News / Sports

Veteran Iranian footballer Akbar Eftekhari dies at 73

Friday, 10 November 2017 9:01 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 10 November 2017 1:06 PM ]

Veteran Iranian footballer Akbar Eftekhari

A former member of the Iranian men’s national soccer team and striker with the professional football clubs Persepolis and Taj, now known as Esteghlal, has passed away after months of battle with disease.

Akbar Eftekhari, who was born on December 7, 1943, in the southern Bandar Shahpour port city, now known as Bandar-e Imam Khomeini, died at Ibn Sina Hospital in the Iranian capital city of Tehran on Thursday evening.

He started his soccer career at Daraei Football Club, which currently competes in the Tehran Province league, in 1962 and played as a striker for six years.

Eftekhari then moved to Taj, Oghab Tehran and Persepolis football clubs.

He was a member of the Iran men's national football team between 1966 and 1972.

Eftekhari was also named the best forward of the 1968 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup.

The Iranian Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs and the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran have extended their condolences to Eftekhari’s bereaved family in separate messages.

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