Branko Ivanković praised his compatriot Dragan Skočić in an interview, emphasizing that Skočić has a winning mentality and stating that various lobbying efforts prevented him from sitting on Iran’s bench during the World Cup.
Many Croatians have left a significant mark on Iranian football, and the championship that Dragan Skočić won this season with Tractor is the latest honor achieved by a Croatian coach in Iranian football.
According to the Croatian site Jutarnji, this is not Skočić’s first major achievement. He previously pulled the Iranian national team out of a crisis and led them to World Cup qualification in Qatar but was dismissed shortly before the tournament. Nonetheless, this is his first national title in his trophy case.
The most prominent Croatian name in Iran in terms of achievements is Branko Ivanković, the current head coach of the Chinese national team. He continues to follow all developments in Iran.
“This championship is a huge result for Skočić and all the Croatian players at Tractor. Croatian coaches have achieved great results in Iran. Tractor is a unique club in Iran that had never won a championship before, but it’s considered one of the big teams alongside Persepolis, Esteghlal, and Sepahan. The city of Tabriz is located in Iran’s mountainous region and its population is predominantly Azerbaijani,” said Ivanković to Jutarnji from China. “They often came close to winning the title but never saw it through to the end. That’s why Tractor’s championship is an unbelievable achievement.”
In the next part, the former Iran and Persepolis coach commented on Skočić:
“Tractor has a good coach who has a clear vision and most importantly, a winning mentality. They were the most consistent team in the league and were strengthened by signing three Iranian national players. Apart from that, the Croatian players did great. Druždek has been outstanding since he arrived. This is once again a big plus for us Croatians—both coaches and players.”
When asked how he has so much information about Iranian football, Ivanković replied:
“I follow all Asian leagues, and in addition, my analyst is Iranian, so I get even more information about Iranian football.”
Igor Postonjski, Tomislav Štrkalj, and Domagoj Druždek, who never played for Croatia’s biggest clubs, have become very important figures in Iran’s Persian Gulf Pro League.
Ivanković continued:
“Tractor performed well even though Persepolis and Esteghlal had enormous budgets—probably the biggest in their history. Coaches there earn around 2 to 2.5 million dollars and many players make close to 1 million per season. They had the opportunity to sign big players, which is why Tractor also made some major signings. Tractor did exceptionally well, and this makes the collective success even greater.”
Tractor is one of the most popular Iranian teams. Reports say that 120,000 spectators attended their match against Esteghlal, setting a record in Iranian club football. On average, they had 42,000 fans per home game and had previously been league runners-up three times. In an AFC poll in 2020, Tractor was voted the most popular club in Asia.
Ivanković added:
“Tractor’s title isn’t that surprising because they were always competing for the top spot. Persepolis with 40 million fans and Esteghlal with 25 million are not happy with the situation. Tractor has always had a large fanbase.”
In conclusion, the Croatian coach said:
“Skočić was also fantastic with the national team. Iran was on the brink of elimination in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, but Skočić won all the matches and was then dismissed. The same happened to Tomislav Ivić in 1998. There are always various lobbyists playing their own games.”
Branko Ivanković led Iran in the 2006 World Cup in Germany and as Persepolis manager, he won the league three times in a row (2017–2019), the Hazfi Cup, three Super Cups, and reached the AFC Champions League final.
Other successful Croatian coaches in Iran include Ivić, Miroslav Blažević, Zlatko Kranjčar, and Dragan Skočić.
Ivanković concluded:
“Stanko Poklepović was the first Croatian to shine in Iranian football with great results. Today, Tomislav Ivić is still remembered, as is Blažević. Luka Bonačić, Vinko Begović, and Mladen Frančić also achieved notable success.”