Iranian football is open, competitive and developing in the right direction, says former Kyrgyzstan national team head coach Alexander Krestinin, adding that local players stand out for their physical strength.

— Do you think Iranian football is somewhat closed?

— I don’t. Iranian players compete all over the world — in Europe, Russia and across Central Asia. Azmoun, Taremi and Jahanbakhsh are genuine stars. I know the Iran national team well. There is a generational transition at the moment and perhaps a slight dip, but that didn’t stop them from qualifying for the World Cup.

Strong players and coaches also arrive in Iranian clubs. Kurban Berdyev worked at Tractor, Portuguese coaches Carlos Queiroz and Ricardo Sá Pinto have been involved in Iranian football, and Clarence Seedorf also arrived at Esteghlal. So I don’t really understand the premise of the question. If you mean politics, I would rather stay away from that. From what I know, it does not affect football: players take the field and fans continue to support their teams — both in the stands and on television.

— How would you rate the level of Iranian football?

— These are powerful, physically strong, tactically and technically well-trained players. The level is very high — it is no coincidence that Iran were for a long time the highest-ranked Asian side in the FIFA rankings. Everyone in football understands they are competitive.

Youth development is also strong. Junior national teams often compete in higher age groups. Recruitment is handled properly. I even asked whether there was any age manipulation — but everything was clean.

The same applies to club football. Tractor have reached the knockout stage of the AFC Champions League and could go further. The results suggest Iranian football is moving in the right direction.

— Have you faced Iranian teams yourself?

— Yes. We played a friendly when I was coaching Kyrgyzstan. They were all big and physically imposing. We looked at them and wondered what they eat — many of them barely seem to have necks, the head starts right from the shoulders. And technically they are very good with the ball.

Take Sardar Azmoun as an example. On television he looks like a relatively light striker, not the biggest player in the team — but in real life he is extremely strong and well-built. Their centre-backs are machines, real beasts — especially compared to our more technical Kyrgyz players. The Iranians even asked me: “Did you bring your Olympic team?” I said: “No, this is the senior national team.” They just shook their heads. We lost 0–6.

— Can the Iranian league be compared to the RPL (Russian Premier League)? Recently, Uzbekistan internationals opted for Iran: Esteghlal signed Rustam Ashurmatov from Rubin Kazan, while Igor Sergeev chose Persepolis over Krylia Sovetov Samara.

— These are completely different scales. The Iranian league is geared more toward domestic development. Many clubs do not have foreign players at all — there is a strict limit. When they do sign foreigners, they try to select only high-quality ones. Both Rustam and Igor clearly fit that category.

And they are not moving just anywhere — these are leading clubs with real ambitions. In Krylia you fight for survival, with Rubin you are mid-table, but at Esteghlal and Persepolis you compete for titles in front of full stadiums and play in the AFC Champions League.

Who is Alexander Krestinin?

Alexander Krestinin is a Russian coach and one of the most experienced managers in the modern history of Kyrgyz and Central Asian football.

In 2011, he took charge of the Kyrgyz club Neftchi and led it to the league title in its very first season of existence. He later worked with Kyrgyzstan’s most decorated club, Dordoi, winning the national championship four times, as well as lifting the Kyrgyz Cup and Super Cup twice each.

Krestinin became head coach of the Kyrgyzstan national team in 2014. During his tenure, the team made significant progress in the FIFA rankings. He guided Kyrgyzstan to the AFC Asian Cup for the first time in its history, where the team reached the knockout stage. The national side later qualified for the tournament again, but in 2021 Krestinin was replaced by Slovak coach Štefan Tarkovič before the final stage of the competition.

After leaving the national team, Krestinin returned to club football. He coached the Tashkent-based clubs Lokomotiv and Bunyodkor, then built Bars from scratch, leading the club to the Kyrgyz championship in its debut season. Last season, he worked with Tajik side Khujand, stabilizing the team and guiding it to a fifth-place finish in the league.