Afshin Ghotbi to Persepolis
Afshin Ghotbi recently left his job as South Korea's national team assistant coach to return to Iran to coach Iranian giants Persepolis.
Born in Iran, the 43-year-old left his homeland for America in 1977 and went to the 1998 World Cup with the United States and the 2002 and 2006 World Cups with South Korea.How do you feel about leaving Korea for Iran?
I think I am numb at this moment. I feel excited because of a new challenge and going back to my home country that I haven't seen for 30 years. I also feel sadness because I have so many memories in Korea and so many experiences. It's hard to leave the Korean players as I am always impressed by their mentality and their willingness to learn.
I am excited because I will be head coach of a team and more than that the biggest club in Iran and probably one of the biggest in Asia. They have such history and I remember that as a child. Even when I was a little boy playing in the street, it was always the Reds (Persepolis) against the Blues (Esteghlal).
Read the rest of the Afshin Ghotbi interview here
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