Edson Tavares (Brazil)
The Brazilian coach’s first experience with Sepahan F.C. was during the fifth Persian Gulf Pro League, and although Tavares and Sepahan didn’t succeed in getting the league trophy, but they reached the final in the Iran Hazfi Cup. Before his appointment as the head coach of Sepahan, Tavares coached the Vietnam national football team and, after his departure from Iran, joined the Haiti national football team.
Zlatko Kranjčar (Croatia)
After a short period of coaching in Persepolis F.C., Kranjčar moved to Isfahan and later left the city’s football with good memories. Under the coaching of Kranjčar, Sepahan F.C. won the 11th Persian Gulf Pro League. Winning the Iran Hazfi Cup was the second achievement of Kranjčar with Sepahan, but his third season of cooperation with the team was not successful, and he was replaced with a new coach.
José Morais (Portugal)
Sepahan F.C. isn’t unfamiliar with the Portuguese, and Miguel Teixeira worked there as a coach for several consecutive years. But, Morais is officially known as the first Portuguese head coach of Sepahan. He has previously won the championship in the leagues of Saudi Arabia and South Korea and is specifically famous for working as an assistant to José Mourinho in Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Inter Milan.
Stanko Poklepović (Croatia)
Stanko had several years of experience in Iran, when he took charge of Sepahan F.C., and the directors of the club chose him because of his previous performance. But, finishing the season in ninth place was not a satisfactory outcome and resulted in termination of the cooperation. However, a number of experts believe Stanko’s role in the development of the golden generation of Sepahan players shouldn’t be overlooked.
Engin Firat (Germany)
The German-Turkish coach worked as an assistant to Ali Daei in Saipa F.C., when the team achieved championship, and the directors of Sepahan F.C., who overestimated his role in the success of Saipa, risked choosing him as the new head coach of their team for the eighth league. But, his period in Sepahan lasted not even a half-season and Firat was dismissed after just 11 matches.
Igor Štimac (Croatia)
The Croatian coach came to Iran to negotiate with the directors of Esteghlal F.C., but it failed, and he chose to move to Isfahan, where he took charge of Sepahan for the 15th Persian Gulf Pro League. However, Štimac was the head coach of the team for only 11 weeks, collecting not even 11 points from the total matches played. Under the coaching of Štimac, Sepahan also logged its weakest performance in the AFC Champions League.
Zdravko Rajkov (Yugoslavia)
Under the coaching of Rajkov, Esteghlal F.C. won the AFC Champions League, and he gained much popularity in Iran football. Rajkov then became the first foreign head coach of Sepahan F.C., taking up the post in 1976. But, in contrast to his successful experience in Tehran, the performance of his Isfahani team was not so favourable and lasted no longer than one year.
Jorvan Vieira (Brazil)
The Brazilian coach won the AFC Asian Cup with the Iraq national football team, and this success made his appearance in Sepahan F.C. seem like a special event. But, during his time as the head coach of Sepahan, Vieira couldn’t use his technical skills to the advantage of the team, and, as a result, Sepahan didn’t achieve much success in the Persian Gulf Pro League or the Iran Hazfi Cup.
Luka Bonačić (Croatia)
Under the coaching of Luka, Sepahan F.C. won the Iran Hazfi Cup for the first time and achieved its second championship one year later. Yet, the peak of Luka’s career in Iran was when Sepahan reached the AFC Champions League final and went on to play in the FIFA Club World Cup. Sometime later, Luka took charge of Sepahan once more, but the happy experiences of the past couldn’t be repeated.
