The 52-year-old coach took charge of Esteghlal in June 2022 but had to leave the club after receiving a four-month suspension from the Disciplinary Committee of the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI).
Prior to this, Esteghlal had reached an agreement with Brazilian coach Fábio Carille, but the club later reversed its decision.
Although Esteghlal recently won Iran’s Hazfi Cup under the leadership of Mojtaba Jabbari, the club hired Sa Pinto.
Sa Pinto will travel to Tehran to finalize his contract in the coming days.