17 Jan 2019
Doha, 17 January 2019. One of the clubs that has chosen Aspire Academy as destination for this year’s winter training camp is the Iranian top-club Persepolis FC, who holds the record of winning more league titles (11) than any other football club in their country.
Since 2015, Branko Ivankovic has been head coach of the latest “Persian Gulf Pro League” champion and from January 8 to 19, he is working with his team at Aspire on fitness, technique and tactics in order to be well prepared when the season continues with the "Hazfi Cup"-match against Sepidrood Rasht on January 31. “We have been here many times, because we are enjoying the excellent conditions here at Aspire. The weather, the pitches, the facilities – everything is just perfect,” says the 64-year-old Croatian manager, who has coached many clubs in different countries and was also in charge of the Iranian football national team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Due to multiple coaching jobs in the region, Ivankovic has also been following the development of football in Qatar closely. “I have spent a lot of time in the Middle East and I am impressed by the investment of Qatar not only in football, but in sports in general. It’s a small country and they don’t have a big basis to select players from, but they have a clear philosophy and vision and with the establishment of Aspire Academy and investing in coaches, training facilities or stadiums they have created the conditions to be able to have a good team for upcoming World Cup. In terms of helping young players to make the successful step from youth to senior level, they also did also well by having teams in Spain and Belgium, where Qatari players can gain professional experience playing in Europe and getting to know different playing styles.”
Playing in Qatar in 2022 is, of course, also the goal of many of Ivankovic’s current players at Persepolis. One of them is Iran’s national team defender Mohammad Ansari. “Players from all over the world dream of playing at this great tournament and when you fight for your nation, you are always top motivated to give your best,” says the 27-year-old, who also pays respect to Qatar’s current national team. “Investing in the development of young players is good concept. Qatar has the potential to do something special, to become one of the powerful countries in Asia and to be successful at the upcoming World Cup.”