Nekounam appointed coach and Piravani executive director of Iran national football team

The Iranian Football Federation announced that Afshin Piravani and Javad Nekounam will serve as executive director and assistant coach of the Iran national football team, respectively. This decision was made during a meeting between Carlos Queiroz and members of the Football Federation's board. Afshin Piravani is a former captain and coach of Persepolis, having played over ten years for the national team with 66 caps. Javad Nekounam holds the record for the most national team appearances in Iran's football history with 151 caps. He retired from the national team after scoring against Sweden in Stockholm. During Queiroz's tenure in Iran, Nekounam wore the captain's armband. However, he has not yet retired from club football and is still a member of Osasuna. If he wishes to play for Osasuna next season, the club is unlikely to release him for national duties due to FIFA regulations that apply only to players. There are seven weeks left in the Segunda División, and Osasuna is in the relegation zone. Nekounam's contract with Osasuna is for two years, but given his new responsibilities with the national team, he may retire from playing at the end of this season. The head of the technical committee of the Football Federation stated that Nekounam knows how to work with Queiroz and just needs to enhance his knowledge through coaching classes. Morteza Mohseni told 'Varzesh 3' that Nekounam is an exceptional player with a high IQ, which helped him enter La Liga. He has been effective as a captain and is hoped to succeed in coaching as well. Previously, Ali Karimi declined to continue working with Queiroz, but Mohseni's views on Nekounam are shared by other football experts in Iran who consider his character suitable for coaching. Many individuals in Iranian football history have transitioned from assistant roles to head coach positions. Mohammad Bayati was an assistant to his older brother Mahmoud and became the head coach in 1970. Mohammad Ranjbar was an assistant to Dehdari and became the head coach during the 1972 Asian Cup, recognized as the youngest champion coach in the history of the tournament. Hoshmat Mohajerani was an assistant to Frank O'Farrell and later became the national team coach. This has also happened temporarily or permanently for Hassan Habibi, Asghar Sharafi, Homayoun Shahrokhi, Mansour Ebrahimzadeh, Alireza Mansourian, and Nasser Ebrahimi. Mehdi Monajati and Reza Vatankhah also served as assistants to Parviz Dehdari and briefly held the head coach position. This applies to Mohammad Mayeli Kohan as well. Branko Ivankovic also became the head coach of the Iranian national team after years of being an assistant to Miroslav Blazevic. A significant goal that Nekounam may consider for the post-Queiroz era. The Iranian national team is preparing for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, the results of which will also count towards qualification for the 2019 Asian Cup.