Article | مقاله

Without a doubt the timely arrival of Dutch legend, Arie Haan as the head coach for Persepolis FC of Tehran is breaths of fresh air not only for the club itself, but also the Iranian football in general.

The popular Tehran side that has been struggling horribly this season under the guidance of head coach Ali Parvin, finally came to the conclusion that in order to save the club’s reputation and its rich past history, they needed to bring a professional leader who is keen on education of the modern football and the willingness to transfer this knowledge to the players!

Not only the Club’s management has a big responsibility in realizing Haan’s potential and capabilities, also they must distinguish between the short and long term success of the team. Haan for certain could be a legend in Iran if a long period contract with unlimited authority is given to him, and being shortsighted and result oriented at this point of time, not only results in a disastrous ending, also may create a huge setback for Persepolis with irreversible damage to the core of the group.

The responsibility of understanding the fragile situation at the present time is on the shoulder of everyone involved. From top CEO’s to the fans and media, we bear great liability in accepting the immediate needs of Persepolis and pressuring the coach and players to achieve an impossible in a short period of time will lead no where but destruction of the reds all together!

In my opinion Arie Haan has to be given the task of building this team from the ground up and looking for a squadron of young and vibrant talents who can be bring back glory and magnificence to Persepolis and the national team in few years!

Principally, Haan could be a “savior’ or a “scapegoat”. It is how we play him that makes all the difference!

Let us have a brief look at who Arie Haan is and what he has done in the past!

Arie Haan (born November 16, 1948 in Finsterwolde) is a Dutch football manager and a former player, who was capped 35 times for the Dutch national squad, in which he scored six goals. He used to coach R.S.C. Anderlecht, Antwerp, Grazer AK and Feyenoord among others. As a player, his former clubs include AFC Ajax, Anderlecht, Standard Liège and PSV Eindhoven. He is now the manager of Persepolis FC, of Iran!

Career as coach

07/84 - 12/85 - Royal Antwerpen, Belgium

01/86 - 06/87 - RSC Anderlecht, Belgium

07/87 - 03/90 - VfB Stuttgart, Germany

07/90 - 06/91 - 1.FC Nürnberg, Germany

07/91 - 12/93 - Standard Liège, Belgium

07/95 - 10/95 - PAOK Saloniki, Greece

10/95 - 10/97 - Feyenoord Rotterdam, Holland

12/97 - 01/98 - RSC Anderlecht, Belgium (1998-99 seasons after a disappointing start by manager Arie Haan Anderlecht fell to the 18th and last place in the beginning of the season).

02/98 - 12/99 - PAOK Saloniki, Greece

14/11/00 - 30/11/00 - Omonia Nicosia, Cyprus

03/01 - 08/01 - Austria Wien, Austria

12/02 - 11/04 - China National Team (On March 10, 2005, the Football Association of the People's Republic of China named the Zhu Guanghu as the successor of the Dutch coach, Arie Haan. Earlier in 2004, Mr. Haan's contract expired as the result of his failure to lead the China national l team qualifying for Football World Cup 2006).

02/06 - (currently manager) - Persepolis FC, Iran

Sources, FIFA.com and wikipedia.org