Sohrab showed the other side of Iranian football.
The tension that dominates Iranian football is nothing new that can be hidden, but Esteghlal's head coach's respectable approach to these tensions and conflicts is an issue that cannot be easily ignored. Behavior that can be summed up in two important sentences: healthy competition, maintaining the opponent's honor.
Perhaps if the events of the match between Estagalal and Estagalal Khuzestan had taken place in a different game and between different teams, unpleasant things would have happened in the stadium. However, Esteghlal's head coach not only did not encourage these side effects, but also tried to control them. The incident did not go unnoticed by Mehdi Taj even after the end of that match, when the president of the Football Association praised Bakhtiarizade for his behavior in preventing seizures in the stadium.
Sohrab's words at the press conference before the match and in response to a question about the traditional rival were also worthy of reference. He praised the performance of Mehdi Tartar and said that he was not aware of the details of Persepolis and wished him success. In fact, Bakhtiarizade with his mature answer to the reporter not only does not speak directly about issues of another group, but also buys respect for himself and his team by praising them.
Esteghlal's head coach earlier, while agreeing to postpone the match against Gulgohar, said the reason for this team's fatigue was due to the long trip in Asia. He said that his team wants to face the opponent in unequal conditions and win, it is not fun and he is looking for success in a healthy competition.
All of these behaviors show that Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh adheres to the professional principles of football in addition to trying to succeed at Astagalal. Emphasizing healthy competition and maintaining the respect of competitors, he showed that winning at any cost is not his priority and success is valuable when it is achieved with maximum mutual respect. An approach that can definitely be a model for other football fans.