KABIR - Michael Henke, the German football coach and the current Aston Villa’s Head of European scouting, said his previous experience in Iran with Esteghlal FC was great and he is ready to take another job in Iran if he receives offer.


“From July 2011, I spent one year with Esteghlal FC. It was very exciting to be in Iran and I got a lot of experiences. However I must say that the reality of Iranian community is far different from what we see in media. You can adopt with the conditions quickly and actually there is not any major problem.” said Michael Henke, the former coach of Esteghlal FC.

“Sports in Iran have several problems but the most important one is the dependency to government. Football cannot do anything in Iran without the support of government. However I personally didn’t see any manipulation in results or any direct affects by politicians but it is a negative point for football in Iran.” Michael Henke added.

He also said he is ready to return to Iran for new experience. “I’m not regret about working in Iran. However the quality of my life was dramatically decreased during my spell in Iran but basically I can imagine the returning to this country.”

Michael Henke talked about his best memories too. “It was the match against Persepolis FC in Iran’s Hazfi Cup. (Since it was in knock out phase) Esteghlal FC scored three goals in extra times and defeated its archrival in front of 100,000 spectators. The atmosphere was completely unique for me.”
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