PLDC - Karim Bagheri and Vahid Hashemian will be part of Team Melli technical staff in the next round of World Cup qualifiers, said the president of the Iranian Football Federation Shahaboddin Azizi Khadem.
Bagheri had joined Team Melli at the request of Dragan Skocic before the start of qualifiers in Manama. The Croat had already asked the federation to preserve Bagheri in the team as his contract with Persepolis will end at end of this season.
Elsewhere, Azizi Khadem pointed to the length of Skocic’s contract with the national team, saying “The length of his contract is the 10 official matches of Team Melli [in the qualifiers]. We may also have some FIFA days.”
Under the tutelage of Skocic, the Iranian team has gained seven consecutive victories, including four in the qualifiers. The performance has persuaded the Federation and experts to continue working with Skocic. Experts believe that the Croat has a good understanding of Iranian football, despite his lack of experience in managing a national team.
Iran will learn rivals of the next stage of qualifiers on July 1.