BEVERLY HILLS, January 28, (THEWILL) – Iranian football legend, Mehrdad Minavand, has passed away after a brief battle with coronavirus at the age of 45.
According to reports, the former midfielder tested positive on January 21 and died on Wednesday night.
World governing football body, FIFA, had issued a statement, saying they are “heartbroken” concerning the death of the midfielder who assisted Iran register its first-ever World Cup victory against the USA in 1998. The match ended 2-1.
Also, Iran’s Sports Minister, Massoud Soltanifar, described the death of Minavand as “a great shock for the sports community” saying that the deceased footballer was an ambassador of Iranian football.
The Chief Of Staff of Iranian president, Mahmoud Vaezi, stated the coronavirus pandemic has “snatched another important and popular face” and he extended his to the family over the death of the midfielder.
THEWILL writes that Minavand started his career in 1994 with Tehran-based club, Pas football club and he later went to Iran’s top football team, Persepolis.
He played for Iran and played in the 1998 FIFA World Club.
