“Our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Mehrdad Minavand who passed away in Tehran after a battle with COVID-19”, AFC wrote on its Instagram account.
Minavand passed away because of COVID-19 Wednesday night. He was 45.
The former player of Austrian team Sturm Graz was hospitalized in intensive care unit (ICU) of the Laleh Hospital in Tehran last week.
Minavand was part of Iran national football team in the 1996 AFC Asian Cup and 1998 FIFA World Cup.
He also played for Iranian club Persepolis in two stints.