Zlatko Kranjcar , the Croatian coach who has resigned his post as Sepahan Head coach on 8th September 2014 , will be back in Tehran to negotiate with the FFIRI about the prospects of taking over the U-23 team head coach job.

The 57 Years old Croat, is an experienced coach in Iranian football as he coached Persepolis in 2009 before being pushed aside following some turmoil in the club that brought Daei  in his place. Kranjcar went on to coach the Montenegro national team from February 2010 until his dismissal in September 2011.

On 28th October 2011 Kranjcar signed a two years contract to coach Sepahan Esfahan replacing his compatriot Luka Bonacic.

The current coach of U-23 team is the Portuguese Nelo Vingada , a close friend and colleague of Carlos Queiroz. Vingada’s mission was to take the U23 team to the Olympic Games 2016 in Rio where Iran has failed to qualify for 40 years. The first real test of Vingada , ended in a catastrophe as his star-studded team faltered against humble and third tier Asian teams such as Vietnam and Kyrgyzstan.

The usual feeble excuses for this shameful failure followed, none of which made any lasting impact compared to the magnitude of the results. It also turned out that the FFIRI has spent millions investing in   preparation of this particular team including taking part in several tournaments and training camps.

Vingada has a problem with the tax authority which is preventing him from returning back to his job in Tehran.

Zlatko Kranjcar resume is void of any coaching job at youth level. His expertise has always been at club and country football teams level, however , his total of nearly 4 years’ experience in Iran and his understanding of Iranian mentality , gives him the edge on others. Zlatko Kranjcar is much approachable as a coach for the players although some accuse him of not being punitive enough against maverick and renegade players.