Sa Pinto sacked as Esteghlal head coach
Ricardo Sa Pinto has been dismissed as the head coach of Persian Gulf Pro League side Esteghlal, the Tehran-based club confirmed late on Friday.
The decision follows the team’s elimination from the AFC Champions League Two in the round of 16 on Tuesday. Esteghlal conceded two late goals to lose 3-2 against Jordan’s Al Hussein in Amman, crashing out 4-2 on aggregate in Asia’s second-tier club competition. “Esteghlal wishes to express its gratitude to Mr. Ricardo Sa Pinto, the former head coach of the senior football team, for his efforts, and hereby announces that the collaboration has come to an end,” a club statement read.
“At the outset of his tenure, the club provided its full backing by meeting his technical and operational requests and assembling the squad in line with the head coach’s vision.
“However, the results achieved throughout the season did not align with Esteghlal’s stature. The team’s elimination from the Asian competition – one of the season’s primary objectives – led to dissatisfaction among supporters and the club management. With no clear prospect for improvement evident in the remainder of the domestic campaign,” the statement added, also citing “certain unconventional communication challenges on the part of the coaching staff” as a contributing factor to his dismissal.
“Esteghlal Club wishes Mr. Sa Pinto success in his future endeavors and reaffirms its commitment to advancing the team with full force and determination, striving to meet the aspirations of its loyal supporters. The process of appointing a new head coach will be announced in due course.”
Sa Pinto began his second spell in charge ahead of the current season, having previously guided the Blues to a third-place league finish and the Hazfi Cup final in the 2022/23 season, where they lost to archrival Persepolis.
Esteghlal has recorded 13 wins and eight defeats in 31 matches across all competitions this season and currently sits third in the Persian Gulf Pro League with 35 points from 20 games – one point behind leader Golgohar Sirjan, which has played two matches more, and level on points with second-placed Tractor.
Esteghlal remains in contention for a second successive Hazfi Cup title and is set to meet Khaybar Khorramabad in the quarterfinals.
The lowest point of Esteghlal’s inconsistent run under Sa Pinto came in the Group A opener of the Champions League Two last September, when the Blues suffered a humiliating 7-1 defeat to the UAE’s Al Wasl in Dubai.
The Capital Blues travel to face bottom-placed Mes Rafsanjan today, a match that will also mark a reunion with former coach Mojtaba Jabbari, who led the club to domestic cup success last season.
Several names have already emerged in Iranian media as potential successors to the Portuguese. Former player Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh, who impressed during two short spells as caretaker coach last season, is reportedly the frontrunner to take charge for the remainder of the campaign.