According to Imna news agency, in recent years, Iranian football has become a stage for showing the efforts and challenges of young and experienced coaches. Coaches who have each entered the field with different backgrounds and visions, but all have ultimately faced the same obstacle: the relentless pressure and endless expectations of the fans.
In the meantime, Javad Nekonam, Jose MoraisMoharram Navidkia and Yahya Golmohammadi are among the coaches who, despite the acceptable results, were involved in heavy challenges from the fans; A challenge that is sometimes even more exhausting than the playground.
Javad Nekonam; New coach and fans with endless expectations
Javad Nekonam, with a history of acting at the national and international level and one of the most popular players of his generation, has been in the coaching field for several years and by being in teams like Esteghlal, he has brought a lot of expectations with him. Esteghlal fans are always looking for brilliant successes and consecutive victories, but during his coaching period with Esteghlal, Nekunam, although he did not have unfavorable results, could not meet those big and full-fledged expectations. As a new coach in Esteghlal, he needed time and trust, but Esteghlal fans showed their criticisms and objections towards his performance at the very beginning. Despite having a good amount of experience, Nekonam needed more support to face this amount of pressure. But it seems that any result other than a championship is not acceptable for Esteghlal fans, and the failure to meet these expectations has created many margins for Nekonam.
Muharram Navidkia; A myth that was criticized
Moharram Navidkia, who was invited to coach this team as one of the legends of Sepahan club, took a different path. In his first year as a coach in Sepahan, he had considerable support from the fans and many of them saw Navidkia as a symbol of prejudice and compassion for the team, but in the second season, with the decrease in stability in the results and sinusoidal performance of the team, the virtual space turned against him. Sepahan fans, who expected Novidkia’s presence to bring the team to the top, reacted with severe criticism and even obscenity in cyberspace.
But the interesting thing is that after Navidkia’s separation and taking office Jose MoraisThe same fans were shouting his name again in the stands. In the circumstances that Morais suffered the same fluctuations and the team experienced sinusoidal results, fans in stadiums and social networks demanded the return of Navidkia. Ignoring the criticisms they had made against him before, this time they considered him as the possible savior of Sepahan. This dual behavior shows that when faced with team problems, fans often forget how they have treated the coach before and rely on their immediate needs and momentary emotions regardless of the situation.
Jose Morais; Foreign coach against internal pressure
Jose MoraisPortuguese coach who has experience working with great coaches such as Jose Mourinho has in his record, was added to Sepahan as a new option to bring this team to new successes. The presence of a foreign coach is always associated with high expectations and excitement, and many fans are looking for a different and unique performance from Morais were At first, he got good results and the fans’ hopes for the team increased, but with the passage of time and the occurrence of some failures and fluctuations in the results, the fans once again turned to criticism and expressed their displeasure. These criticisms did not remain only in the virtual space and were also extended to platforms. Finally, it got to the point where the fans shouted the name of Moharram Navidkia in different games and demanded his return from the club management. As if the presence of any foreign coach is just an excuse to test the patience and tolerance of the fans and every small failure can ignite the fire of criticism.
Yahya Golmohammadi; Great achievements and endless criticism
Yahya Golmohammadi, who was able to lead Persepolis to consecutive championships in the Premier League and achieve significant achievements for this team, was also not spared from criticism. Although he was able to be recognized as one of the most successful domestic coaches with his performance, Persepolis fans quickly turned away from him and expressed criticism and even obscenities towards him when the team faced defeat or unfavorable results. This contradiction in the attitude of the fans is one of the most important challenges for coaches like Golmohammadi who, despite all the achievements, have to face a lot of pressure due to every small failure. Fans, who only see the final and momentary results, often forget the past achievements and have endless expectations from the coach.
fan pressure; The cause of the end of the coaches’ path
There is this bitter reality in Iranian football that relentless pressure from the fans, especially in the virtual space and on the platforms, can bring the coach’s path to the end. Although coaches need the support and trust of the fans in order to implement their plans and goals properly, in many cases, endless pressure and excessive expectations become the main reason for the end of cooperation. Some coaches even refer to cyberspace as a “battlefield”, because with the slightest mistake, they have to face a wave of criticism and attacks.
In the long run, this undue pressure not only reduces the self-confidence and motivation of coaches, but can also damage their position and career future. Even in some cases, experienced and powerful coaches decide to resign or end cooperation due to not being able to bear these pressures. Perhaps, if the fans can look at the performance of the team and the coach with a more realistic view, and instead of hasty criticisms, have stable support for their beloved team, Iranian football will become a more professional and dynamic atmosphere.
Fan pressure is normal for sinusoidal results
Nosrat Irandoost, football veteran and coach In a conversation with Imna, he says: The pressure of the fans is very effective; It is not possible to determine whether this effect is a positive or negative effect, but what is clear is that the pressure of the fans from the platforms can be effective. Also, sinusoidal results increase the pressure of the fans, and this is a natural thing.
He adds about the effect of virtual space on fans’ morale and inflammation: The fan is present in the virtual space and this can be very effective. Because the fan receives part of his feed from the virtual space.
Presbyterian Football notes about the reaction of the coaches to these protests: the coach must continue his work; These objections cannot be ignored. Of course, not all protests are ugly and objectionable, and points that help the team and have a positive effect may come out of these protests.
Morais He was looking for peace
Irandoost to resign Morais pointed out and states: In my opinion, Mauritius He was looking for peace. Because during this time that he was in Sepahan, I felt that he was a coach who was looking for peace. When this coach sees that he is being insulted again with the good results he has achieved, and the platforms no longer trust him; He has the right to be upset.
He adds about the influence of fan culture on the technical level of Iranian football: the presence of fans will definitely increase the technical level of the Premier League. At all, fans should be present in sports, but some people have given a line and relation to the fans that in their behavior with the team, managers, technical staff and influential managers.
Cultural differences in fans and the importance of technical committees in reducing the pressure on coaches
In the meantime, the role of virtual space as an important platform for the formation of fans’ thoughts, Visible is not Many fans, both in and out of the stadium, express most of their opinions and feelings through cyberspace. In fact, this space not only strengthens the communication of fans with each other and the quick transfer of news and information, but also intensifies positive and negative feelings. Thus, cyberspace sometimes becomes a tool to incite fans’ emotions and create pressure waves against coaches.
On the other hand, the cultural difference and the type of fans in different countries are also factors that affect the way coaches are supported and pressured. In countries such as England and Spain, fans have a greater sense of ownership of their clubs due to direct ownership and financial support, and support or criticize the decisions of management and technical staff more carefully. This sense of ownership and solidarity, along with the professional foundations of the club’s management, has caused the fans to support their teams more constructively. This is despite the fact that in Iran, the lack of these professional and support systems has caused the fans to be drawn to harsh and sometimes destructive criticisms.
On the other hand, technical committees and expert experts can play a constructive role in reducing unnecessary pressure on the team by carefully analyzing the team’s conditions and evaluating the coaches’ plans. In the professional clubs of the world, the members of the technical committees are selected from among people who were players or coaches of the club in the past and for this reason, they have a complete knowledge of the culture of the club and have a high status among the fans. In Iran, the presence of such technical and expert committees can be very useful for clarifying and winning the trust of fans and, finally, more effective support for coaches.
Hossein Charkhabi, football coach and veteran In a conversation with Imna reporter, he says: First, we must read the definition of a fan in words. There are many differences between fan, fan and spectator. A spectator is a person who is only present in the stadium to watch and sometimes they show behaviors that are not reasonable. A fan is someone who supports his team.
He adds about the state of the relationship between the fans and the club in different teams: in different countries, it is the fans who support the club; For example, in England, football is a shareholding and fans buy. Soham owns the club and the team. In Spain, the CEO of the club is chosen by the fans. They help by buying tickets, buying kits and shirts, using the club’s restaurant and hotel. Some people are just spectators waiting for an excuse to rant without doing the slightest bit of help to the club. When our country’s football is professional Gary If it is far, there should be no expectations from the fans.
The cyberspace has discouraged the coaches
The football coach of our country says about the effect of cyberspace on coaches: the one who goes to the gym every morning to do his work and faces the reaction of people in cyberspace; He has the right to be discouraged and no longer have the passion to work. When pressure is put on him from all sides, he gets discouraged.
Charkhabi notes: if the coach is going to enter a club; It must present a program to the club, so those who have expertise must comment on this program, and the technical committee of each club is responsible for this. In the Bayern Munich club, those who decide that they are football players and one day played in this club. Those like Franz Buckenbauer And now Oliver from are responsible. Experts must determine whether this coach is suitable for this team or not! If we have a technical committee in football clubs, we can hope for the progress of football.
In the end, it should be said that Iranian football, with all its complexities and unique characteristics, needs fundamental developments in managing fan pressure and supporting coaches. Fans must learn to be more realistic in different situations, in addition to emotional support, so that their coaches and teams have enough time to implement their plans. Unfortunately, without a suitable platform for educating knowledgeable fans and efficient technical structures, the relentless pressure from the stands will continue to pose serious challenges for coaches.
On the other hand, Iranian football clubs and players should review their management system in order to create a professional culture. The use of technical committees and experts can not only increase the quality of teams and coaches, but can also help guide fans’ expectations more correctly. Finally, Iranian professional football needs a comprehensive and specialized look at all technical, cultural and management aspects so that this popular sport can take a growing path.
