Media protests against the presence of an Iranian-American coach in Nassaji
The announcement of Omid Namazi’s presence in the coaching staff of the bottom-ranked team Nassaji Mazandaran has led to protests by government media. Namazi’s coaching at Zob Ahan was his latest experience in Iran at the age of 59.
Mizan website wrote that Namazi openly expressed his anti-religious and anti-Iranian positions during the protests and was a supporter of removing the national team from the World Cup. The Judiciary’s news agency, while republishing part of Namazi’s interview with Voice of America, wrote that Nassaji’s officials should quickly create the grounds for terminating cooperation with this individual.
Fars News called the coach’s assistant in Nassaji a dual-nationality individual who supported the protests and had a negative background. Mashregh News also found this choice controversial and stated that Nassaji should be held accountable and the entry of this person should be reviewed by relevant authorities.