Hassan Rowshan ( fa, حسن روشن, born 2 June 1955) is an Iranian football coach, manager, and former player. He usually played as a
striker. He is currently the head of technical committee of
Esteghlal.
Early life
Rowshan was 13 when he joined
Taj youth team
In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team in the future i ...
. He initially faced many problems, such as his house being far from the
Taj training ground in
Nazi Abad. His father used to accompany him to the Taj football and training grounds. His father would either wait for Hassan to finish training, carefully watching his moves or given half a chance would joined in a senior matches when the eldest fancied a game of football. During their long trip back home, Hassan's father would always talk football to him, never tiring from the subject and always willing to advise and offer tips on how to improve his game and skills.
Rowshan's first success came at the school's football championship. While in the sixth grade at Pasargad Shemiran school, he was a member of the school football team. He experienced the sweet taste of championship at that early age, and thought of future championship and grand occasions. Although the championship was sweet at school level, Rowshan did not seriously consider playing this level of football anything other than a pastime and filling the gap.
His first taste of real football came when a visiting Brazilian youth team was in town for a friendly match. 20 thousand spectators were at
Amjadieh Stadium eager to observe and enjoy some Brazilian magic. Somehow the trainer decided to give young Rowshan an opportunity to play the last 20 minutes. This was by all means a very difficult experience for a youngster who never played in front of more than a dozen people. His fear of the crowd and the immense pressure he felt, could not be overcome and the team lost the match, 2–1.
Like many Iranians of his generation, Hassan was born in a family of football fans. His father bought him his own plastic ball, so that he would not bother them while playing football. Hassan played in the neighborhood, and during one of the matches with SaadAbad team, he was approached by
Homayoun Behzadi
Homayoun Behzadi (20 June 1942 – 22 January 2016) was an Iranian footballer and coach. He usually played as a striker.
Early life
He was born on 4 January 1942 in Khorramabad, Lorestan Province. Behzadi first broke into the Shahin side whe ...
, a national team forward of that time, who whispered to him "You are a complete player".
Later, Behzadi recruited Rowshan for Sharq, a team playing in the third division of
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
league. His contribution to this team was not too successful and the team failed to gain promotion to the second division and subsequently it was disbanded. Since little Rowshan tasted competitive football, he was determined to join a club in the league rather than going back to street football. In 1969 Rowshan joined
Taj club (known today as
Esteghlal Tehran), one of the two big clubs of Iran.
Club success
![Hassan Rowshan 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Hassan_Rowshan_2.jpg)
Rowshan was quickly becoming a household name in Iran. With his club,
Taj Tehran, he won many championship and trophies. He first broke into the Taj side when he was 17 years old and played his first season in
Takht Jamshid Cup
The Takht Jamshid Cup ( fa, جام تخت جمشید, Jâm-e Taxt-e Jamšid) was a national football league based in Iran which lasted from 1973 to 1978.
History
Before 1970
Before 1970s, the tournament was called the Iranian Championship cup, ...
. He won the Iranian league in
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
and reached the second place in
1974. Further he won the
Hazfi Cup
Hazfi Cup (Jām-e Hazfi; ) is the Iranian football knockout cup competition, run by the Iranian Football Federation.
The Iranian football league was not held during the 1980s, hence the winner of Hazfi Cup represented Iran in the Asian Club Ch ...
in 1977.
After the World Cup 1978, although Hasan Rowshan had limited playing time in
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, the scouts from several countries discovered his potential and send representations to his club in order to recruit him. Rowshan settled for
UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
and in particular
Al-Ahli club of
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
. Jointly with his national teammate,
Hassan Nazari
Hassan Nazari ( fa, حسن نظری, born August 19, 1956 in Abadan, Iran) is a retired Iranian footballer. He usually played as a defender.
Playing career
He began his career in his hometown of Abadan, playing for clubs like 'Sepah Abadan' an ...
, they won the championship for Al Ahli in
1980. From 1982 to 1983 he joined Esteghlal F.C. again for a few games.
In 1984, Roshan rejoined Esteghlal F.C. again, where he could win the
Tehran Province League in 1985.
National team success
However, the highlights of his career were winning the football tournament of the
Asian Games in Tehran in 1974 and
Asian Cup 1976 in Tehran as well as reaching the quarterfinals of the
Summer Olympics in Montreal in 1976 and winning the qualification for the World Cup finals in
Argentina 1978. During the Asian qualification games, Rowshan excelled. His goals and assists was a major contribution to the success of the team and eventual qualification. This success did not come easy, as his constant runs and skills in maneuvering and dribbling made him a target for some rough tackles, he missed some games due to a serious and long lasting knee injury.
His injury after the qualification games were a major problem for coach
Heshmat Mohajerani. When Iran played its first game, Rowshan was doubtful. However, he didn't even play one single full game and scored the only goal for Iran in a 4-1 loss to
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
. After the World Cup 1978, many critics in Iran indicated that if Iran had a fully fit Rowshan, the results would have been much better than what was achieved.
[
]
Coaching career
He was appointed as the Technical Manager for Iran national under-20 football team
Iran national under-20 football team (also known as Iran Under-20, Iran U-20 or Iran Youth Team) represents Iran in international football competitions in AFC U-19 Championship and FIFA U-20 World Cup, as well as any other under-20 international ...
in 2005, however he resigned later.
Football School
When he returned to Iran in the 90s, he formed a top quality football school for kids which was a huge success. Hassan Rowshan Football School was the first academic football school in Middle East.
Return to Esteghlal
Hassan Rowshan became the head of Esteghlal's Football Academy on 6 August 2007. It's understood that he offered a new Football development system based on Aston Villa's academy, but head of Iran's Sports organization Mr.Ali Abadi & Fatholahzadeh refused to provide the required budget (150K USD per year). Iranian press revealed that Hassan Rowshan tried to fight the powerful insider relationships of the club but he resigned later in 2008. Alireza Mansourian took over the Academy. On 15 July 2011, he was appointed as head of technical committee of Esteghlal by Ali Fathollahzadeh succeeding Nasser Hejazi.
Career statistics
International goals
Legal issues
Rowshan was sued for libel and found guilty, with a sentence of a fine and lashes.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rowshan, Hassan
1955 births
Living people
1978 FIFA World Cup players
Al Ahli Club (Dubai) players
Esteghlal F.C. players
Association football forwards
1976 AFC Asian Cup players
Footballers at the 1976 Summer Olympics
1980 AFC Asian Cup players
AFC Asian Cup-winning players
Iran international footballers
Iranian expatriate footballers
Iranian football managers
Iranian footballers
Olympic footballers of Iran
People from Tehran
Asian Games gold medalists for Iran
Asian Games medalists in football
UAE Pro League players
Footballers at the 1974 Asian Games
Medalists at the 1974 Asian Games