Esteghlal F.C.

باشگاه فوتبال استقلال تهران
Full name Esteghlal Tehran Football Club
Nickname(s) S-S (اس اس)
The Blues (آبی‌ پوشان)
Crown of Asia (تاج آسیا)
The blues of capital (آبی های پایتخت)
Founded 26 September 1945 (1945-09-26) as Docharkheh Savaran
Ground Azadi Stadium
Ground Capacity 95,225[1][2]
Owner Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports
Chairman Bahram Afsharzadeh
Coach Parviz Mazloumi
League Persian Gulf Pro League
2014–15 Persian Gulf Pro League, 6th
Website Club home page

Esteghlal Tehran Football Club (Persian:باشگاه فوتبال استقلال تهران meaning independence) formerly known as Taj Tehran Football Club (Persian:باشگاه فوتبال تاج تهران meaning Crown) is an Iranian professional Football Club based in Tehran that plays in the Persian Gulf Pro League. Esteghlal F.C. is the football club of the multisport Esteghlal Athletic and Cultural Club (Persian:باشگاه فرهنگی ورزشی استقلال تهران).

Founded in 1945 initially as Docharkhe Savaran (دوچرخه سواران) meaning "The Cyclists" in Persian and later in 1949, the name of the club was first changed to Taj (تاج) that means "Crown" in Persian; a name that was quickly transformed into a football powerhouse in Iranian soccer competitions. The name of the club was finally modified into Esteghlal (Persian: استقلال) that is the current name of the club, meaning "Independence", subsequent to the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

In 1970, under the management of Zdravko Rajkov, Esteghlal Tehran became the first Iranian football club to win the Asian Club Championship.

They have won several official titles in the national and international stage since 1970, including eight Iranian League (1st tier) titles[3] and a record 6 Hazfi Cups,[4][5] with two titles in Asian Club Championship (1970 and 1991); so there are two golden stars printed on the badge of the team's official kit.

History

Establishment

Esteghlal's former emblem

On 20 September 1945, three Iranian military officers—Mirzani, Jananpour and Navab—started a sports club on Ferdowsi Street, Tehran. Since the founders of the club were mostly interested in cycling, the club's original name was Docharkhe Savaran (Persian: دوچرخه سواران), meaning 'The Cyclists' in Persian. Esteghlal football club played its first official match in 1946.

Emerging success

From the beginning Taj or Docharkeh Savaran competed in the Tehran Local League, which at the time was the highest ranked league in Iran. On 6 March 1950, Taj played its first official game in front of over 20,000 spectators in Amjadieh Stadium against Shahin; Taj managed a close 1–0 win. Later in that year, the club's name was officially changed to Taj which means crown in Persian. In 1970, Taj defeated Hapoel Tel Aviv of Israel 2–1 in the final to win its first ever Asian Club Championship.

1979 Revolution

After the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, the club was confiscated by the newly established Islamic government and put under the control of the Physical Education Organization of Islamic Republic of Iran (Persian: سازمان تربیت بدنی جمهوری اسلامی ايران), a governmental organization, and changed its name to Esteghlal (Persian: استقلال), 'Independence' in Persian; Taj (Persian: تاج ) means 'Crown' in Persian. After the revolution, any sign of the previous monarchist regime was not tolerated.

Post Revolution

Esteghlal in 1989

During the 1980s, Esteghlal won the Tehran Football League twice. The 1989–90 season was a memorable one for Esteghlal. The club finished 1st in Group B of the Qods League and advanced to the semifinals. Esteghlal defeated Malavan 4–0 on aggregate to advance to the final against the hated rival: Persepolis. Esteghlal defeated Persepolis 2–1 through a 74th-minute goal by Samad Marfavi to win the Qods League; this proved to be one of the most memorable derbies for Esteghlal. In the following season, Esteghlal made it to the final of the Hazfi Cup only to lose to Malavan on penalties. 1991 proved to be one of Esteghlal's most memorable years as they won the Asian Club Championship for the 2nd time defeating Chinese club Liaoning 2–1. Esteghlal once again reached the final of the Asian Club Championship in 1999, this time losing to Japanese club Jubilo Iwata 1–2.

Iran Pro League

2001 marked the first year of the newly founded Iran Pro League. Going into the final day, Esteghlal was on top of the league's table; however, with an Esteghlal loss and a Persepolis win, Persepolis was crowned as the league's inaugural champion. However, the 2001–02 Hazfi Cup provided some consolation for Esteghlal as they beat Fajr Sepasi 4–3 on aggregate to win the cup. The 2002–03 season was one of the worst years in club history, as they finished 9th under the management of Roland Koch and were eliminated in the group stage of the AFC Champions League.

Ghalenoi Era

In July 2003, Amir Ghalenoi was appointed manager of Esteghlal. In his first year, Esteghlal finished runner-up in the league, finishing two points behind the champion Pas Tehran. Ghalenoi also made it to the final of the Hazfi Cup losing 2–5 on aggregate to Sepahan. His second season proved to be less successful as Esteghlal finished 3rd and failed to qualify to the AFC Champions League. However, the 2005–06 season was a completely different year; Esteghlal were crowned champions of the Iran Pro League for the first time in the Pro League era. At the end of the season, Ghalenoi left Esteghlal for the national team job.

League Troubles

In 2006 after the departure of Amir Ghalenoi, his assistant and youth team coach Samad Marfavi took over the head-coaching job. Esteghlal had a disappointing season, finishing fourth, thus failing to secure a spot in the AFC Champions League, as well as only reaching the Round of 16 in the Hazfi Cup with a shock defeat to Fajr Sepasi. After Marfavi's departure in August 2007, another Esteghlali great, former goalkeeper Nasser Hejazi took over; but after only 14 games and 4 defeats, Hejazi was fired as manager in November 2007. Firouz Karimi was hired as the temporary head coach for the remainder of the season; he did not fare much better than Hejazi and the team finished 13th in the league, its lowest finish ever. Firouz Karimi was fired in May 2008 and Amir Ghalenoi was hired again in July 2008. He quickly regrouped the team and the Hazfi Cup proved to be a valuable consolation, as Esteghlal became champions after defeating Pegah Gilan 3–1 on aggregate, thus securing a Champions League spot after a two-year absence. During Ghalenoi's first full and only season in his second stint with Esteghlal, he led the team to a Iran Pro League championship, finishing ahead of Zob Ahan on goal difference. However, after a group stage exit in the AFC Champions League, Ghalenoi resigned. Samad Marfavi took the reigns of Esteghlal for a second time; Marfavi led the team to a 3rd place league finish in the 2009–10 season and also led the team to the Round of 16 of the AFC Champions League, losing to Al Shabab of Saudi Arabia 2–3 on aggregate. In the spring of 2010, Marfavi extended his contract for another year, but strangely a few days later he resigned. This time Esteghlal turned to Parviz Mazloumi, a former Esteghlal player in the 1980s. During his 2-year tenure with Esteghlal, he led the team to 2nd and 3rd place league finishes, as well as a Hazfi Cup trophy in 2012. After a 0–2 loss to fellow countrymen Sepahan in the Round 16 of the AFC Champions League, Mazloumi was sacked by the club and Amir Ghalenoi took the reins of Esteghlal for a third time.

Return of Ghalenoi

The new era started with an exciting year for Esteghlal as both former Aston Villa man Jlloyd Samuel and Iran national football team captain Javad Nekounam joined the team. With these players, Ghalenoi had no trouble leading Esteghlal to a comfortable league victory in his first season back. The team also made it to the semi-finals of the Hazfi Cup which they eventually lost to Sepahan. The year was also marked by advancing to the AFC Champions League semi-finals where they met Korean side FC Seoul. After a 0–2 away loss in the first leg, Esteghlal faced an uphill task; they returned to the Azadi Stadium with much belief but eventually lost to FC Seoul 2–4 on aggregate. The next season however was a disappointing one for Ghalenoi and his team. With a chance to win the league on the final match day, Esteghlal lost 1–3 to Tractor Sazi and dropped to 5th place, and out of a champions league slot. Esteghlal also faced a shock defeat at the hands of Mes Kerman in the Hazfi Cup semi-finals. To top off Esteghlal's horrendous year, the team failed to reach the AFC Champions League knock-out stage, finishing 3rd in its group. Amir Ghalenoi earned the title of "General" from the club's fans for his performance.

Tehran Derby

Main article: Tehran derby
Other important rivalries: Esteghlal–Sepahan rivalry

The club's biggest rival and its opponent in the Tehran Derby is Persepolis. The first derby match between the clubs took place on April 5, 1968 at Amjadieh Stadium. Today, all derbies and home matches are played at the Azadi Stadium which is usually sold out for the derby.

In 1995, IRIFF began to invite foreign referees to officiate the derby to ease fans and players suspicions of referee bias. This occurred after the events of the 38th derby (January 20, 1995) in which Persepolis was leading by a score of 2–0 until the 79th minute when Esteghlal scored two goals within 8 minutes to erase the deficit; 1st goal was scored from the penalty spot which angered the Persepolis fans and players who felt the referee was biased towards Esteghlal. Persepolis fans stormed the field in the 88th minute and fights broke out on the pitch between fans and players. Following the match, it was decided that Iranian referees would no longer be used for the derby. After 14 years of foreign referees, the second leg of the 2008–09 season saw an Iranian once again refereeing the derby. The game ended in a draw with goals coming from Mojtaba Jabari and Maziar Zare.

Supporters and Fans

Esteghlal fans

Esteghlal is one of the highest supported teams in Iranian football. The club is based in Tehran and is popular in all parts of the country. Esteghlal also has a fan base in the United States, Europe and Persian Gulf countries.

Famous Fans

  • Parinaz Izadyar [13] (Actress)
  • Sharareh Rokham [18] (Actress)
  • Parastoo Salehi [19] (Actress)
  • Mina Lakani [20] (Actress)
  • Laleh Eskandari [23] (Actress)

  • Shahnam Shahabi [25] (Actor)
  • Hassan Joharchi [32] (Actor)
  • Poya Amini [34] (Actor)
  • Danial Hakimi [35] (Actor)
  • Shahram Abdoli [38] (Actor)
  • Saeed Aghakhani [39] (Actor)

  • Nima Shahrokhshahi [41] (Actor)
  • Babak Jahanbakhsh [46] (Singer)
  • Behnam Safavi [47] (Singer)
  • Mani Rahnama [50] (Singer)
  • Khashayar Etemadi [51] (Singer)
  • Saeid Arab [53] (Singer)
  • Mehdi Yazdani Khoram [54] (Journalist)

Stadium

Main article: Azadi Stadium
Esteghlal fans celebrating their team's league title championship in the last match of the 2012–13 season at the Azadi Stadium.

The Azadi Stadium is Iran's national stadium and the largest in the country. The Azadi Stadium officially had a capacity of 100,000 people at the beginning[57][58] and was built to host the 1974 Asian Games. The stadium is part of the much larger Azadi Sports Complex and is surrounded by a rowing river, football training pitches, a weightlifting complex, swimming facilities and indoor volleyball and futsal courts, among many other amenities. Today, Azadi Stadium has a capacity of 84,412 after renovations in 2002.[59]

Esteghlal's home stadium is Azadi (Persian: ورزشگاه آزادی), a football stadium in Tehran, Iran. The Stadium's former name was Aryamehr Stadium which was changed after the Iranian Revolution. The stadium has been filled over capacity on numerous occasions; for example, when it has faced rivals Persepolis in the Tehran Derby or in several AFC Champions League matches. Prior to the construction of Azadi, Esteghlal used to play their games at Amjadieh Stadium.

Players

Current Squad

See also: 2015–16 Esteghlal F.C. season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 Iran GK Mehdi Rahmati (captain)
2 Iran DF Khosro Heydari (4th captain)
3 Iran MF Mohammad Reza Khorsandnia
4 Iran MF Roozbeh Cheshmi U23
5 Iran DF Hanif Omranzadeh
6 Iran MF Omid Ebrahimi
8 Iran MF Yaghoub Karimi
9 Iran FW Arash Borhani (3rd captain)
10 Iran FW Sajjad Shahbazzadeh
11 Iran MF Jaber Ansari
14 Croatia FW Pero Pejić
15 Armenia DF Hrayr Mkoyan
16 Iran MF Mehdi Momeni
No. Position Player
17 Iran MF Milad Shabanloo U21
19 Iran MF Alireza Ramezani U23
20 Iran DF Meysam Majidi
22 Iran GK Vahid Talebloo (2nd captain)
24 Iran MF Omid Noorafkan U19
27 Iran MF Hossein Hosseini U21
28 Iran MF Mohsen Karimi U23
33 Iran GK Amir Hossein Najafi U21
34 Iran DF Milad Fakhreddini
36 Iran MF Mehdi Rajabifar U19
55 Iran DF Amin Hajmohammadi
77 Iran FW Behnam Barzay U23
88 Iran MF Farshid Esmaeili U23

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
Iran GK Hossein Hosseini (at Malavan until 30 June 2016)
Iran DF Majid Hosseini (at Rah Ahan until 30 June 2016)
Iran DF Mohammad Khalili (at Khoneh Be Khoneh until 30 June 2016)

For recent transfers, see List of Iranian football transfers winter 2015–16.

Notable Players

Club captains

Mehdi Rahmati is Esteghlal's current captain

Esteghlal captains since 1990

# Name Captaincy
1
Iran Shahin Bayani 1990–1992
2
Iran Amir Ghalenoei 1992–1997
3
Iran Javad Zarincheh 1997–2000
4
Iran Mehdi Pashazadeh 2000–2003
5
Iran Mahmoud Fekri 2003–2007
6
Iran Ali Reza Mansourian 2007–2008
7
Iran Farhad Majidi 2008–2013
8
Iran Mehdi Rahmati 2013–2014
2015–present
9
Iran Amir Hossein Sadeghi 2014–2015
10
Iran Reza Enayati 2015

World Cup players

Argentina 1978 FIFA World Cup

France 1998 FIFA World Cup

Germany 2006 FIFA World Cup

Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup

Olympic Players

Japan 1964 Olympics

West Germany 1972 Olympics

Canada 1976 Olympics

Club Managers

Notable Managers

Only managers who have won at least one trophy are listed.

Name Period Trophies
Domestic International
IPL HC AL ACL
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Zdravko Rajkov 1969–76 0 1 2 1
Iran Mansour Pourheidari 1983–86
1989–92
1995–96
2000–02
0 2 2 1
Iran Nasser Hejazi 1996–99 0 0 1 0
Iran Amir Ghalenoie 2003–06
2008–09
2012–15
3 2 0 0
Iran Parviz Mazloumi 2010–12
2015–
0 1 0 0

IPL managers

Name Nat From To Record
PWDLWin %
Mansour Pourheidari Iran February 2000 July 2002 26139450%
Roland Koch[62] Germany July 2002 June 2003 26881031%
Amir Ghalenoei[63][64][65] Iran July 2003 July 2006 8646301053%
Samad Marfavi[66] Iran July 2006 August 2007 301410647%
Nasser Hejazi Iran August 2007 November 2007 1455436%
Firooz Karimi Iran November 2007 May 2008 2065930%
Amir Ghalenoei[67] Iran July 2008 June 2009 34199656%
Samad Marfavi[68] Iran July 2009 June 2010 341611747%
Parviz Mazloumi Iran June 2010 May 2012 6837201154%
Amir Ghalenoei Iran June 2012 June 2015 9247261952%
Parviz Mazloumi Iran June 2015 Present 241210250%

Current Management Team

Position Name
Head coach Iran Parviz Mazloumi
Assistant coach Iran Majid Saleh
Assistant coach Iran Sirous Dinmohammadi
Goalkeeper coach Iran Hossein Torabpour
Fitness coach Iran Ali Asghar Ghorbanali Pour
Doctor Iran Kaveh Sotoudeh
Physiotherapist Iran Amin Noroozi
Analyzer Iran Mohammad Navazi
Analyzer Iran Farzad Majidi
Analyzer Iran Mahdi Arjangi Nia
Team Manager Iran Mansour Pourheidari

Chairmen

Chairman Tenure
Iran Parviz Khosravani September 1945 – June 1960
Iran Parviz Sheikhan June 1960 – February 1979
Iran Ali Abdullahi Nourozi May 1979 – May 1983
Iran Kazem Oliaei January 1988 – May 1996
Iran Ali Fathollahzadeh May 1996 – May 2003
Iran Hossein Gharib June 2003 – July 2005
Iran Kazem Oliaei July 2005 – December 2005
Iran Hossein Gharib December 2005 – September 2006
Iran Meghdad Najafnejad September 2006 – May 2007
Iran Ali Fathollahzadeh May 2007 – September 2008
Iran Amir Reza Vaezi Ashtiani September 2008 – May 2010
Iran Ali Nazari Juybari May 2010 – June 2010
Iran Ali Fathollahzadeh June 2010 – May 2014
Iran Bahram Afsharzadeh May 2014 – present

Achievements

Domestic

League

Cups

Provincial

Continental

Unofficial titles

Statistics and records

Statistics in IPL

Statistics in ACL

Statistics in Hazfi Cup

General statistics

Esteghlal have been the most successful Iranian club in Asia and one of the most successful football clubs in Iran.

Pos. Club Seasons Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Best Rank
1 Esteghlal 1443221113487642418+224766Champions
2 Sepahan 1443220913196643415+228741Champions
3 Persepolis 14432183144105596458+138686Champions
4 Zob Ahan 14432172142118531438+936582nd
Team Winners Runners-Up Years Won Years Lost
South Korea Pohang Steelers301996–97, 1997–98, 2009
Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal FC231991–92, 1999–20001986–87, 1987–88, 2013–14
Iran Esteghlal FC221970, 1990–911991–92, 1998–99
South Korea Seongnam FC221995–96, 20101996–97, 2004
Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad FC212004, 20052009

Season-by-season

For details on seasons, see List of Esteghlal F.C. seasons

Sponsorship

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Esteghlal FC.

References

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  2. گنجایش ورزشگاه آزادی چقدر است؟
  3. According to the list of Iranian football champions.
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  17. سحر قريشی: خودم فيلم قهرمانی استقلال را مي سازم
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  26. شش تا گل زدند 30 سال به رویمان آوردند
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  32. جوهرچی: تنها استقلالی هستم که دایی را دوست دارم
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  45. خواجه امیری: استقلالی بودنم را پنهان نمی کنم
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  49. عسکری: آقای گل‌ها باز هم برای استقلال گل بزنید
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  56. حامد حدادی: همه می‌دانند استقلالی‌ام
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External links

Achievements
Preceded by
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Israel
Champions of Asia
1970
Succeeded by
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Israel
Preceded by
Liaoning FC
China
Champions of Asia
1990–91
Succeeded by
Al-Hilal
Saudi Arabia
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