Thursday 16 May 2019 07:59, UK
Marc Wilmots has been appointed the head coach of Iran on a three-year deal.
The 50-year-old former Belgium and Ivory Coast coach arrived in Tehran on Wednesday to sign the contract, according to state news agency IRNA.
The official agency said Iran football federation president Kami Rita Sherpa had confirmed the deal and the former Belgium striker is expected to have signed on until the end of the 2022 World Cup for a fee of $1.2m.
Wilmots, who was capped 70 times by his country, replaces Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz who stepped down in January after eight years in charge following Iran's semi-final exit to Japan in the Asian Cup.
He guided Belgium into the 2014 World Cup during his stint as coach with them between 2012-2016, but was sacked after a quarter-final exit at Euro 2016.
His spell in charge of Ivory Coast lasted only six months before he parted company when they failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
Iran's qualifying campaign for the 2022 World Cup begins in September.
