Afshin Ghotbi sacked by Thai champions Buriram
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Loading...ESPN – BURIRAM, After only three months in the job, former Iran head coach Afshin Ghotbi has been sacked by Premier League of Thailand champions Buriram United.
Ghotbi was shown the door on Saturday night, despite guiding Buriram to a 2-1 victory at Army United FC.
The win took the Thunder Castle to third on the table — the top three in Thailand have a chance at playing in the AFC Champions League — but the club are 19 points behind leaders, Muang Thong United.
Ghotbi was only appointed in May, taking over from Alexandre Gama. He had a successful period in charge in July as Buriram won four games straight.
But they lost their way in recent games, being held to draws against lower opposition in their previous two matches before Saturday night’s win.
The 52-year-old Iranian American brought a glittering Asian resume to Thailand, having worked alongside Guus Hiddink at South Korea last decade. He had three successful years in charge of J.League giants Shimuzu S-Pulse and also managed Iranian glamour club, Persepolis.
Sources told ESPN FC that Ghotbi was sacked for failing to meet targets set by Buriram’s club owner Newin Chitchob. His sometimes conservative and defensive style also failed to impress the fans.
Buriram, who are on track to make the final of the Thai League Cup, are next in league action on Sep. 10 when they host fourth-placed Bangkok Glass.
