Iran fires head soccer coach months before World Cup

Croatian Dragan Skocic led Iranian national team to its sixth World Cup, set to take place in November; replacement not yet announced

By Agencies and ToI Staff 12 July 2022, 9:56 am
Iran's soccer players Saman Ghoddoos, top, Amir Abed Zadeh, bottom, and Hossein Kanani celebrate qualifying for 2022 World Cup after defeating Iraq, at the Azadi stadium in Tehran, Iran, on Thursday, January 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Less than five months before the World Cup, Iran sacked the coach of its national soccer team, Croatian Dragan Skocic, on Monday.

“The technical committee of the Football Federation has dismissed the coach of the national football team, Dragan Skocic,” the official Irna agency reported.

Skocic, 53, was appointed in early February 2020 to replace Belgian Marc Wilmots, who left in December 2019, three matches into the second round of Asian World Cup qualifying, in a dispute with the federation after two consecutive defeats.

Skocic guided Iran to first place in its groups in both that stage and the final one, to take the Islamic Republic to its sixth World Cup. He won 15 of his 18 games while in charge.

Skocic first arrived in Iran in 2013 and had previously coached four Iranian top flight teams.

Iran is set to kick off its World Cup campaign against England in Qatar on November 21. Asia’s top-ranked team at No. 23, Iran’s Group B also includes Wales and the United States.

The national federation has not announced a replacement.

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