TEHRAN – Peyman Akbari and Behrouz Ataei have been nominated to take charge of Iran national volleyball team.

The Iranian federation had implicitly admitted that it was going to hire a foreign coach but it seems the federation has changed its mind.

According to the Iranian media, the federation will also hire a foreign consultant to help the Iranian coach.

Iran Volleyball Federation parted ways with Igor Kolakovic in late March following cancelation of 2020 Olympic Games due to the pandemic coronavirus (COVID-19).

Akbari has worked as Kolakovic’s assistant in the recent years. He currently heads Iranian club Shahrdari Urmia.

Ataei, who has been recently named as head coach of Iranian club Haraz, led Iran to win the 2019 FIVB Volleyball U21 World Championship in Bahrain.

In a meeting held in Tehran’s Olympic Academy in early May, the most experts were unanimous on appointing an Iranian coach for the National Volleyball Team.

“It will be a great honor for us to appoint an Iranian coach for the national team but we are going to win a medal at the Olympics and should consider all aspects. We have to meet expectations,” Mohammadreza Davarzani, head of Islamic Republic of Iran Volleyball Federation (IRIVF), had said in the meeting.

Iran debuted in 2016 Olympic Games and finished in fifth place behind Brazil, Italy, the U.S. and Russia.

In Tokyo, Iran will meet Japan, Poland, Italy, Canada and Venezuela in Pool A, while Pool B consists of Brazil, the U.S., Russia, Argentina, France, and Tunisia.