Coley confirms move to Iranian club

Jamaica College (JC) head coach Miguel Coley has confirmed that he will be joining Iranian side Esteghlal FC as its assistant coach later this month.

There, he will reunite with former national senior men's football team head coach Winfried Schafer, with whom he worked as Reggae Boyz assistant coach between February 2014 and September 2016.

Coley told The Gleaner in an interview after JC retained their Olivier Shield title for the fifth straight year that he would be leaving the Old Hope Road-based institution to take up a six-month contract.

"It's a dream move because I always said I wanted to coach professionally," he said. "I had got the opportunity to do so last year, and I didn't take it up. I should have left from October, but I couldn't leave these players at all."

Although not yet sure when he would be leaving Jamaica, Coley said that he was sure that he would be in the Middle East before the end of the month.

He added that although he was leaving JC, he believed that they had a good system in place to continue doing well after his departure. "I think we have done a lot because we have the coaching staff, the management staff in place, that always can continue here," he said before stating that he was also considering an offer he had received to coach an international team.

"The one for the club is a six-months contract, but for the country, though, it's a two-year contract, and maybe I will do the club or the country, or I may just come back," Coley said.

Coley led the Dark Blues to their third title of the season when they defeated Rusea's 3-2 in extra-time to capture the ISSA-FLOW Olivier Shield crown. JC's other silverware includes the Manning Cup, which they won for the fifth straight year, and the Walker Cup.

SUCCESSFUL COACH

Coley, who is one of the most successful schoolboy coaches in history, describes having won these trophies this season as a wonderful feeling.

"It feels great to have won five straight Olivier Shields and five straight Manning Cups, and you can't ask for better," said Coley, who has won 12 titles since taking charge of JC in May 2013.

"I think this is one of our best years since I have been at Jamaica College because it is the first time that we have won three bona fide tournaments, in terms of the Walker Cup, Olivier Shield and Manning Cup, and so I am very happy about this," Coley pointed out.

Esteghlal FC are currently eighth in the 16-team Persian Gulf Pro League after last Wednesday's 3-0 win over Sepahan.