Kartal at crossroads over Persepolis future amid regional tensions
Turkish head coach Ismail Kartal is reportedly in talks with Persepolis over terminating his contract with the Persian Gulf Pro League club amid political tensions between Iran and Israel.
Israel launched an aerial aggression on Iranian territory in the early hours of June 13, which led to a 12-day war, before a ceasefire went into effect between the two countries on Tuesday.
Citing his family’s concerns about further conflict, Kartal, who is currently in his home country, has told the Tehran Reds that he will inform the club of his final decision on Monday, according to the Varzesh3 news website.
Kartal’s contract with the Iranian top-flight giant runs until June 2026.
The former Fenerbahce manager was appointed to the Reds job in January, leading the club to eight wins and four draws in 16 games across all competitions as Persepolis finished third to Tractor and Sepahan in the Iranian league – a lowest finish for the club in nine seasons – while crashing out of the AFC Champions League Elite and the Iranian Hazfi Cup.
Should Kartal part ways with Persepolis, he will become the second foreign coach to leave the Iranian league in recent days following Frenchman Patrice Carteron.
Carteron stepped from his role at Sepahan last week, before the club named ex-Iran international and club legend Moharram Navidkia as the new head coach.
Navidkia, 42, who had been without a job since leaving Mes Rafsanjan last October, led Sepahan to a runner-up finish in the domestic league in the 2020/21 season in his first spell at club.
Iranian league champion Tractor, meanwhile, rejected rumours of its foreign employees, including Croatian manager Dragan Skocic, demanding Tractor exit, writing on X that they will all report for preseason.
Croatian trio Igor Postonjski, Tomislav Strkalj, and Domagoj Drozdek, as well as Portuguese midfielder Ricardo Alves played an essential part to help Tractor lift a maiden top-flight trophy in May.