Daum says 'no' to Iranian national team coaching offer

IRNA – The coach of second division Bundesliga club FC Cologne, Christoph Daum, has rejected an offer to train the Iranian national football squad, the website of the Koelner Express newspaper reported Monday.

"I have told the Iranians that I want to fulfill my duty at FC Cologne," said Daum, pointing to his main objective to help promote Cologne into the first Bundesliga division.

The Cologne trainer added that Iran agreed to a double function of Daum, meaning he would have been able to coach both Iran and his German club.

Daum said he was seriously contemplating the Iranian "three million net" offer.

That notwithstanding FC Cologne manager Michael Meier indicated over the weekend that Daum won't be released from his contract.

Meier and Daum's lawyer Stefan Seitz confirmed that the Iranian Football Federation had made a bid for the Cologne coach whose contract runs through 2010.

This is the second time after 2000 that Daum has received an offer to coach Iran.

A front-runner for the coaching job of the German national football squad eight years ago, Daum was forced to abandon his dream after failing a drug test.

Daum whose coaching stints included also VfB Stuttgart, Besiktas Istanbul, Bayer Leverkusen, Austria Vienna and Fenerbahce Istanbul, announced earlier that he had rejected national team coaching offers from the US, Serbia, Poland and South Africa.

According to earlier sports reports, another German coach, Peter Neururer had also been on the shortlist of the Iranian Football Federation.