Naft Tehran F.C. is an Iranian football club based in Tehran, Iran. They currently compete in the Persian Gulf Pro League. They are owned by the National Iranian Oil Company. Naft Tehran was founded in 1950 and plays in the Takhti Stadium.
In 2015 for the first time in the club's history Naft played in the AFC Champions League. They defeated Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia in the round of 16 to advance to the quarter–finals where they eventually lost to Al-Ahli Dubai.
History
Establishment
On 23 August 1971, National Iranian Oil Company decided on starting a football team. Before the Iranian Revolution the team competed in the Tehran Football League for several years. In 2003, the club was competing in the Tehran Local Leagues, in 2005 they were promoted to the 3rd Division.
Naft Tehran was competing in Iran's 2nd Division and they turned out to be one of the best teams. In the First Round, they had managed to score 36 goals and convecting only 14, they were on top of Iranjavan with 38 points. In the Second Round, they came out second at the Group B. They were just under Mes Sarcheshmeh with 3 points away and 1 point on top of Esteghlal Jonub Tehran, Naft Tehran after promoted to Azadegan League.
Promotion to Iran Pro League
After three years of competing in the 2nd Division, Naft was promoted to the Azadegan League. Naft Tehran started the season well in Azadegan League and eventually became first in the group tables. Naft Tehran came out with a huge goal difference by conceding the fewest goals, and they were on top of the table by 1 point from Damash Gilan They didn't score much as their top scorer Akbar Saghiri scored 7 goals in the league. It was the first time ever that Naft Tehran went to Iran Pro League.
Iran Pro League
Naft Tehran players in 2011–12 season
Naft Tehran was competing in Iran's 2nd Division and they turned out to be one of the best teams. In the First Round they had managed to score 36 goals and conceding only 14, they were on top of Iranjavan with 38 points. In the Second Round they came out second at the Group B. They were just under Mes Sarcheshmeh with 3 points away and 1 point on top of Esteghlal Jonub Tehran, Naft Tehran after promoted to Azadegan League.
Naft Tehran started the season well in Azadegan League and eventually became first in the group tables. Naft Tehran came out with a huge goal difference by conceding the fewest goals, and they were on top of the table by one point from Damash Gilan. They didn't score much as their top scorer Akbar Saghiri scored seven goals in the league. It was the first time ever that Naft Tehran went to Persian Gulf Pro League.
Champions League
On the final day of the 2013–14 Iran Pro League season, Naft lead the league and had an opportunity to win the league. However, Naft lost to Sepahan and dropped to 3rd place, which was still good enough for a spot in the AFC Champions League, the first time in club history the team has reached the international stage. In May 2014 Yahya Golmohammadi announced that he would not be extending his contract with Naft and had signed with Zob Ahan. Shortly after on 31 May, Naft revealed Ali Reza Mansourian as their manager for the 2014–15 season. The club qualified for the 2015 AFC Champions League group stage after a 1–0 win over Qatari club El Jaish in the play-off round. Naft won its first ever Champions League game in a 2–1 victory against Saudi club Al Shabab. On 6 May 2015 the club advanced to the round of 16 of the AFC Champions League.
On 15 May 2015 on the final matchday of the league Naft went in to the final match second and tied on points with Tractor Sazi, whom they played in the final match. Naft drew with Tractor 3–3 and finished third in the league, securing an Champions League play-off spot. In the Hazfi Cup final, Naft Tehran was defeated by Zob Ahan.
Supporters
Before Naft's successful season in the AFC Champions League the club had only a few supporters who were mostly workers of the National Iranian Oil Company. In 2015 after a third place finish in the league, reaching the final of the Hazfi Cup and advancing to the quarter-finals of the Champions League the club gained some supporters and became the third most popular team in Tehran behind Persepolis and Esteghlal.[4]
Season-by-season
The table below comes from List of Naft Tehran F.C. seasons
The table below chronicles the achievements of Naft Tehran in various competitions since 2003.
Kit Manufacturer History
Here is a list of Kit Manufacturers since 2007 including the sponsor.
First Team Squad
As of 25 January 2016 [5]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Loan list
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
For recent transfers, see List of Iranian football transfers winter 2015–16.
Captains
International Players
Players that played for Team Meli and competed in International Competitions while playing for Naft Tehran.
World Cup
2014 FIFA World Cup
Asian Games
2010 Asian Games
2014 Asian Games
Asian Cup
2015 AFC Asian Cup
Notable players
Head coaches
| Name | Nat | From | To |
| Hamid Shirzadegan | .svg.png) | Jan 17, 1975 | June 1, 1976 |
| Parviz Dehdari |
 | March 30, 1976 | Dec 1, 1980 |
| Aref Seyed Alikhani | | 1980 | 1988 |
| Nasser Faryadshiran | | Feb 5, 2003 | July 6, 2006 |
| Mehdi Dinvarzadeh | | July 6, 2006 | May 3, 2010 |
| Nader Dastneshan | | June 5, 2010 | July 1, 2010 |
| Hossein Faraki | | July 1, 2010 | July 5, 2012 |
| Mansour Ebrahimzadeh | | July 7, 2012 | June 1, 2013 |
| Yahya Golmohammadi | | June 1, 2013 | June 1, 2014 |
| Ali Reza Mansourian | | June 1, 2014 | Present |
Coaching Staff
| Staff [6][7] |
Name |
| Head coach |
Alireza Mansourian |
| Assistant coach |
Mohammad Khoramgah |
| Assistant coach |
Gholamhossein Atashgah |
| Goalkeeping coach |
Seyed Mohsen Seyedi |
| Fitness Trainer |
Akbar Darstani |
| Doctor |
Masoud Ghorbani |
| Analyzer |
Mehdi Khanban |
| Chiropractor |
Vahid Zivari |
| Technical Manager |
Rahim Ali Iranian |
Individual Records
Lists of the players with the most caps and top goalscorers for the club, as of 26 January 2015 (players in bold signifies current Naft Tehran player). (The stats are from 2009)
Top Scorers
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Top Scorers by Season
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Clean Sheets by Season
AFC Champions League Record
AFC Champions League games
Group B
AFC Record
Top Goalscorers in AFC Champions League
Honours
- Third Place (2): 2013–14, 2014–15
- Runners-up (1): 2014–15
- Winner (1): 2009–10
- Winner (1): 2008–09
- Winner (1): 2005–06
- Winner (1): 2004–05
See also
References
External links
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| | Associated competitions | |
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| | Seasons | |
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| | List of transfers | |
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| | 4th Round (1/8) | |
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| | 3rd Round (1/16) | |
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| | 1st Round | |
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| | | Hazfi Cup seasons |
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| | Final | |
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| | | Competitions involving Iranian clubs |
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| | Domestic | |
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| | International | |
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| | League competitions | |
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| | Cup competitions | |
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| | Defunct competitions | |
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| | National teams | |
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| | Lists and categories | |
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Al-Ain
Pakhtakor
Al-Shabab
El Jaish