Five coaches shortlisted for Iran job: Volleyball federation

Five coaches have been shortlisted to take charge of Iran’s national team, the country’s volleyball federation said on Wednesday.

The Iranian volleyball governing body refused to reveal the names of the candidates, however, the federation’s Technical Committee had confirmed on Saturday that the new manager would be a “top-notch foreign national.”

Iran is yet to appoint a new head coach following the departure of Montenegrin Igor Kolaković in late April.

Russian club VC Zenit-Kazan said on Monday that the Iranian federation has been negotiating a contract with its head coach Vladimir Alekno – a former head coach of Russia.

Multiple sources have suggested in recent months that Italian trio Angelo Lorenzetti, Lorenzo Bernardi, and Ferdinando De Giorgi are also among favorites for Iran’s managerial role.

Iran will attend the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics next year – a second-ever participation in the Games for the Asian powerhouse, following a quarterfinal finish in Rio 2016.