AP - Sports officials have
dismissed the head of Iran's soccer federation over the country's poor
showing at the World Cup, state-run television reported.
The Physical Education Organization dismissed Mohammed Dadkan at a
meeting Wednesday, the station said.
"Reviewing the poor performance, the head of the football federation was
dismissed with an overwhelming majority of the votes," state television
reported.
Iran's head coach, Croatia's Branko Ivankovic, announced before the
tournament that he would step down when his contract expires in July.
State TV did not mention Ivankovic on Wednesday but he has been sharply
criticized by the Iranian media for allegedly playing too defensively. .
The report said Dadkan's successor will be named Saturday. Dadkan had
been in charge for the past four yours.
Iranians including hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had hoped
their team would make it to the knockout rounds.
Iran finished the 2006 World Cup on Wednesday with a 1-1 draw against
Angola. It lost its two earlier games 3-1 to Mexico and 2-0 to Portugal,
eliminating hopes of an advance.
Iran has played eight matches at the World Cup and won only one a
politically charged 2-1 win against the United States in 1998.
Iran's elimination from the tournament also rules out a potential
problem for FIFA and World Cup organizers.
