The matches are scheduled to take place from May 31 to June 15, 2021. Iran was originally scheduled to host three matches out of four remaining matches before coronavirus shut down the competitions.

“In the video conference held on Feb. 14, I told Shin Mangal, AFC Competitions Director, all decisions have been already taken and the conference is useless,” Skocic posted on his Instagram account.

“They wanted to hear our opinions but I think everything was already determined because when we were discussing holding the matches in April or postponing them to June, a message suddenly appeared on the screen in which the matches would surely be held in June.

“In the session which was held to talk about the postponement of the matches, Bahrain’s representative, without any introduction, talked about the hosting the remaining matches and it was the thing that surprised me the most.

“Furthermore, I don’t understand why the matches were postponed for one year. When we talk about the safety and wellbeing of the players, the strict observance of health protocols is my priority but the coronavirus is no longer a new issue. In my opinion, the AFC has gained experience in holding the competitions over the past year.

“I insistently wanted the AFC representatives to emulate the various competitions in Europe and they told me, “You don’t realize the diversity of the Asian continent.” Now, with this decision, I am fully aware of the diversity among the continents. Very weird behavior.

“In my opinion, the AFC should have found a solution that equality benefits everyone – not one team – and made a decision according to the spirit of sport. But in the end, all the teams have to face us and we will undoubtedly have a strong presence and surpass this situation,” Skocic concluded.

Iran will have to meet table-toppers Iraq, Bahrain, Hong Kong, and Cambodia.

The post AFC Pre-Selected Bahrain as Group C host appeared first on Iran News Daily.

“We are waiting for AFC’s final decision about the competition. Then, we will decide about friendly games as part of our preparation for the remaining matches,” Skocic said.

The Croat and Iran coaching staff are attending the league competition.

“We’re watching all the matches to find the best possible solution for our team. We work hard to prepare Iran national team for the qualifiers,” he stated.

The four remaining matches will be held in a centralized venue. Iran has offered the Asian Football Confederation to host the matches.

“It will work out in our favor to host the matches but it doesn’t matter to us to play everywhere else,” Skocic concluded.

Iran sit third in Group C behind Iraq and Bahrain.

The post Working hard to prepare Iran for qualifiers: Skocic appeared first on Iran News Daily.

The Iran football federation had previously negotiated with Iranian coaches Ali Daei and Amir Ghalenoei but it has reportedly reached an agreement with the Croatian coach, Skocic.

The contract draft is prepared and he will be named Team Melli head coach by tomorrow.

Skocic stepped down from his role as Sanat Naft coach a couple of days ago.

The 51-year-old coach took charge of Malavan in 2013 and has also coached Foolad and Khooneh be Khooneh.

Team Melli will host Hong Kong on March 26 in Tehran and meet Cambodia five days later in an away match in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification.

Iran will face Bahrain and Iraq on June 4 and 9 in Tehran.

The post Iran Football Federation Made Deal with Skocic appeared first on Iran News Daily.

The Iranian club has failed to reach an agreement with Italian coach Andrea Stramaccioni and now is going to sign the Croatian coach, Dragan Skocic.

Skocic has 18-month remaining on his current contract and it’s pretty unlikely that Sanat Naft will let him go.

Esteghlal has also negotiated with an Italian coach.

The Blues sit fifth in the Iran Professional League (IPL) table with 29 points, five points adrift of leader Persepolis.

Esteghlal football club officially announced that it has parted ways with Andrea Stramaccioni.

The Italian coach left Esteghlal on December 8 after the Iranian team failed to transfer his salary due to the USA sanctions.

While the Italian coach received part of his unpaid salary after the representative of an Iranian bank gave him a check at Iran’s Embassy in Rome, he refused to return to Iran to lead Esteghlal.

The post Skocic one of Esteghlal options for coaching appeared first on Iran News Daily.