Esteghlal FC Archives - Iran News Daily

Mahmoud Fekri Appointed as Esteghlal Head Coach

reporter 1222 — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 07:50:35 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Mahmoud Fekri was appointed as new head coach of Iran’s Esteghlal football team.

Mahmoud Fekri, who has most recently coached Nassaji Mazandaran, was a member of Esteghlal club as a player in two stints.

Foolad coach Javad Nekounam, ex-Esteghlal coach Farhad Majidi and German-Iranian trainer Alexander Nouri also were among the candidates.

Majidi parted ways with Esteghlal in early September and his assistant Majid Namjoo Motlagh headed the team in the 2020 AFC Champions League preliminary round, where Esteghlal failed to qualify for Round of 16.

The new edition of the Iran Professional League (IPL), also known as Persian Gulf Premier League, will begin on Oct. 31.

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Majidi, Nekounam Nominated for Esteghlal Coach: Reports

reporter 1222 — Sun, 04 Oct 2020 05:34:00 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Farhad Majidi and Foolad Khuzestan head coach Javad Nekounam are top two contenders to take charge at the Persian Gulf Pro League side Esteghlal, sources said on Saturday.

Of the 16 Iranian league teams, Esteghlal is the only side yet to know its head coach for next season.

The ongoing saga of the Tehran-based Blues’ managerial role entered a new phase last Wednesday after CEO Ahmad Sa’adatmand was removed from his job by the club’s board of directors.

Hours before his dismissal, Sa’adatmand had announced that Esteghlal had reached an agreement with former Werder Bremen and Hertha Berlin manager Alexander Nouri over the team’s vacant job.

Sports newspaper Iran Varzeshi on Saturday wrote that Nekounam – a former midfielder of the Blues – is the top candidate to replace caretaker manager Majid Namjoo Motlaq, who steered his team to a last-16 finish at the AFC Champions League in Qatar.

According to the paper, Esteghlal will have to activate the manager’s release clause – reportedly some $85,000 – before signing the 39-year-old Iranian.

Nekounam stole the headlines after leading Foolad to the third spot in the Iranian league last season, securing a place for the southern Iranian club in the next edition of the Asian elite club competition.

However, Foolad CEO Saeid Azari ruled out any rumors regarding Nekounam’s departure on Saturday, insisting that the ex-Iran skipper will stay with Foolad until the end of next league campaign.

Majidi, meanwhile, is tipped to resume his job, according to Mehr News Agency.

He stepped down from his role in September following a 3-2 defeat against Tractor in the Hazfi Cup final.

He was heavily critical of Sa’adatmand at the time, slamming his decision to travel to Italy to negotiate a contract with Majidi’s Italian predecessor Andrea Stramaccioni on the eve of the Hazfi Cup semifinal tie against archrival Persepolis in late August – which the Blues won in the shootouts.

Majidi had a decent record during his seven-month spell at Esteghlal, which finished as runner-up in the league.

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Alexander Nouri Rejects Agreement with Esteghlal

reporter 1222 — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 10:41:24 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian-German coach Alexander Nouri has rejected reports of his initial agreement with Esteghlal or any other Iranian team.

“My dear compatriots, unfortunately, numerous rumors were created by my name in the past days. I have had no serious agreement with any team,” he wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday, also wishing to see Iranian people soon.

This comes as Esteghlal on Wednesday has fired general manager Ahmad Sa’adatmant who had claimed of the initial agreement with the former Werder Bremen coach.

The club’s board decided to oust the GM, citing numerous reasons including revealing the club’s secrets and also playing with the emotions of the fans with the promise of returning Italian coach Andrea Stramaccioni.

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CEO Sa’adatmand Sacked from Esteghlal

reporter 1222 — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 05:29:13 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Ahmad Sa’adatmand was removed from his position as Esteghlal CEO, the Persian Gulf Pro League side’s board of directors announced on Wednesday.

The Sa’adatmand dismissal came only hours after he had confirmed that the club reached agreement with Alexander Nouri to appoint the former Werder Bremen and Hertha Berlin manager as the new head coach of the Tehran-based Blues.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the club board underlined Sa’adatmand’s “abrupt” and “ineffective” trip to Italy, in an effort to lure back ex-Esteghlal manager Andrea Stramaccioni, as one of the reasons for his ouster.

The timing of Sa’adatmand’s trip – on the eve of Esteghlal’s Hazfi Cup semifinal match against archrival Persepolis in late August – drew criticism from many at the club, most notably then-manager Farhad Majidi who resigned after the shootout victory over Persepolis.

Majidi then reversed his decision but stepped down a week later following the cup final 3-2 defeat against Tractor.

The axed CEO was also blamed for his mismanagement of the former German head coach Winfried Schäfer’s financial case, which eventually led to the club’s suspension of three transfer windows by the international football governing body, FIFA.

Sa’adatmand’s expelling, however, leaves the club in further uncertainty regarding the new head coach.

Under caretaker manager Majid Namjoo Motlaq, Esteghlal was knocked out of the AFC Champions League after suffering a 2-1 defeat against Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor at the round of 16.

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Esteghlal, Al-Shorta Stop with Draw

reporter 1222 — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 08:34:15 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Esteghlal football team of Iran was held to a 1-1 draw by Al-Shorta of Iraq in Group A of the 2020 AFC Champions League.

Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia has already booked its place in Round of 16 and the second ticket to this stage will have to be decided on Matchday Six.

Both sides went into the game needing a win to join group leader Al-Ahli into the next round, with Al-Shorta holding a three-point lead, but having played a game more.

Following a Mohammed Mezher corner, Mazin Fayyadh climbed unmarked inside the box, powering a header towards goal, but Seyed Hossein Hosseini made a quality reflex save to deny Al Shorta their opening goal inside the first 10 minutes.

Fayyadh was the danger man again five minutes later, the winger advanced through the heart of Esteghlal’s midfield and tried his luck with a left-footed effort from outside the box. Marwan Hussein tried to pounce on Hosseini’s spilled save, but defender Roozbeh Cheshmi was first to the ball and made the clearance.

Al Shorta’s number 14 finally got his goal in the 25th minute. Fayyadh lost his marker once again and guided his header from Ali Fayez’s corner kick into the bottom far corner of Hosseini’s goal to open the scoring for Al Shorta.

Substitute Amir Arsalan Motahari equalized the match in the 68th minute.

The result means Esteghlal needs to defeat Al-Ahli by two clear goals on Matchday Six, while a 1-0 win for the Iranians would mean they have an identical goal-difference to Al Shorta and the two sides would have to be separated by their disciplinary record.

Al-Shorta’s hopes of qualification now relies on Esteghlal losing its next game.

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Moradmand Joins Esteghlal

reporter 1222 — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 09:59:32 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Mohammad Hossein Moradmand reached an agreement to join Esteghlal football team.

The 27-year-old center back has not yet finalized his contract with the Blues.

Moradmand has most recently played for Shahr Khodro.

Esteghlal has already signed Tractor goalkeeper Rashid Mazaheri.

The team has also reached an agreement with Paykan midfielder Saeid Vasei.

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Vouria Ghafouri Chosen As Best Right-Back for ACL 2018

reporter 1222 — Sat, 25 Jul 2020 12:09:23 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Esteghlal defender Vouria Ghafouri has been voted as the best right-back for all-star XI in the 2018 AFC Champions League.

Vouria Ghafouri appeared in all 10 of Esteghlal’s games as the Tehran giant reached the quarter-finals for only the second time. The full-back’s energy down the right was a constant threat to opposing defenses while he also weighed in with two goals, including a match-winning strike against Al Hilal.

In a poll conducted by the-afc.com, 92 percent of participants voted for the Iranian right-back.

Ghafouri vied with Japanese Koki Anzai, Lee Yong from South Korea, and Zhang Linpeng from China.

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Esteghlal, Persepolis Not Allowed to Sign Foreign Players

reporter 1222 — Sun, 10 May 2020 13:06:12 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran’s Sports and Youth Ministry has ordered football clubs Persepolis and Esteghlal they are not allowed to sign foreign players until further notice.

The ministry had already announced that the two clubs should not sign foreign coaches.

Mehdi Alinejad, the Iranian Deputy Minister of Sport and Youth, has said that they have made the decision to fight football’s agents in the country.

“The sports ministry is going to prevent football trafficking because there is no place for dirty money. These two clubs are governmental and we want to eradicate corruption in our football,” Alinejad said.

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Nikolay Bodurov Left Esteghlal

reporter 1222 — Sun, 03 May 2020 04:54:28 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Esteghlal’s Bulgarian defender Nikolay Bodurov parted ways with the Iranian team.

The 33-year-old defender signed for the Iranian club in January on a six-month contract until the end of the season, with an option to extend his contract until the end of the 2020–21 season.

After the Iran Professional League (IPL) was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, Bodurov returned to Bulgaria.

On Saturday, the Esteghlal football club announced that it has parted company with the Bulgarian defender.

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Esteghlal, Shahr Khodro book for ACL playoff

reporter 1222 — Sun, 26 Jan 2020 06:32:36 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Esteghlal and Shahr Khodro football teams from Iran booked their places at the 2020 AFC Champions League playoff on Saturday.

Esteghlal defeated Kuwait SC 3-0 at the 2020 AFC Champions League Preliminary Stage 2 in Dubai’s Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium.

Malian striker Cheick Diabaté scored twice in the 27th and 54th and Vouria Ghafouri made it 3-0 in the 59th minute.

Esteghlal will take on Qatar’s Al Rayyan SC at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Tuesday. Eventually, the winners will sit in ACL’s Group A along with Al Wahda FSCC of the UAE, Iraq’s Al Shorta and another team from the qualifying stages.

The other Iranian team beside Esteghlal, Shahr Khodro, defeated Bahrain’s Riffa 2-1 at the Sharjah Stadium. Mohammadreza Khalatbari scored for Shahr Khodro in the 19th minute but Saleh Taher equalized the match in the 35th minute.

With eight minutes remaining, Amin Ghasseminejhad scored the winner for the Iranian team.

Shahr Khodro will play Qatar’s Al Sailiya SC on Tuesday at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium and the ultimate winners will advance to Group B alongside Al Hilal SFC of Saudi Arabia, the UAE’s Shabab Al Ahli Dubai and Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan.

Iran’s Persepolis and Sepahan have already secured their places in the group stage of the competition.

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