Ghotbi Gone: Vancouver FC Sack Inaugural Head Coach

It looks like Vancouver FC’s Afshin Ghotbi has come to a close.

AFTN Canada has reported that the inaugural Vancouver FC head coach has been sacked following two-and-a-half seasons of disappointing results, with former Nine Stripes boss Martin Nash taking over coaching duties for the club’s most recent training session.

Ghotbi, 61, had been unveiled as the club’s inaugural head coach months ahead of the team’s debut season in 2023 with a resume that made him one of the most intriguing hires in the CPL: having assisted Guss Hiddink’s South Korea set to the World Cup semi-finals in 2002 and Iran to an Asian Cup victory in 2011, his career had seen some lofty heights – but some deep valleys, too.

Ghotbi came to Langley as a well-travelled head coach, having previously helmed the Shimizi S-Pulse (Japan), Buriram United (Thailand), Foolad FC (Persia), and Chinese sides Shijazhaung Ever Bright and the Cangzhou Mighty Lions. His spell with the latter two sides was rather tumultuous: he saw Ever Bright get both promoted and relegated during a two-stay tenure, and Cangzhou fell to second last in the CSL before he left and moved on to the CPL.

Speaking with Northern Tribune shortly after his hiring, Ghotbi made strong claims that he felt Vancouver FC would immediately challenge for a championship, and publicly said that a trophy would get locked in by year two. Things haven’t neared that trajectory, however: their debut year saw a tough introduction crash out to a second-last finish after being the first team eliminated from playoff contention, with several signings failing to pan out. Year two saw much of the same, with a hot start fizzling out to another second-last finish amidst growing rumours that Ghotbi’s style of coaching was deeply damaging the locker room.

Vancouver FC President Rob Friend, who had led the efforts to bring Ghotbi, remained all-in on the head coach to sign him for a third Canadian Premier League season. With results quickly failing to accumulate and attendance figures failing to blossom, however, Ghotbi’s purported exit now comes just weeks after he infamously quipped that Vancouver FC was the best last-place team in the league.

The head coach’s overall record with Vancouver FC, who have yet to formally confirm his departure, is 15W-14D-29L, with the Eagles locking in only a 25.86% win rate through his two-and-a-half seasons in charge. The Eagles currently sit dead last with eight points after fifteen matches played, and are on course for a historic league-worst finish if the club’s current form continues. Given that this record is currently held by a now-defunct FC Edmonton side that was ownerless at the time, that really says something about rough things are for VFC right now.

The final nail in the coffin was a four-nil loss against York United last weekend, with the club’s only league win of the year having come in early May against bottom-half side Valour FC.

With Vancouver FC having endured plenty of roster movement that has reportedly left many players feeling burned by their time at the club, it’ll be interesting to see how a change in coaching staff resonates throughout The Eagles. Should Martin Nash truly return in an interim role or otherwise, the former Nine Stripes boss will make history as the first head coach to take the lead role at two different sides in Canada’s top flight.

For now, however, the Eagles will be focused on seeing if their wings still have it in them to fly. Vancouver FC’s next match comes this Friday, July 25, against second-last Valour FC in a bottom of the table scrap versus another under-pressure head coach.

Header Image Photo Credit: Canadian Premier League