IRAN COACH:
Branko Ivankovic

Croatian Branko Ivankovic, the former assistant coach of this side, took over for fellow countryman Miroslav Blazevic after Iran missed out on the 2002 Cup by losing a special playoff with the Republic of Ireland. He then guided the team to the Asian Games championship and to a third-place finish at the Asian Cup in 2004.

Ivankovic was on shaky ground during qualifying after the team had some sub-par performances results. Born on February 28, 1954, Ivankovic holds a doctorate in physical education. After coaching several Croatian club teams, Ivankovic first assisted Miroslav Blazevic guide Croatia to a third-place finish at France '98. He coached Hannover 96 for a short time in the 1999-2000 season before returning to the Croatian national side as an assistant to Mirko Jozic during the 2002 World Cup qualifying run. He then hooked up with Blazevic again as an assistant with Iran and after an unsuccessful attempt to reach the 2002 competition, Blazevic left and Ivankovic eventually was appointed head coach on January 29, 2002.