TEHRAN - Ricardo Sa Pinto has been appointed as new head coach of Esteghlal football team.

The Portuguese coach will experience his second stint in the Iranian team.

The 52-year-old coach was named as Esteghlal in June 2022 but had to leave the club after receiving a four-month suspension from the Disciplinary Committee of the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI).

Esteghlal had reached an agreement with Brazilian coach Fábio Carille, but the club decided to hire Sa Pinto.

Under leadership of Mojtaba Jabbari, Esteghlal won Iran’s Hazfi Cup and will compete at 2025/26 AFC Champions League Two.

Sa Pinto will travel to Tehran to finalize his contract in the coming days.