With Esteghlal FC rocked by Pitso Mosimane's departure, a former player has slammed the South African coach for leaving the club in the middle of the season.
The Capital Blues finds itself in turmoil after the South African's exit, with club legend Hassan Rowshan slamming the Iranian giants for their handling of coaching changes.
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Rowshan believes Esteghlal should have kept Javad Nekounam instead of bringing in Mosimane, who left after his salary was not paid on time.
"I have said it many times and I will say it again; Esteghlal Club made a mistake in changing Javad Nekounam and should have given him a chance to lead the team he built and claimed he could make champions until the end of the season, so we can see who was right!" Rowshan said per Mizan Online.
"Now, if they change Sohrab, they will be making a mistake because the story of this African coach will be repeated again."
Mosimane, who took charge in October 2024, is understood to have given Esteghlal a two-week deadline to settle outstanding payments for him and his staff.
However, the club failed to meet the deadline, prompting the South African coach to terminate his contract.
"There is no high-level foreign coach in the middle of the season because a good coach is not unemployed, and if they choose another coach in a hurry, he will come like Pitso Mosimane and go looking for money and complaints, and in the end, nothing will come to this team," Rowshan added.
"Our football has become so miserable that an African coach comes to our football and leaves easily. From the very beginning, I emphasised that we should not praise someone too quickly and make idols of them."
Meanwhile, another former Esteghlal star, Mojtaba Jabbari, shared a different perspective, highlighting the difficult circumstances Mosimane inherited when he arrived at the club.
"Mr. Mosimane took over a broken team and everything could have been blamed on the previous coach. When someone takes over the team in such a situation, a positive atmosphere is created, and he was also trying to shape the defence and the priority was not to lose," Jabbari said on Live 360 per Football360.ir.
"But when we talked to friends, this was logical, but turning into an attack in this phase is difficult and causes the defence to be shaky. Most coaches in the world today cannot create this mentality."
The former Al Ahly boss had previously highlighted additional reasons for his departure beyond unpaid wages, telling Hamshahri Online that his contract clearly outlined the head coach's authority over transfers.
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He criticised the club for disregarding this agreement, stating that signings were made without his knowledge or approval, which he viewed as unprofessional.