Zabih Etemadi, (born 19 September 1982) is an Iranian former professional footballer[1] living in the Netherlands. He currently works as a lawyer and sports agent and owns a sports management company. He holds Dutch citizenship and is the older brother of Agil Etemadi.

Zabih Etemadi
Personal information
Full name Zabih Etemadi
Date of birth (1982-09-19) September 19, 1982 (age 42)
Place of birth Tehran, Iran
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Defender – Midfielder
Youth career
1998–2000 SC Heerenveen
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2004 SC Cambuur Leeuwarden 10 (0)
2004–2005 FC Groningen
2005–2006 FC Wolvega
2006–2009 SC Joure
2009–2010 PKC'83
2010–2011 WKE
2011–2012 Drachtster Boys
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 September 2009

Biography

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Zabih Etemadi was born in Tehran (Iran) and grew up in Dubai. His family moved to The Netherlands when he was 10 years old.[2]

Professional football player

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On his 15th Etemadi was scouted by SC Heerenveen. In 2001, he made his debut as a professional football player in the Dutch second division for Cambuur Leeuwarden,[3] where he played as a back for three years. In 2004, he signed a contract with FC Groningen in the Dutch premier league.[4] Etemadi retired from professional football in 2005 due to a knee injury.[5] From 2005 until 2012 he played for several amateur clubs.

Lawyer

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After his retirement Etemadi studied law at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. In 2009, he received his master's degree in business law. After working for a commercial law firm for 5 years, Etemadi started his own law firm in Amsterdam in 2015. Together with Floris Havelaar he founded law firm LOYR in 2016.

As a lawyer Etemadi specializes in dispute resolution in the field of company and contractual law. He is also a member of a practice group concerned with sports law, where he advises and litigates on behalf of national and international clients. He is also a member of the Dutch Association of Sports Law (Vereniging voor Sport en Recht).[6] In an interview with the alumni magazine of his university, Etemadi stated, "I'm hoping to become the football lawyer in The Netherlands."[7]

Sports agent

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In 2010 Etemadi founded sports management company Soccer Linked Services, where he served as an agent for professional football players. In 2015, he formed a joint venture to formSportLife Management, offering career planning, talent development and legal support for football players, athletes and managers.[8] The football players they have under contract include Johnatan Opoku and Martijn Barto.[9]

Football coach

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Etemadi received his UEFA-B coaching degree in 2008. He has coached an under-15 youth team of amateur football club of SC Joure, which was promoted to the 3rd division. In July 2008 he was successful at the International Children's Games in San Francisco.

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Zabih Etemadi is a member of the Dutch think tank Voetbal en Recht (football and law), affiliated with the University of Amsterdam, which discusses legal issues related to football. He is also a board member of Favela United, a foundation that helps underprivileged children in Brasil and Mozambique through football. He currently plays for the Dutch national lawyers football team.[10] Because of his Iranian background Etemadi is often consulted by football clubs looking for Iranian players.[11][12] He is also invited by Dutch media to speak about Iranian football.[13]

Club career

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References

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  1. ^ "www.voetbal.com". Voetbal.com. Retrieved 2016-05-31.
  2. ^ Ellenbroek, Ellis (1 October 2011). "Voetballers zijn niet dom" (PDF). Broerstraat 5. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  3. ^ Bos, Gerard (31 October 2003). "Friesch Dagblad". www.frieschdagblad.nl. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  4. ^ Van der Meer, Anne Roel (13 February 2016). "Leeuwarder Courant". www.lc.nl. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  5. ^ van der Meer, Anne Roel (13 February 2016). "Leeuwarder Courant". www.lc.nl. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  6. ^ "Zabih Etemadi". Soccer Linked Services.
  7. ^ Ellenbroek, Ellis (1 October 2011). "Voetballers zijn niet dom" (PDF). Broerstraat 5. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  8. ^ "SportLife Management sluit joint venture met Soccer Linked Services". www.sportlifemanagement.com. 1 June 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  9. ^ "Players and Managers".
  10. ^ "Team". www.nederlandsadvocatenvoetbalteam.nl. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  11. ^ "www.forzanec.nl". 2013-05-28. Retrieved 2016-05-31.
  12. ^ "www.voetbalprimeur.nl". 2009-07-20. Retrieved 2016-05-31.
  13. ^ "Radio Brasil". NPO. 2014-06-25. Retrieved 2016-05-31.