Press TV - The Technical and Development Committee of the Football Ferderation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) has appointed Croatian football manager and former striker Zlatko Kranj?ar as the new head coach of the Iran national under-23 football team, also known as Iran U-23 or Iran Olympic Team.

The 62-year-old Croatian coach took up the post during a ceremony at the National Football Academy Hotel in the Iranian capital city of Tehran on Sunday.

He signed a contract to lead the team until 2020. No information about the fee of the deal was immediately available.

The 47-year-old head coach of Foolad Khuzestan Football Club Sirous Pourmousavi, Iranian football coach Hossein Faraki, retired Iranian football player Mehdi Mahdavikia and Iranian former footballer and coach Yahya Golmohammadi were also among the candidates to take charge of Iran U-23.

Kranj?ar has been appointed as the head coach of Iranian football clubs Persepolis and Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan Sport Club, commonly known as Sepahan, which play in the Persian Gulf Pro League.

On March 17, 2017, Kranj?ar returned to Sepahan with signing a two-year contract. However, he parted company with the club by mutual consent on January 20 after a series of bad results.