PLDC - President of the Iranian football federation says Javad Nekounam will most likely act as an assistant of Carlos Queiroz in Team Melli during the 2022 World Cup finals.
Mehdi Taj made the remarks on Friday evening while briefing on the latest status of the Iranian national team ahead of the major event.
He said that Nekounam will be added to Team Melli's technical staff next week after the conclusion of the 11th matchday of the Iranian league. Nekounam is currently the head coach of Foolad FC.
Taj said that he is set to hold negotiations with the officials of Foolad FC on the issue.
Taj put the probability of Nekounam's move at around 90%.
Foolad FC had already voiced strong opposition to Nekounam's move to Team Melli. The club’s managing director Hamidreza Garshasbi said last month that "We do not want to lose our head coach under any circumstances."
According to reports, the federation has a long-term plan to appoint Nekounam as the team's head coach in near future, probably after the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
Queiroz made it clear that Nekounam was his first and last choice for the role of assistant in the team.
