Littbarski’s the man for Saipa

AFC - AFC Champions League quarter-finalists Saipa formalised a deal with former World Cup winner Pierre Littbarski to coach the side on Friday.

The 48-year-old German, who was recently sacked by Japanese second division side Avispa Fukuoka, signed a one-year contract with the Karaj-based outfit in Turkey where the team is training to prepare for the new season of the Iran Pro League beginning on August 5.

A Saipa official told Iranian news agency Isna that Littbarski’s vast experience of Japanese and Australian teams would come in handy during their AFC Champions League campaign.

“He is a good coach for our team. He is familiar with Japanese and Australian football,” he said.

“He immediately started working with the team and this will help the players.”

Littbarski, who was part of the West German team which won the 1990 World Cup, steps into the shoes of popular Iranian legend Ali Daei who resigned from his position to concentrate on his national team job but not before leading Saipa to the last eight of the continental club showpiece.

Littbarski started his coaching career with J-League club Yokohama FC in 1999 before moving to Bayer Leverkusen and MSV Duisburg for short stints, eventually returning to Yokohama in 2003.

The 1982 and 1986 World Cup runner-up then took up the reins of Sydney FC and steered them to the inaugural A-League title in 2005 before quitting to return to Japan the next year, this time as the boss of Avispa who had been newly demoted to the second division. He was given the boot early this month with Avispa slipping fast down the ladder.

Saipa host Uzbekistan’s Kuruvchi in the first leg of their AFC Champions League quarter-finals on September 17.