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Persepolis Football Club (Template:PerB) is an Iranian football club based in Tehran, Iran. While the original name of the club is Persepolis, it is also called 'Pirouzi' (meaning victory) in Iran.

Among all the Iranian teams Persepolis has had the most impressive record of titles. The Tehran derby between Persepolis and its arch rivals Esteghlal, is always a closely followed match and victory or loss can make it or break it for one of teams. According to the AFC, Persepolis is Asia's number one supported club team. Only Dalian Shide and Al-Hilal have similar support in Asia.

They also operate a reserve team, Sorkhpooshan Delvar Afzar F.C., who play in the Azadegan League.

Persepolis FC is the football club of the multisport Persepolis Athletic and Cultural Club.

History

The ancient column from Persepolis serves as a symbol for the team.

Establishment

Persepolis was established in 1963 by Ali Abdo. At that time Persepolis Sports Club had a basketball, bowling and volleyball team. Abdo had come to Iran from the United States and was a championship boxer. When the football club was established as well, it was quite weak, and participated in the 2nd division of the country. The best player on the team then was Mahmoud Khordbin. When Shahin FC was dissolved , a number of the Shahin players moved to Persepolis, thanks to Parviz Dehdari and Dr. Boroumand. The club had a friendly with Jam Abadan, (a respected team at the time), and afterwards the rest of the Shahin players joined Perspolis as well. Persepolis started the 1968 season with Parviz Dehdari as manager. That year no league competition was held, as many teams had been dissolved, so a 44 team tournament was held, and Persepolis, along with Pas, Taj, and Oghab finished top of the group.

Takht Jamshid Cup

In 1969, the Iran Universal factory was opened. The boss of the factory, Mahmoud Khayami was a big Shahin fan, and had a weak team. Ali Parvin played for that team at the time. Khayami who wanted to promote his new product, (Paykan), and improve his football team, entered into negotiations with Persepolis and was able to get all former Shahin players except for Aziz Asli to join his new team Paykan FC. Paykan FC won the championship that year, but the new players moved back to Persepolis after one year. Persepolis was able to win the first Takht Jamshid Cup in 1970, and won another two seasons later.

1979-89

When the Iranian Revolution took place, the club fell apart and many of the old players did not return. The club was taken over by the Unfortunate and War Amps Substratum (بنياد مستضعفان و جانبازان in Persian) and renamed into Azadi(freedom in Persian). After a brief period the substratum did not want the club anymore and it was placed under the responsibility of the Physical Education Department (سازمان تربيت بدني in Persian) of Iran and renamed Pirouzi(victory in Persian), although most fans still call the team by its original name, Persepolis.

The club only played in the Tehran league and various elimination tournaments. It was extremely successful during this time and maintained its popularity winning the Tehran league five seasons in a row.

Revitalization

The 1990s were a dream decade for the team, four league championships, Hazfi Cups, dozens of great players and renewed support saw the team regaining the form and spirit the team of the '60s and '70s had. At one point more than six Persepolis players were starters on Iran's national team.

The team first put itself back in the spotlight by winning the national championship in the 1995-96 season. At one point in that season they were 10 points behind Farhad Kazemi's Bahman, but were able to storm back and finish first, six points ahead of the league runner up. They were able to win the league again the next season, once again finishing ahead of the runner up by six more points. They were stopped by Korean side, Pohang Steelers in the semi-finals of the Asian Champions' Cup. Persepolis finished third, defeating Iraq's Al-Zawra in the 3rd place match.

File:Persepolisfc97.jpg
Persepolis FC in 1997

The next season they showed good form again, but due to their commitments in the Asian Champions Cup' and the large number of national team players they had they withdrew from the league. The poor scheduling and mismanagement of both the IRIFF and AFC officials led to this unprofessional act. They could possibly have won a third league championship in a row, but it was not to be. Persepolis did not have much luck in the Asian Champion's cup either, as they were once again stopped in the semi-finals, this time by Chinese club, Dalian Wanda. They lost the 3rd place match as well to Al-Hilal.

The 1996-97 and 1997-98 Persepolis teams are considered by many to be among the greatest Iranian clubs to ever play. National team players and future superstars such as Ahmadreza Abedzadeh, Khodadad Azizi, Karim Bagheri, Ali Daei, Mehdi Mahdavikia, Mehrdad Minavand and many more were among the players who played for the club in those years.

After World Cup 1998, several of Persepolis' best players were transferred to European clubs, but Persepolis was able to keep a talented squad. Future national team members, Ali Karimi and Hamed Kavianpour would join the team at the time, dazzling many with their skill and flair during games. They won the 1998-99 championship as well as the Hazfi Cup that season. They also won the 1999-2000 league championship, finishing third again in the Asian Champions' Cup. This would be their last championship in the Azadegan League era.

Most of Persepolis' championships at the time were won while Ali Parvin was the manager, and Amir Ali Abedini was the chairmen. While they did help win many trophies for Persepolis, most agree that with the amount of talent they had, any other result would be surprising.

IPL era

Perspolis entered the newly established IPL looking to dominate once again, but near the end of the season they were in a very close race with their rival Esteghlal. Esteghlal's loss and Persepolis' win on the last day of the league, gave Persepolis another championship. Their 2001-02 season championship made them the first ever IPL champions. The next season though was the beginning of the fall of the team. The 2002-03 proved to be extremely difficult and Persepolis finished third, never managing to come close to eventual winners, Sepahan. They also fell apart in the newly created AFC Champions League, failing to advance out of the group stage.

When Akbar Ghamkhar took over as club chairman, he made a serious of promises, that he insisted would help the team gain its old form. He made the amount of player and staff salaries publicly known, severely angering Parvin who was making more than any of the players on the team. Ghamkhar hired Vinko Begović, and went on a spending spree, buying several prominent players. Persepolis started off very well in the 2003-04 season but eventually fell apart, as rumors of team disharmony appeared. Begovic left the team and German manager Rainer Zobel was bought in. Many questioned if Zobel or Parvin was making the decisions, as Parvin had been bought back, taking the position of technical director. The 2004-05 was again filled with disappointment as the club finished 5th in the standings.

Ghamkhar was replaced with Hojatollah Khatib. He decided to bring back Parvin. At the same time Persepolis's major financial problems began to appear and Khatib was not able to repair or stall the damages Ghamkhar's free-spending had done. Persepolis finished the 2005-06 season 9th, the lowest it had ever placed. Parvin had left the club in February of 2006, vowing to never return to Persepolis again. He had decide to leave after a loss to Fajr Sepasi in Azadi Stadium, by a score of 4-2. After the game, the fans began swearing at Ali Parvin and the players.

Khatib resigned as chairman and Mohammad Hassan Ansarifard was elected chairman by the club council. Arie Haan was bought in as the replacement, helping the team make it to the Hazfi Cup final, but he was fired by the club just before the 2006-07 season began as he had problems with club management. Turkish manager Mustafa Denizli signed with the team on August 17, 2006.

Recent and future

Denizli was not able to help the club win the Hazfi Cup in 2006, a cup that the team needed to gain entry into the Asian Champion's League and to receive its financial benefits. On September 19, 2006; the management of Persepolis FC and Azadegan League side Sorkhpooshan signed an agreement, establishing Sorkhpooshan as Persepolis' reserve team.[1]. Persepolis is now one of few clubs in Iranian football that has a functioning reserve team.

Despite the poor results over the past few seasons, Persepolis is loved by fans and is always a team that many look to win the league championship.

Crest

File:(irn)Perspolis Tehran.png
Old Persepolis FC crest

Persepolis was named after the more famous historical landmark, Persepolis. Because of this the club logo incorporated elements from the location. The current and third design shows two bull heads attached to one body as seen on a column design at Apadana. The second design was more a detailed version of the current crest. Later on the crest became more stylized to form the crest Persepolis FC has today.

The very first design of Persepolis' crest used the ancient Persian and Zoroastrian symbol, named the Faravahar.

Stadium and facilities

When Persepolis FC was created, the sport club already had a number of buildings consisting of gymnasiums, swimming pools and bowling alleys. Ali Abdo bought some land in the Ekbatan area of Tehran and constructed a stadium there. At the time it was known as Apadana stadium. Persepolis played only one game at the stadium due to poor organization of seating and lack of co-operation with other Iranian clubs. Afterwards, Persepolis only used the stadium as a training ground.

After the revolution Persepolis had to sell much of its property to keep the club functioning due to its poor financial situation and the overall neglect of sport during the eighties in Iran. Some property was given to Bonyad Mostazafan (Foundation of the Oppressed in Persian). Persepolis currently trains at Kargaran Stadium in Tehran.

Before the construction of Azadi Stadium, Persepolis, played its matches at Amjadieh (Shahid Shiroudi) Stadium. They have played almost all of their home games at Azadi Stadium, except for the 2002-03 season, when they played all but two of their home matches at Tehran's Takhti Stadium due to the renovations taking place at Azadi.

In mid 2006 there was some talk that Persepolis had bought Shahre Ghods Stadium, but the deal fell through due to Persepolis' poor financial situation and the long distance between the city center and the stadium.[2]. This means the only property the club currently has, is its club headquarters, built on land given to the club by the IRIFF.

Season-by-season

The table below chronicles the achievements of Persepolis in IPL.

Season League League Finishing Position Hazfi Cup Asian Cup
2001-2002 Iran Premier League 1st (Champions) Quarterfinal
2002-2003 Iran Premier League 3rd 2nd(Group D)
2003-2004 Iran Premier League 5th 1/8 Final
2004-2005 Iran Premier League 4th 1/8 Final
2005-2006 Iran Premier League 9th Final

Club honours

Club chairmen

Club managers

   

2006/2007 Squad

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
2 DF Iran IRN Masoud Zarei
3 DF Iran IRN Abolfazl Hajizadeh
4 DF Syria SYR Tarek Jabban
5 DF Czech Republic CZE Robert Caha
6 DF Iran IRN Karim Bagheri
7 MF Iran IRN Mohammad Parvin
8 MF Iran IRN Hossein Badamaki
9 DF Iran IRN Hossein Ka'abi
10 MF Iran IRN Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht
11 FW Iran IRN Mehrzad Madanchi
12 FW Iran IRN Faraz Fatemi
13 DF Iran IRN Sheys Rezaei
14 FW Iran IRN Ehsan Khorsandi
15 MF Iran IRN Mohammad Reza Mamani
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 MF Iran IRN Farzad Ashoobi
18 MF Iran IRN Pejman Nouri
19 FW Iraq IRQ Louay Salah Hassan
20 MF Iran IRN Davoud Seyed Abbasi
21 MF Iran IRN Ebrahim Assadi
22 GK Iran IRN Alireza Haghighi
23 FW Syria SYR Zyad Chaabo (on loan from Al-Jaish)
24 FW Iran IRN Dariush Rezaeian
25 DF Cameroon CMR Jacques Elong Elong
26 MF Iran IRN Nima Ghavidel
30 GK Iran IRN Farshid Karimi
31 GK Iran IRN Mehdi Vaezi
Persepolis starting line-up in the 2006 - 2007 season


Players on loan

Players loaned out during the 2006/07 season
No. Position Player
1 GK Iran IRN Mohammad Mohammadi (on loan to Paykan Tehran FC)

Squad changes during 2006/07 season

In:

Out:

Famous players

Notes

  1. ^ "[[:Template:Fa icon]] تيم سرخ پوشان دلوارافزار تيم دوم باشگاه پرسپوليس شد". IRNA. Retrieved 2006-09-20. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  2. ^ "[[:Template:Fa icon]] واگذاری ورزشگاه شهرقدس به پرسپولیس کذب محض است / مسئولان پرسپولیس عجولانه اظهارنظر کردند". MNA. Retrieved 2006-12-09. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)

References

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