Esteghlal Ahvaz
Encyclopedia
Esteghlal Ahvaz Football Club is an Iran
ian football
club based in Ahvaz
, Iran
.
They currently compete in the 2011–12 Iran Football's 2nd Division
.
, but league rules allowed for only one team of the same name to participate, therefore Taj Tehran F.C., remained in the league, and Taj Ahvaz F.C. was forced to stay in the lower leagues.
in Iran
, Taj Ahvaz F.C. changed its name to Esteghlal Ahvaz F.C. . The Iran–Iraq War hit Ahvaz
and Khuzestan hard, and very little attention was paid to the club at that time. Finally in 1991 the team was promoted to the Azadegan League and was allowed to participate, despite two teams having the same name. In 1997, the club was relegated, but returned to Iran's Premier Football League
(IPL) in 2002. The club started to develop during its initial and second season in the IPL, because of the amount of money they spent, thanks to club chairman Ali Shafizadeh
. The club became known as Iran's Chelsea
after that. Despite being the only private club in the league they could not win anything and they finally came so close and finished second in the league in 2006–07 by only 2 points. They continued to be an average team in 2007–08 and 2008–09 seasons which finished in mid table for both seasons.
Their instability in 2010–11 season caused a relegation where they changed their head coach three times.
(Sep 2002) Jalal Cheraghpour
(Oct 2002) Bahram Atef
(2002 - 2003) Nasser Hejazi
(2003 - 2004) Luka Bonačić
(2004 - 2005) Martik Khachatourian (2005) Mahmoud Yavari (2005) Srđan Gemaljević (2005 - 2006) Firouz Karimi
(2006 - Nov 2007) Majid Jalali
(Nov 2007 - May 2008) Karim Boustani (July 2008 - August 2008, interim) Mahmoud Yavari (August 2008) Reza Ahadi
(August 2008) Akbar Misaghian
(August 2008 - February 2009) Khodadad Azizi
(June 2009 - September 2009) Majid Bagherinia (2009) Mohammad Ahmadzadeh
(2009) Mehdi Hasheminasab
(2009) Alireza Firouzi (2009 - 2010) Dariush Yazdi (? - ?) Ali Hanteh
(? - Dec 2010) Nader Dastneshan
(Dec 2010- Feb 2011) Firouz Karimi
(Feb 2011- ?) Afshin Komaei (? - ?) Dariush Yazdi (Present)
Milad Meydavoudi
Ebrahim Mirzapour
Jalal Kameli Mofrad
Hojat Zadmahmoud Amir Khalifeh-Asl Ruhollah Bigdeli
Ali Badavi
Mojtaba Shiri
Bassim Abbas
Abdul-Wahab Abu Al-Hail
Mohammed Nasser Shakroun Ahmed Kadhim Assad
Saša Ilić Franck Atsou
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club based in Ahvaz
Ahvaz
-History:For a more comprehensive historical treatment of the area, see the history section of Khūzestān Province.-Ancient history:Ahvaz is the anagram of "Avaz" and "Avaja" which appear in Darius's epigraph...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
.
They currently compete in the 2011–12 Iran Football's 2nd Division
2011–12 Iran Football's 2nd Division
The article contains the information of 2nd Division's 2011/12 football season. This is the 3rd rated football competition in Iran after the Azadegan League and Persian Gulf Cup....
.
Establishment
The club was founded in 1948 with the help of Hakim Shoushtari. The club was one of Taj Tehran F.C. branches at the time, and was called Taj Ahvaz F.C. From the beginning the club was able to attract some of the better Khuzestani players.Takht Jamshid Cup
In 1973 the team was promoted to the Takht Jamshid CupTakht Jamshid Cup
The Takht Jamshid Cup was a national football league based in Iran which lasted from 1973 to 1978.-History:In early 70s Iran, football had become a very popular sport and several local leagues existed in various cities. Eventually the football federation of the time decided that a national league...
, but league rules allowed for only one team of the same name to participate, therefore Taj Tehran F.C., remained in the league, and Taj Ahvaz F.C. was forced to stay in the lower leagues.
Post-revolution success
After the 1979 Islamic RevolutionIranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Taj Ahvaz F.C. changed its name to Esteghlal Ahvaz F.C. . The Iran–Iraq War hit Ahvaz
Ahvaz
-History:For a more comprehensive historical treatment of the area, see the history section of Khūzestān Province.-Ancient history:Ahvaz is the anagram of "Avaz" and "Avaja" which appear in Darius's epigraph...
and Khuzestan hard, and very little attention was paid to the club at that time. Finally in 1991 the team was promoted to the Azadegan League and was allowed to participate, despite two teams having the same name. In 1997, the club was relegated, but returned to Iran's Premier Football League
Iran's Premier Football League
The Iran Pro League , 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...
(IPL) in 2002. The club started to develop during its initial and second season in the IPL, because of the amount of money they spent, thanks to club chairman Ali Shafizadeh
Ali Shafizadeh
-Esteghlal Ahvaz:He is the owner of Iran's Premier Football League club Esteghlal Ahvaz F.C. who he bought in 2002.Over the years he has bought numerous players for substantial fees, including Adriano Alves, Abdul-Wahab Abu Al-Hail and Saša Ilić, and coaches such as Croatian Luka Bonačić and...
. The club became known as Iran's Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
after that. Despite being the only private club in the league they could not win anything and they finally came so close and finished second in the league in 2006–07 by only 2 points. They continued to be an average team in 2007–08 and 2008–09 seasons which finished in mid table for both seasons.
Their instability in 2010–11 season caused a relegation where they changed their head coach three times.
Season-by-season
The table below chronicles the achievements of Esteghlal Ahvaz in various competitions since 1999.| Season | League | Position | Hazfi Cup Hazfi Cup The Hazfi Cup is a knockout cup competition in Iranian football, run by the Iranian Football Federation. The competition wasn't regarded important by clubs until the IRIFF decided to award one of Iran's four AFC Champions League spots to the champion.... |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-2000 Iran Football's 2nd Division 1999-2000 Iran Football's 2nd Division 1999-2000 season was played in three groups of nine or ten teams each. The top two teams from each group went through to a final round, and the top two teams from that round - Bargh Shiraz and Esteghlal Rasht - gained promotion to the Azadegan League.-Final group... |
2nd Division Iran Football's 2nd Division Iranian football's 2nd division is the third-highest football division overall in the Iranian football league system.Before 2001, the 2nd division was known as the 3rd division, but this was changed when Iran's football structure officially became professional.The league consists of two, fourteen... |
5th | ||
| 2000-2001 | 2nd Division Iran Football's 2nd Division Iranian football's 2nd division is the third-highest football division overall in the Iranian football league system.Before 2001, the 2nd division was known as the 3rd division, but this was changed when Iran's football structure officially became professional.The league consists of two, fourteen... |
4th | ||
| 2001-2002 | Azadegan League | 2nd | Promoted | |
| 2002-2003 IPL 2002/03 The following is the standings of the Persian Gulf Cup's 2002/03 football season. This season will be the 2nd season since the establishment of the Iran Pro League . Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan F.C... |
Iran Pro League | 11th | ||
| 2003-2004 IPL 2003/04 The following is the standings of the Persian Gulf Cup's 2003/04 football season. This season will be the 3rd season since the establishment of the Iran Pro League . Pas Tehran F.C... |
Iran Pro League | 8th | Quarterfinal | |
| 2004-2005 IPL 2004/05 The following is the standings of the Persian Gulf Cup's 2004/05 football season. This season will be the 4th season since the establishment of the Iran Pro League . Foolad Khuzestan F.C... |
Iran Pro League | 5th | Semifinal | |
| 2005-2006 IPL 2005/06 The following is the standings of the Persian Gulf Cup's 2005/06 football season. This season will be the 5th season since the establishment of the Iran Pro League . Esteghlal F.C. were defending champions.-Final classification:... |
Iran Pro League | 12th | 1/16 Final | |
| 2006-2007 IPL 2006/07 The following is the standings of the Persian Gulf Cup's 2006/07 football season. This season was the 6th season since the establishment of the Iranian Premier League... |
Iran Pro League | 2nd | Quarterfinal | |
| 2007-2008 | Iran Pro League | 8th | 1/8 Final | |
| 2008-2009 | Iran Pro League | 14th | 1/8 Final | |
| 2009-2010 | Iran Pro League | 18th | 1/16 Final | Relegated |
| 2010-2011 2010–11 Azadegan League The 2010–11 Azadegan League will be the xxth season of the second-level football league competition of Iran. It will be divided into two phases, the regular season, played from 22 September 2010 to May 2011, and the playoff phase from May to June 2011.... |
Azadegan League | 13th | Third Round | Relegated |
| 2011-2012 2011–12 Iran Football's 2nd Division The article contains the information of 2nd Division's 2011/12 football season. This is the 3rd rated football competition in Iran after the Azadegan League and Persian Gulf Cup.... |
2nd Division Iran Football's 2nd Division Iranian football's 2nd division is the third-highest football division overall in the Iranian football league system.Before 2001, the 2nd division was known as the 3rd division, but this was changed when Iran's football structure officially became professional.The league consists of two, fourteen... |
First Round |
Club honours
- National ChampionshipsIran's Premier Football LeagueThe Iran Pro League , 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...
- Runner Up (1): 2006/2007
Club chairmen
- Nasrollah Heibodi (-2002)
- Ali ShafizadehAli Shafizadeh-Esteghlal Ahvaz:He is the owner of Iran's Premier Football League club Esteghlal Ahvaz F.C. who he bought in 2002.Over the years he has bought numerous players for substantial fees, including Adriano Alves, Abdul-Wahab Abu Al-Hail and Saša Ilić, and coaches such as Croatian Luka Bonačić and...
(2002-2006) - Shahram Shafizadeh (2006-2011)
- Safar Jamalpour (2011- present)
Club managers
Mehdi Monajati Amir GhalenoeiAmir Ghalenoei
Amir Ghalenoei is an Iranian football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of Tractor Sazi...
(Sep 2002) Jalal Cheraghpour
Jalal Cheraghpour
Jalal Cheraghpour is an Iranian football manager.- References :...
(Oct 2002) Bahram Atef
Bahram Atef
Bahram Atef is an Iranian football manager and academic. He coached Zob Ahan and Esteghlal Ahvaz. He is current technical manager of Zob Ahan.- External links :...
(2002 - 2003) Nasser Hejazi
Nasser Hejazi
Nasser Hejazi nicknamed "Ostureh" ; was an Iranian football player and coach who most notably played for Esteghlal Tehran....
(2003 - 2004) Luka Bonačić
Luka Bonacic
Luka Bonačić is a Croatian football coach and former player.-Early life:He was born on March 2, 1955 in Split, Croatia that was part of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. He began football careers in Split Football Academy...
(2004 - 2005) Martik Khachatourian (2005) Mahmoud Yavari (2005) Srđan Gemaljević (2005 - 2006) Firouz Karimi
Firouz Karimi
Firouz Karimi is an Iranian football manager and the current manager of Shahin Bushehr.-Early life:Firouz Karimi was born on 13 April 1956 in Tehran, Iran. He was married in 1980 and has three daughters and one son. He is famous inside Iran for his strong sense of humor, often revealed in...
(2006 - Nov 2007) Majid Jalali
Majid Jalali
Majid Jalali is a retired Iranian football player and now a football manager, currently head coach of Foolad F.C. He has served as the manager in several clubs in Iran and of national football teams at various youth levels....
(Nov 2007 - May 2008) Karim Boustani (July 2008 - August 2008, interim) Mahmoud Yavari (August 2008) Reza Ahadi
Reza Ahadi
Reza Ahadi is a retired Iranian footballer. He is currently head coach of Payam Mashhad-Playing career:Ahadi played for Iranian club Esteghlal FC for most of his career, and also appeared with Rot Weiss Essen in Germany...
(August 2008) Akbar Misaghian
Akbar Misaghian
Akbar Misaghian is a retired Iranian football player. After retirement, he managed several clubs most notably F.C. Aboomoslem. He is current head coach of Aluminium Hormozgan.He is also a member of Baha'i Faith.-Club career:...
(August 2008 - February 2009) Khodadad Azizi
Khodadad Azizi
Khodadad Azizi is an Iranian retired professional football striker and a current coach.-International career:Azizi represented Iran at the 1996 Asian cup, 1998 FIFA World Cup, and the 2000 Asian Cup...
(June 2009 - September 2009) Majid Bagherinia (2009) Mohammad Ahmadzadeh
Mohammad Ahmadzadeh
Mohammad Ahmadzadeh is a former Iranian football, basketball and tennis player and current football coach. He played most his career for Malavan and also was the team's head coach for several seasons...
(2009) Mehdi Hasheminasab
Mehdi Hasheminasab
Mehdi Hasheminasab, is an Iranian football player who currently plays for Payam Mashhad and previously for the Iran national football team. He usually plays in the defender position.-Club career:...
(2009) Alireza Firouzi (2009 - 2010) Dariush Yazdi (? - ?) Ali Hanteh
Ali Hanteh
Masoud Ali Hanteh is a retired Iranian football player. After retirement he managed several clubs including Tarbiyat Khorasan. He is the Head Coach of Mehrkam Pars.-Playing career:...
(? - Dec 2010) Nader Dastneshan
Nader Dastneshan
Nader Dastneshan is a retired Iranian football player and now coach.-Early life:He was born on 24 May 1960 in Qa'em Shahr, Mazandaran Province. His father was from Tabriz and his mother was from Sari. He has three sisters and five brothers which he is last son of the family. At beginning of...
(Dec 2010- Feb 2011) Firouz Karimi
Firouz Karimi
Firouz Karimi is an Iranian football manager and the current manager of Shahin Bushehr.-Early life:Firouz Karimi was born on 13 April 1956 in Tehran, Iran. He was married in 1980 and has three daughters and one son. He is famous inside Iran for his strong sense of humor, often revealed in...
(Feb 2011- ?) Afshin Komaei (? - ?) Dariush Yazdi (Present)
First-team squad
For recent transfers, see List of Iranian football transfers, winter 2009–10.Famous players
Ebrahim Tahami Fereydoon FazliFereydoon Fazli
Fereydoon Fazli, is a former professional football player who played for Nassaji Mazandaran in Azadegan League before retiring from playing football. He usually plays in the striker position. He is one of the most successful strikers in the Iran Pro League....
Milad Meydavoudi
Milad Meydavoudi
Milad Meydavoudi is an Iranian football player, who currently plays for Esteghlal in Iran's Premier Football League.-Club career:Meydavoudi started his career at Esteghlal Ahvaz with whom he made his professional debut in 2004, He was broght to Esteghlal Ahvaz by Nasser Hejazi from youth team.In...
Ebrahim Mirzapour
Ebrahim Mirzapour
Ebrahim Mirzapour is an Iranian football goalkeeper, currently playing for Shahrdari Tabriz in the IPL.-Club career:He started his professional IPL career, playing for Foolad F.C., and was a member of the team until August 2006. He also made it to the national team while playing for Foolad,...
Jalal Kameli Mofrad
Jalal Kameli Mofrad
Jalal Kameli-Mofrad is an Iranian football player who currently plays for Foolad in Iran's Premier League football as Captain.-Club career:Kameli Mofrad started his career at Foolad FC. At first due to his physical style, Mofrad played some good games and became a stater for his club. He was a...
Hojat Zadmahmoud Amir Khalifeh-Asl Ruhollah Bigdeli
Ali Badavi
Ali Badavi
Ali "Naji" Badavi is an Iranian footballer who plays for the Sanat Naft in Azadegan League.-Club career:Badavi started his career at Foolad FC, however on his return from China after the 2004 Asian Cup, his troubles continued with Foolad FC and eventually left for city rival Esteghlal Ahvaz where...
Mojtaba Shiri
Mojtaba Shiri
Mojtaba Shiri Shourijeh is an Iranian Football Defender who currently plays for Persepolis in the Iran Pro League. After a great season with Esteghlal Ahvaz he was soon noticed by Iranian national football team coach Ali Daei and was named part of the national team squad for the WAFF championships...
Bassim Abbas
Bassim Abbas
Bassim Abbas Gatea Al-Ogaili simply known as Bassim Abbas, is an Iraqi professional footballer. He currently plays as a defender for Konyaspor football club in Turkey and the Iraq national football team.-Information:...
Abdul-Wahab Abu Al-Hail
Abdul-Wahab Abu Al-Hail
Abdul-Wahab Abu Al-Hail Labid is an Iraqi football midfielder. He currently plays for Al-Talaba.-Info:Abu Al-Hail started his career with Al Talaba. He left the club in 1999, moving to Al-Ahli Saida of Lebanon and then to Al-Shaab of the United Arab Emirates...
Mohammed Nasser Shakroun Ahmed Kadhim Assad
Ahmed Kadhim Assad
Ahmed Kadhim Assad is an Iraqi professional ffootballer. He currently plays for Al-Naft in Iraq.-External links:...
Saša Ilić Franck Atsou
Franck Atsou
Edem Komlan Franck Atsou is a Togolese football player who currently plays for Esteghlal Ahvaz in the Iran Pro League.-Club career:...