Bagheri tipped to showcase coaching credentials on Persepolis bench
Persepolis’s interim coach Karim Bagheri has been backed by high-profile figures in Iranian football for a permanent role on the Reds’ bench.
The former Iranian international midfielder was given the caretaker job for the upcoming two fixtures in the Persian Gulf Pro League, after ex-Spanish head coach Juan Carlos Garrido parted ways with the club by mutual consent, following a 3-1 home loss to Mes Rafsanjan on Sunday.
A fourth defeat in six league outings left the defending champion in the fourth place of the Iranian top-flight table with 23 points – five points adrift of top two Tractor and Sepahan and one behind Foolad Khuzestan.
Persepolis will take on Khaybar at home on Friday and then plays away to bottom-side Havadar next Wednesday before heading into the midseason break.
The club hierarchy has reportedly begun seeking a new foreign coach, with numerous names popping up in the Iranian media in recent days to replace Garrido before Persepolis resumes league action against Zob Ahan on January 21.
Widely regarded as one of the finest players of his generation, 50-year-old Bagheri has served as an assistant coach during Persepolis’s domestic dominance over the past decade, working under Ali Daei, Branko Ivankovic, Gabriel Calderon, Yahya Golmohammadi, Osmar Loss Vieira, and, most recently, Garrido.
However, Bagheri, the club captain in the 2000s, has repeatedly insisted over the years that he has no intention of being the number one in the Tehran Reds’ dugout, though some retired players believe he will have to seize the opportunity in the upcoming double-header to justify an extended tenure.
Persepolis legend Ali Parvin, who coached Bagheri in Persepolis and the national team, said in an interview on Tuesday that he will try to convince him to stay on as the head coach.
“I think he will be the best fit for the job if his team wins the next two games,” Parvin said.
“I will surely persuade him to continue as the manager. That’s how I became the Persepolis head coach – starting with the interim role for a couple of matches,” said Parvin, adding that Bagheri has “a decent group of players at his disposal” to succeed.
Meanwhile, Khodadad Azizi, who formed a deadly trio with Daei and Bagheri in Team Melli in the late 90s, said he was thrilled to see his former international teammate given the job, though he believes Bagheri deserves a long-time contract.
“I think Persepolis should offer Karim a deal until the end of the next season. In my eyes, he is the all-time greatest player in Iranian football. He has worked as an assistant coach at the club for years and now deserves a shot at the managerial role. I truly wish him the best of success at the job,” Azizi said.