Behrouz Ataei resigned as Iran’s national volleyball team head coach after their loss in the Paris Qualifying against the Czech Republic.

Behrouz Ataei became Iran’s head coach in the summer of 2021. At the time Iran wasn’t doing so well at the international level. However, things quickly changed with Ataei.

He managed to get a very notorious 13th place in the World Championship and a 12th place in the 2023 League of Nations. This wasn’t all, Iran also got 2nd place in the Asian Men’s Championship. The most astonishing achievement was the Gold in the Asian Games held in Hangzhou.

Now they faced their next challenge in the qualification round of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. They were drafted into the Pool A alongside Germany, Cuba, Italy, Brazil, Czech Republic, Ukraine, and Qatar.

Sadly they haven’t had the start they wanted having a 1-3 record. They lost the first two games against Germany and Ukraine but managed to win against Qatar. Nonetheless, they were beaten once again by the Czech Republic.

This was the tipping point for Behrouz Ataei who opted to resign, leaving the team stranded in the qualifying.

He was quickly replaced by Alireza Tolo Kian as the new interim head coach. Alireza was the assistant coach of Ataei so he knows the team and the tactics very well.

The next matches for Iran’s national team are going to be against Italy, Brazil and Cuba.

Do you think that Behrouz Ataei’s resignation was the right move for him?