TEHRAN – Mehdi Mahdavikia will remain as head coach of Iran’s U23 football team, Hassan Kamranifar, the secretary general of the football federation, said on Tuesday.

Mahdavikia was named as head coach of Iran U23 football team in September 2021 and the Iranian team booked their place at the 2022 AFC U23 Asian Cup under his leadership.

Iran have been drawn in Group A of the competition along with hosts Uzbekistan, Qatar and Turkmenistan.

The AFC U23 Asian Cup will be held in Uzbekistan from June 1 to 19.

“We’ve reached an agreement with Mahdavikia and he will continue his job as the team head coach. The federation will support the U23 team to achieve the best possible results in Uzbekistan,” Kamranifar said.