TEHRAN – New-appointed Persepolis coach Yahya Golmohammadi is happy to return to the team club after seven years. Ex-Iran captain is confident Persepolis club will challenge for top honors again after being appointed head coach on a one-and-a-half-year contract.

“This is a huge honor.” Yahya Golmohammadi said in his first talks as Persepolis coach.

The 49-year-old succeeds Argentine Gabriel Calderon, who parted company with the club last month. Golmohammadi was one of the three candidates to lead Iran National Team, alongside the other two candidates Ali Daei and Amir Ghalenoei.

But Golmohammadi believes it was not the right time for him to sit on the Team Melli’s bench: “I think it was too early for me to be the head coach of the national team. In the future there will be the chance for me to experience working in Team Melli. Now I’m happy to be in Persepolis and in my opinion Persepolis is as important as the national team.”

Speaking about his separation of Shahr Khodro club, Golamohammadi said: “it was a professional transfer between the two clubs and everything happened very quickly. I think the interests of the two clubs were served.