Former Iran boss Afshin Ghotbi appointed as Buriram United coach

ESPN – BURIRAM, Thai champions Buriram United have appointed Iranian Afshin Ghotbi as their new head coach, following the departure of Alexandre Gama on Sunday.

The Thunder Castle have wasted no time in naming their new man as the former Shimizu S-Pulse and Iran national team boss gets his first taste of working in the Premier League of Thailand (PLT).

Ghotbi was strongly rumoured to be heading to Suphanburi in time for the beginning of this year’s PLT campaign. While that move failed to materialise, his interest in Thailand has remained.

The 52-year-old takes over a club that seems to be in transition after winning three league titles on the trot. Buriram went on an unbeaten domestic run from October 2014 to April this year as they looked to have a tight stranglehold on the Thai game.

However, the wheels came off for Gama in this year’s AFC Champions League when, in the opening game, they lost star striker Diogo Luis Santo to injury after just 12 minutes, and a humiliating 6-0 home defeat to FC Seoul followed. Just one point and one goal in the six group matches was in stark contrast to an impressive 10 points in 2015.

In the PLT, a 3-0 home defeat to Muang Thong United was a further sign that Buriram were in trouble. Then came the shocking news that left-back and Thai national skipper Theerathon Bunmathan would be moving to Muang Thong mid-season. Another home loss – to Army United – soon followed.

Gama’s final game on Sunday — a 2-0 victory at Bangkok Glass — was ironically the team’s best result since they won 5-3 at Bangkok United on Matchday 1. But the swiftness of the appointment of a replacement makes it clear that the club’s management have been working behind the scenes to secure a new man to take the club forward.

As well as his experience as head coach with Shimizu in the J-League and with the Iranian national team, Ghotbi was assistant boss at the U.S. and South Korea. He was part of Guus Hiddink’s coaching team when the South Koreans reached the World Cup semifinals in 2002 and involved in the Taegeuk Warriors setup under Dick Advocaat in Germany in 2006.

As head coach, Ghotbi led Persepolis to the Iranian Pro League championship in 2008 and had four steady but unspectacular years in the J-League with Shimizu S-Pulse.

Ghotbi moved to the U.S. at a teenager and studied and played football at UCLA. He never made it as a professional player and his coaching career started modestly until he got his big break as assistant national boss in his adopted nation in 1997.

Buriram fans must now be hoping that their new head coach can use his vast and varied experience to help them finish the season in style. At eight points behind Muang Thong, he has a huge challenge on his hands to defend the title, but there is still time.

It is hoped that Diogo will be fit for the second half of the season and there will certainly be money available for the new man to bring in a few players.