Iran Pro League
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| Countries |  Iran |
|---|---|
| Confederation | AFC |
| Founded | 1973 officially 2001 with current format |
| Divisions | 1 |
| Number of teams | 18 |
| Levels on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Azadegan League |
| Domestic cup(s) | Hazfi Cup |
| International cup(s) | AFC Champions League |
| Current champions | Sepahan (2009–10) |
| Most championships | Persepolis Esteghlal Sepahan |
| TV partners | IRIB |
 2010-11 season |
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The Iran Pro League (IPL) (Persian: لیگ برتر فوتبال ایران, currently known as the Persian Gulf Cup (جام خلیج فارس) is a professional football league competition for clubs located at the highest level of the Iranian football league system.
The league system resembles the system being used in England currently. The Premier League is the top tier of an extensive pyramid-like structure, above the Azadegan League (or 1st Division), the 2nd division, the 3rd Division and the lower local leagues.
Contents |
History
Iran Pro League
The 2001-2002 season saw the beginning of the first professional football league in Iran. Unfortunately many say that the new league is professional in name only and is missing many of the required components of a pro league. Player salaries have risen significantly and other positives in the league are the emergence of provincial teams and raw talent which every IPL team boasts. Teams like Foolad Sepahan, Foolad Khouzestan, Zob Ahan FC and Esteghlal Ahvaz have all shown they can compete, even though they are not based in Tehran. The league can only continue to get better, and many are hoping this league will help Iran's football, in terms of quality and reputation improve.
| Season | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2001–02 | Persepolis |
| 2002–03 | Sepahan |
| 2003–04 | Pas Tehran |
| 2004–05 | Foolad |
| 2005–06 | Esteghlal |
| 2006–07 | Saipa |
| 2007–08 | Persepolis |
| 2008–09 | Esteghlal |
| 2009–10 | Sepahan |
Persian Gulf Cup
On August 12, 2006, the Iranian Football Federation decided to change the name of the league once again. The name of the league now is the Persian Gulf Cup.[1]. This was done to promote the name of the Persian Gulf, instead of the many variations which some nations and organizations use which Iran claims are incorrect. The league logo was also changed, with the winner being selected from over 130 designs and unveiled on November 14, 2006.[2] They continued to get better steady and slowly which made many people criticise that the league is sometimes stepping backwards. Saipa was the 6th team to win the 6th new edition of the league which meant 6 different teams won 6 leagues in the row. But in 2008 Persepolis regained the title after 6 years by the dramatic win again the rival Sepahan on the 96th minute of the final match and become the first team that won two titles in the new edition of the Iranian League. The next season Esteghlal did the same thing and won the league for second time on the final matchday.
All-time Premier League standings
Since the 2001-2002 season, IPL/Persian Gulf Cup has had 9 seasons completed. The table below shows all-time statistics of all teams attended in the 9 seasons held.
| Rank |
Team |
Years |
P |
W |
D |
L |
FG |
AG |
GD |
Points |
Best Rank |
| 1 | Esteghlal | 9 | 270 | 127 | 87 | 56 | 413 | 274 | +139 | 468 | Champions |
| 2 | Persepolis | 9 | 270 | 119 | 94 | 57 | 390 | 287 | +103 | 451 | Champions |
| 3 | Sepahan | 9 | 270 | 117 | 83 | 70 | 391 | 280 | +111 | 434 | Champions |
| 4 | Zob Ahan | 9 | 270 | 116 | 83 | 71 | 347 | 273 | +74 | 431 | 2nd |
| 5 | Saipa | 9 | 270 | 87 | 94 | 89 | 310 | 320 | -10 | 355 | Champions |
| 6 | Foolad | 8 | 236 | 91 | 78 | 67 | 279 | 250 | +29 | 351 | Champions |
| 7 | Aboomoslem | 9 | 270 | 83 | 90 | 97 | 295 | 304 | -9 | 339 | 4th |
| 8 | Moghavemat Sepasi | 9 | 270 | 75 | 101 | 94 | 254 | 296 | -42 | 326 | 4th |
| 9 | Paykan | 8 | 240 | 79 | 69 | 92 | 262 | 276 | -14 | 306 | 5th |
| 10 | Esteghlal Ahvaz | 8 | 244 | 78 | 71 | 95 | 311 | 344 | -33 | 305 | 2nd |
| 11 | Malavan | 8 | 244 | 66 | 81 | 97 | 215 | 296 | -81 | 279 | 7th |
| 12 | Pas Tehran | 6 | 168 | 72 | 60 | 36 | 265 | 182 | +83 | 276 | Champions |
| 13 | Saba Battery | 6 | 192 | 66 | 72 | 54 | 243 | 220 | +23 | 270 | 3rd |
| 14 | Bargh Shiraz | 8 | 208 | 60 | 78 | 98 | 250 | 335 | -85 | 258 | 7th |
| 15 | Mes Kerman | 4 | 132 | 47 | 43 | 42 | 180 | 165 | +15 | 184 | 9th |
| 16 | Rah Ahan | 5 | 162 | 42 | 51 | 69 | 173 | 213 | -40 | 177 | 12th |
| 17 | Pas Hamedan | 3 | 102 | 30 | 36 | 36 | 111 | 116 | -5 | 126 | 5th |
| 18 | Pegah Gilan | 4 | 150 | 29 | 48 | 73 | 128 | 222 | -94 | 119 | 9th |
| 19 | Shamooshack | 3 | 86 | 16 | 26 | 44 | 64 | 118 | -54 | 74 | 14th |
| 20 | Teraktor Sazi | 2 | 60 | 13 | 23 | 24 | 55 | 75 | -20 | 62 | 7th |
| 21 | Sanat Naft | 2 | 60 | 15 | 16 | 29 | 62 | 80 | -18 | 61 | 13th |
| 22 | Steel Azin | 1 | 34 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 55 | 49 | +6 | 52 | 5th |
| 23 | Shahin Bushehr | 1 | 34 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 37 | 37 | 0 | 39 | 13th |
| 24 | Payam Mashhad | 1 | 34 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 33 | 52 | -19 | 35 | 17th |
| 25 | Shirin Faraz | 1 | 34 | 3 | 12 | 19 | 25 | 59 | -34 | 21 | 18th |
| 26 | Shahid Ghandi | 1 | 30 | 4 | 7 | 19 | 21 | 43 | -22 | 19 | 16th |
| 27 | Esteghlal Rasht | 1 | 26 | 3 | 7 | 16 | 18 | 44 | -26 | 16 | 13th |
Champions
| Team | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| Esteghlal | 2 (2005-06, 2008–09) | 2 (2001-02, 2003-04) |
| Sepahan | 2 (2002-03, 2009-10) | 1 (2007-08) |
| Persepolis | 2 (2001-02, 2007-08) | - |
| Pas Tehran | 1 (2003-04) | 2 (2002-03, 2005-06) |
| Foolad | 1 (2004-05 ) | - |
| Saipa | 1 (2006-07) | - |
| Zob Ahan | - | 3 (2004-05, 2008–09, 2009–10) |
| Esteghlal Ahvaz | - | 1 (2006-07) |
Competition format and sponsorship
Competition
There are 18 clubs in the league. The season lasts from August to May, each club plays the others twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents for a total of 34 games for each club, with a total of 306 games in each season. Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then goal difference and then goals scored. At the end of each season, the club with the most points is crowned as champion. The two teams at the bottom of the IPL and top of the Azadegan League play in a series of playoffs with return legs, the two teams out of the four that come out of those games victorious will be promoted or remain (if previously there) in the IPL.
Qualification for Asian competitions
As of 2008 four teams from Iran qualify for the AFC Asian Champions League annually. This includes the top three teams of the IPL together with the winner of the Hazfi Cup. If the winner of the Hazfi Cup is also among the three top IPL teams then the fourth best IPL team also qualifies.
Sponsorship
Since the founding of the IPL in 2001 the league has had no private sector sponsorship except for zob ahan fc and saba battery of qom fc, but rather the league has been fully funded by the Iranian government.
Media coverage
Channel 3 broadcasted nationally and IRIB 2 broadcasted internationally both show IPL matches, however due to the immense popularity of Tehran teams Persepolis F.C. and Esteghlal F.C. only these teams' matches are shown on IRIB 2 internationally. Clubs do not receive any income whatsoever from TV rights as both the clubs and IRIB are both government-owned, this is often associated with the poor profitability of football clubs in Iran.
Players
Transfer season
- The summer transfer season for teams in the Persian Gulf Cup lasts from June 18 to 12pm on August 8.
- The winter transfer season for teams in the Persian Gulf Cup lasts from December 31 to 12pm on January 20.
Foreigner cap
Each team is allowed as many foreign players in their squad as they desire, however there is a rule that only permits 3 foreign players the pitch at any one time for each side. In the past there have been breaches of this rule and in the 2006/07 season PAS Tehran F.C. were deducted 1 point for fielding 4 foreigners on one occasion and handed a 3-0 loss.
Also as of the 2008-09 season no IPL clubs will be permitted to buy foreign goalkeepers in a bid to develop the talents of Iranian goalkeepers and allow younger goalkeepers to have more first team opportunities. However the teams which have already got long term contracts with foreign goalkeepers will be exempt from this rule.
Suspensions
Players receive a one match suspension when they receive 3 yellow cards at any point of the season.
Ranking
The strongest National League in the World 2009:[3]
World
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Asia
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Top scorers
All-time top scorers in Iran Pro League
last update: August 30, 2010
| Rank | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fereydoon Fazli |
85 |
| 2 | Reza Enayati |
84 |
| 3 | Arash Borhani |
70 |
| 4 | Mehdi Rajabzadeh |
60 |
| 5 |  Emad Mohammed |
58 |
| 6 | Siavash Akbarpour |
50 |
| 7 | Ali Daei |
48 |
| 8 | Abbas Aghaei |
47 |
| Mohsen Bayatinia |
47 | |
| Davoud Haghi |
47 | |
| 11 |  Adriano Alvez |
46 |
| Includes only Iran Pro League since its establishment in 2001 as Top Division | ||
See also
- Azadegan League (1st Division)
- 2nd Division
- 3rd Division
- 17th of Shahrivar league
- 1979 Shahid Espandi Cup
- Qods League
- Hazfi Cup
- Iranian Super Cup
- Tehran Football Competitions
- List of foreign IPL players
- Takht Jamshid Cup
- Navad
- Fars Province League
- Isfahan Province League
Notes
- ↑ "(Persian) برنامهي كامل دور رفت ششمين دورهي ليگ برتر فوتبال؛ ليگ برتر به «خليج فارس» تغيير نام داد". ISNA. http://www.isna.ir/Main/NewsView.aspx?ID=News-769028&Lang=P. Retrieved 2006-08-14.
- ↑ "(Persian)برترين طرح ارائه شده براي ليگ برتر انتخاب شد". IRIFF Official Website. http://iriff.ir/news/files/show_news.asp?id=6641&rc=3. Retrieved 2006-11-24.
- ↑ "(English)The strongest National League in the World 2009". IFFHS. http://www.iffhs.de/?b6e28fa3002f71504e52d17f7370eff3702bb1c2bb11.
5. (Persian)"مشاهده جدول کامل لیگ برتر.Football 3 Website. Retrieved 2010-5-26.
External links
- PFDC - Persian Football Dot Com
- Iran Pro League Live Results, Player Statistics, IPL Archive from First League
- Persian Football center (PFC) The Hard Talking, Hard Hitting Iranian Soccer Site aligned to Persian Gulf Task Force. We Expose Corruption in Iranian Football.
- Iran Football Online (IFO) All Statistics - Daily News- Entertainment and MultiMedia - Live Sports Radio
- Iranian Football Page (est. 1996) The oldest Iranian Football Discussion Board on the web.
- Havadarha - Iran Football Fans' Website
- Goalju live score
- IRIFF - Islamic Republic of Iran Football Federation
- Iran Pro League Statistics
- Iran Goals
- Iranian Corner
- Iran Sports Press
- Pars Football
- RSSSF database about Iranian league football.
- TMDC - Team Melli Dot Com
- IRFO - Iranian FIFA Online
- Fifa4Persian - The Making Iranian Patch for Fifa games
- (Persian) Directory of Iranian Football Websites - Links
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