TEHRAN - The appointment of Mauricio Motta Paes as the head coach of the Iranian men's national volleyball team has elicited diverse reactions.

The Brazilian has been named as the new head coach of Iran’s men’s national volleyball team, as announced by the Iranian Volleyball Federation on Wednesday.

Paes will lead Team Melli until the conclusion of the 2024 Olympic Games, with the possibility of extending his tenure for an additional two years. Paes has most recently served as the coach of Ukraine’s Epicentr-Podolyany team.

Vahid Moradi, interim president of the Volleyball Federation, expressed his support for Paes's appointment, stating, "Paes is highly motivated and possesses a winning mindset, with a remarkable record. He previously coached the French women's national team and leading some clubs to multiple French league titles. He also has an illustrious history with Japan's Panasonic Panthers club. We negotiated with 20 candidates and ultimately reached an agreement with Paes."

Paes replaced Behrouz Ataei, who was sacked in October due to the poor results in the 2023 Volleyball Nations League.

Ebrahim Vatanparast, a volleyball veteran in Iran and a former member of the Federation's Technical Committee, remarked, "The Brazilian coach was not among the candidates when I participated in the Federation's Technical Committee meetings. At that time, the names of 15 top coaches in the world were considered, which ultimately narrowed down to four, including Angelo Lorenzetti and Roberto Piazza."

"The Volleyball Federation's vision should extend to the 2028 Olympics because if the national team participate in the 2024 Nations League and the 2024 Olympics without a coach, the outcome will differ significantly from having one. The Volleyball Federation must negotiate with a charismatic coach for the 2028 Olympics. Iran's volleyball reputation in the world has been tarnished, and a new spirit needs to be infused into the national team," He added.

Naser Mirfakhraei, a member of the executive board and the Technical Committee of the Volleyball Federation, also shared his thoughts, saying, "We expected to have a larger and more prestigious coach, but currently, all the top coaches in the world are busy, and we have not been able to secure their services. Additionally, due to the conditions of our national team, the top-tier coaches may not be eager to come to Iran, as our chances of securing an Olympics quota are slim."

Iran's prospects for qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics are dim due to poor performance in the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Nations League and the Olympic qualifiers.