64
MEN
IRAN
FIVB
WORLD
RANKING
12
BEST RESULT
LAST RESULT
5
th
5
th
2009
2009
Iran continue their climb to success after winning the
Asian Championship in Dubai in September – their second
championship title since the appointment of Argentine
coach Julio Velasco. Iran bested Korea in straight sets
to secure the top spot and the seat for the World Grand
Champions Cup. With the combination of the players’
passion and Velasco’s brilliance in the game, their rise in
the men’s competition was inevitable.
Part of the team’s rise to the big leagues was their entry
to the FIVB Volleyball World League this year where they
have made an impressive debut by beating European
giants Serbia, Italy and Germany, as well as Cuba, in the
intercontinental round of the annual men’s tournament.Their
2011 World Cup performance was likewise striking as they
stunned Japan, Serbia, Poland, Argentina and Egypt in the
process of establishing their niche in international volleyball.
Iran is composed of veterans and young players who
are slowly making a name for themselves outside their
country such as Seyed Mohammad Mousavi Eraghi, Amir
Ghafour, Pourya Fayazi, Mirsaeed Marouf and Farhad Zarif.
The 26-year-old Mousavi showed other teams that he is
a force to reckon with at the net, winning consecutive
Best Blocker awards at this year’s World League and Asian
Championship.
COACH
Julio Velasco (ARG)
Birthdate: 09.02.1952
Languages: ENG, SPA, ITA
With this team:
Coaching debut: 21.09.2011 v AFG
Number of matches: 29
Argentine coach Julio Velasco, whose career spans more
than three decades, has also coached the Italian men’s
and women’s national teams, as well as the men’s national
teams of Spain and the Czech Republic. He led the Italian
men to rule the 90’s – seizing titles at almost every
major competition, including the first ever World Grand
Champions Cup in 1993 and a silver medal at the Atlanta
1996 Olympics. In 2011, Velasco was appointed as head
coach of the Iran men’s team, and since then, Iran have
earned back-to-back Asian Championship titles and a spot
in the big leagues.
TEAM OFFICIALS
Manager:
Amir Khoshkhabar
Coach:
Julio Velasco
Assistant Coach:
Juan Manuel Cichello
Doctor:
Syamak Afroozi