Stramaccioni is close to returning to Iran. The Italian manager recently met with the Iranian ambassador to Italy in Rome, he expressed his desire to return to to Esteghlal's bench, which is a step in the direction of mending fences. The players refused to take instructions from the interim manager and instead asked Stramaccioni's athletic coach to give them a plan to follow during these recent days.
On December 8th, Stramaccioni rescinded his contract over significant grievances including lack of payments, a decision which prompted a fan protest. Stramaccioni posted a picture from his meeting with the Iranian ambassador with the message "Do your best and God will do the rest"
