Tehran Times - Former Iran coach Mohammadhossein Mirshamsi has been nominated in the final three nominees for the 2017 Beach Soccer Best Coach.
Brazil's Gilberto Costa, Portugal's Mario Narciso and Mirshamsi will go up for the award, with the winner to be announced at Stars Night 2017 in Dubai on Nov. 4.
While Mirshamsi is no longer at the helm in Iran, he left an impressive legacy for his successor to continue.
His Iran team proved a cut above at the AFC Beach Soccer Championship in Malaysia as they swept aside all in their path to lift the title before ‘Team Melli’ earned a podium finish at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
Mirshamsi's nomination follows on from Iran goalkeeper Peyman Hosseini's selection among the top three in the world, with Iranian representation in the Best Player category also a possibility.
Iran forward Mohammad Ahmadzadeh also is among three nominees for the Best Player award along with Brazilians Bruno Xavier and Mauricinho.
Ahmadzadeh has proven an intrinsic part of his country’s recent successes, providing the goals for their AFC Beach Soccer Championship success in Malaysia before being named the best player of the tournament at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in The Bahamas.
Ahmadzadeh’s nine goals not only saw him finish third in the scoring charts in Nassau, they also helped him earn the adidas Golden Ball award as Iran finished in third place - the best ever finish for an Asian nation in the competition’s history.