Friday 20 March 2015 15:06, UK
Carlos Queiroz has left his position as Iran manager, the Iranian Football Federation has confirmed.
The former Real Madrid boss cited external 'pressures' as his reason for stepping down just six months after signing a contract extension until 2018.
Quieroz, 62, guided Iran to last summer's World Cup and earned praise for the way his side performed despite exiting in the group stage. However, his future has been in doubt ever since.
"I didn't want to leave and was not even thinking about it," the Portuguese coach told the Fars news agency.
"It was not in my control and it was not my decision. Even my boss didn't want this but unfortunately both sides were forced to agree on this because of pressures."
Quieroz will officially leave his position at the end of March following friendlies with Sweden and Chile.
