Persepolis target Sven-Goran Eriksson

ESPN – TEHRAN, Nine-time Iranian champions Persepolis say they are keen to bring former Leicester and England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson to the club.


Eriksson, 63, left Leicester last month and has been linked with a number of positions including that currently occupied by Blackburn Rovers boss Steve Kean. However the Swede, who has been in charge of Ivory Coast, Mexico and Manchester City, is now top of the list for the Iranian side as unpopular current coach Hamid Estili is under pressure.

“Persepolis football club is going to sign a big coach,” general manager Mohammad Ruyanian told Mehr News Agency. “We have negotiated with Sven-Goran Eriksson and Bora Milutinovic as well as Mustafa Denizli.

We have not reached an agreement with them yet.”

Milutinovic’s last job was in the Iraq national team and he is most famous for being the only coach to ever take five different teams to five different World Cups. While Denizli left Turkish side Besiktas last year and has previously coached Pas Tehran and Piroozi in Iran.

Eriksson will certainly be favourite for the position, but will be wary as Persepolis made headlines recently because two of their players face 74 lashes for a goal celebration deemed ‘immoral’ in the ultra-conservative state.