Ex-Iran volleyball coach Ataei has ‘unfinished job’ with national team
Former Iran head coach Behrouz Ataei says he will be looking to return to the national volleyball team at some point in the future to complete his “unfinished job.”
Ataei, 54, became the first domestic coach on Iran’s bench in more than a decade when he took over from Russian Vladimir Alekno after the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He got off to flying start to his reign by leading his rejuvenated team to the Asian title, thanks to a victory over host Japan in the final.
The Asian crown was followed by an impressive run to the 2022 Volleyball Nations League Finals, before Iran fell to a last-eight defeat against European powerhouse Poland.
However, a change in fortunes saw Ataei’s team finish second from bottom in the VNL preliminary table the following year and suffer a comprehensive loss to Japan on home soil in the Asian Championship final.
Feeling hard done by for some of the criticism he received in the latter stages of his tenure, Ataei stepped down from his role midway through the Olympic qualification tournament in Rio de Janeiro in October last year, where Iran lost six in seven and failed to secure a place in the Paris Games.
A former world champion as Iran under-21 coach, Ataei managed to restore his reputation on return to club action with Foolad Sirjan, lifting the Iranian and Asian trophies over the past 12 months.
The pinnacle of his helm at Foolad came in the FIVB Club World Championship in Uberlândia, Brazil, in early December, where his team beat Italian outfit Lube in a five-set thriller for the bronze medal – only a second Iranian club to achieve the feat, following Paykan in 2010.
“The victory over Lube, which is among the top three teams in the world’s best league and benefits from numerous international stars in the squad, is not an easy job at all,” Ataei told Varzesh3, adding: “But Foolad managed to beat them not once but twice [after the first-day win in the preliminary round] and all of my players deserve credit for their resilience in both games. I’m really proud to be working with this group.”
Opposite spiker Ali Hajipour and outside hitter Alireza Abdolhamidi played massive parts in Foolad’s remarkable run, with the former finishing second to Brazilian Wallace De Souza in the top scorers’ chart, while the latter was named in the team of the tournament.
“Abdolhamidi delivered a top-notch performance and played at the highest level throughout the event. Hajipour also enjoyed an exceptional tournament just as he did at the Asian Championship [in September]. However, I believe it was a team effort at the end, and all the players had the right mindset for this competition,” added the Iranian coach.
Asked if he fancies his chances of being appointed as Iran head coach for a second spell, Ataei said he has much more to offer to the national team.
“I have an unfinished job with the national team, but all I can say is that I’ll try to earn that right again through my future performance. That is what I’ll be looking forward to, though I’m not sure if it will happen anytime soon and, for now, I’d rather stay focused on my duty with Foolad,” said the Iranian.
Iran, meanwhile, will be looking to embark on a new chapter under Italian head coach Roberto Piazza, starting with next year’s Volleyball Nations League in June.