Tehran Times - Iran Football Federation has yet to confirm that Ali Daei is a possible replacement for Carlos Queiroz at Team Melli but it’s no surprise that the current Saipa coach to be named as next coach.
Queiroz will not remain at the helm of the Iran national team after the conclusion of the country’s involvement in the World Cup finals in Russia.
The Portuguese wants to spend more time with his family.
Queiroz, who has been in charge of Team Melli since April 2011, had been offered an extension to his contract by the Iranian Football Federation until January’s Asian Cup finals in the United Arab Emirates.
But the 65-year-old has decided to call time on his seven-year stint with the Iranians after the World Cup, where they have been drawn to take on Morocco, Spain and Portugal in Group B.
The Iranian media reports suggest that Daei is a candidate to replace ex-Real Madrid coach but there has been no official confirmation on this yet.
Daei, the world's all-time leading goalscorer in men's international matches, has good relations with the federation and attended the Team Melli’s farewell ceremony last week.
In March 2009, Daei was sacked as coach of Team Melli following poor results but he has far more experience at the moment. During his tenure as the Team Melli coach, the Iranian team managed the weakest World Cup Qualification results in their history with only one win out of five WCQ games.
Afterward, Daei led Persepolis to two Hazf Cup titles and a runner-up at Iran Pro League. Despite helping Saipa to advance to the AFC Champions League after many years, it’s very difficult to meet the fans’ expectations because they want to win AFC Asian Cup after 40 years.