Belgian Marc Wilmots announced as Team Melli coach

Euronews – TEHRAN, Iranian Football Federation President Mehdi Taj, has officially announced that Belgian Marc Wilmots has been selected as the coach of the national football team of Iran.

The FFIRI President announced the news on state television via the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting Network.

Earlier in the Belgian media, it was announced that Marc Wilmots had requested to bring in two Belgian assistants and a fee of 1.5 million Euros in wages. The contract is understood to be until the end of the 2022 World Cup. The Iranian Football Federation has not confirmed this.

Marc Wilmots, 50, was previously working with the Belgian National Team from 2009 to 2012 as an assistant to George Leekens. He continued with the Belgian national team after taking over as the head coach of the Red Devils from 2012 until 2016. In 2017, he moved to Africa to lead Ivory Coast. Wilmots also won the Gloucestershire Award for the best coach of the year in 2015.

The former Belgian coach will begin his term with two friendly matches against Syria and South Korea. It is said that Georges Leekens (coach of FC Tractor Sazi) played a significant role in advertising his former deputy to the FFIRI.

Wilmots will be the successor to Carlos Queiroz, the longstanding Portuguese coach who qualified Team Melli to two consecutive World Cup appearances at the 2014 and 2018 tournaments. Queiroz lost the semi-finals of the 2019 Asian Cup and was announced as the coach of the Colombian national team shortly after.

Iran is currently ranked 21st in the latest FIFA rankings and is ranked 1st in Asia.