The player who became a coach: Masoud Shojaei appointed as head coach of the Havadar team.
Masoud Shojaei, the former captain of Iran’s national team, roughly two months after being selected as the head coach of the Havadar team, has officially taken charge of the team from today with the issuance of his coaching card, having obtained the necessary coaching qualifications.
Mr. Shojaei, who replaced Mahmoud Fekri mid-season following his resignation, recorded one draw and one win in his record during this time and managed to lead the Havadar team to the round of sixteen in the Iran Football Cup.
Masoud Shojaei, who now holds an Asian B license, is reportedly currently enrolled in A-level coaching courses. Masoud Shojaei’s assistants in the Havadar team will include Hamid Abdollahi, Mahmoud Shojaei, Mehrdad Tahmasebi, Shpetim Arfi, Yago as the fitness coach, Kazem Keramati as the goalkeeping coach, and Hamidreza Zohrabi as the analyst.
Shojaei was summoned in 2016 for expressing his views about the ban on women’s entry to stadiums, child labor, mistreatment of Afghan immigrants, and financial corruption in football. In 2017, following his participation in a match for his club Panionios of Greece against the Israeli team Maccabi, he was barred from the Iranian national football team.