his team headed to the World Cup in Uzbekistan last month, Iranian fans were eager to see their team improve on its best-ever finish at the flagship international event – the third place under former Iranian coach Mohammad Nazemasharieh in the 2016 edition in Colombia after a shootout win against Portugal.
Iran got off to flying start to its campaign, routing Venezuela 7-1, and then went on to finish atop the group table in emphatic fashion by defeating Guatemala (9-4) and France (4-1), though the latter scoreline triggered angry reactions from other teams and a FIFA probe into tanking allegations, as the defeat would have meant an easier path in the knockout phase for the Group F runner-up.
The top spot sent Iran into a last-16 clash against Morocco, where Iran gave away an early lead to suffer a 4-3 loss to the African champion and fail to progress to the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time in 12 years.