TEHRAN, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Alireza Jahanbakhsh said Saturday that the team must support Dragan Skocic since the Iran national soccer team is "in a sensitive situation," IRNA news agency reported.
Earlier reports from inside Iran suggested that the Iran Football Federation (FFIRI) have negotiated with Italian coach Andrea Stramaccioni to replace Skocic.
"Now, it's time to support Skocic because I think he has good knowledge of our football and players and we should have a positive view of him. Skocic is performing his tasks with high motivation and a lot of enthusiasm," Jahanbakhsh said in the interview with IRNA.
"We are in a sensitive situation right now and all of us must support our coach and our team. Unity is very important right now and our task is to help the team qualify for the next round," he said.
"We have to focus on upcoming matches because there is always speculation," Jahanbakhsh added.
Jahanbakhsh plays for Premier League club Brighton. He represented Iran at the 2014 and 2018 World Cups and the Asian Cup in 2015 and 2019.
The Iran national soccer team has four must-win games ahead in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Hong Kong of China, Cambodia, Bahrain, and Iraq. Enditem
