FRANCE 98 – General Media News Template

Former Croatian coach Tomislav Ivic will be taking the reins as coach of Iran in the World Cup in what at first glance seems a thankless task.

Ivic, a 63-year-old grandfather, took over the job in mid-January just five months before the France finals begin. Former coach Valdeir Vierra of Brazil, who led the Iran side to a World Cup play-off triumph over Australia on away goals on November 29, was originally retained after Iran failed to hire a top international coach. However the head of Iran’s football federation Mohsen Safaii-Farahani said Vierra had been unable to propose an acceptable programme to prove his ability to lead Iran, prompting his sacking and the hiring of Ivic.

Ivic explained what drove him to give up a secure position as vice-president of Hajduk Split to take on a surely much tougher task. “I like this Iranian team. They got to know me during the Asian Cup in 1996 when I took United Arab Emirates to the final,” Ivic said. “They took the trouble to find out my address and asked me if I wanted the job. The Iranian federation saw that I knew the team better than they did!”

However Ivic is not unaware of the difficult task Iran have against the likes of Germany, the United States and Yugoslavia in their World Cup group. “We are working to spring a surprise,” he said. “If we played Germany or Yugoslavia 15 times, I’m sure we could win at least once. Why not the first time in France?” He has initially agreed a six-month contract but it could be extended to include the Asian Games in Bangkok in December.

Ivic’s main task will be to try and plug the gaps in Iran’s leaky defence. “We do not have good organisation and when I talk about defence I mean from the striker back. We will have to work as a team to get the ball back,” Ivic added.