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{{Fs player|no=33|nat=IRN|pos=MF|name='''[[Pejman Montazeri]]'''}}
{{Fs player|no=33|nat=IRN|pos=MF|name='''[[Pejman Montazeri]]'''}}
{{Fs player|no=40|nat=IRN|pos=DF|name=[[Ali Hamoudi]]}}
{{Fs player|no=40|nat=IRN|pos=DF|name=[[Ali Hamoudi]]}}
{{Fs player|no=--|nat=AUS|pos=MF|name=[[Vince Grella]]}}
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See ''[[List of Iranian football transfers summer 2012]]''.
See ''[[List of Iranian football transfers summer 2012]]''.

Revision as of 16:22, 23 June 2012

Esteghlal Tehran F.C
باشگاه فوتبال استقلال تهران
File:Esteghlal Logo Official.png
Full nameEsteghlal Tehran Football Club
Nickname(s)(Crown)
(SS)
(The Blues)
FoundedSeptember 26, 1945; 79 years ago (1945-09-26)
(as Docharkheh Savaran)
GroundAzadi Stadium
Tehran, Iran
Capacity120,000[1]
OwnerMinistry of Youth Affairs and Sports
ChairmanAli Fathollahzadeh
Head CoachAmir Ghalenoei[2]
LeagueIran Pro League
2011-12Iran Pro League, 3rd
Websitehttp://www.fcesteghlal.ir/
Current season

Esteghlal Tehran Football Club (Persian: باشگاه فوتبال استقلال تهران) which means 'Independence' in Persian, is an Iranian professional Football Club Based in Tehran, That Plays in The Iran Pro League. Founded in 1945 as Docharkhe savaran (Persian: دوچرخه سواران) meaning 'The Cyclists' in Persian. In 1949, the club first changed its name to Taj (Persian: تاج), which means 'Crown' in Persian; a name which quickly became a football powerhouse. They again modified their name to the current Esteghlal (Persian: Esteghlal) meaning 'Independence', after the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Great Esteghlal, because his former name (Crown), has always been oppressed.[3][4]

The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1993–94 season, in the highest level of Iranian football (known as the IPL). In 1970, under the management of Zdravko Rajkov, Esteghlal Tehran was the first Iranian football club to win the Asian Cup.

They have won overall fifteen official titles at the national and international stage since 1970, including a record seven Iranian League (1st tier) titles[5] and a record 6 Hazfi Cups,[6][7] with two titles in Asian Cup (in 1970 and 1991), so there are two golden stars above the team badge.

History

Establishment

On 26 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, and in 1947 was able to win the Tehran Hazfi Cup.

Emerging success

In 1949, the club officially changed its name to Taj. The club became the most beloved team in Iran after some years, and won numerous league AFC ChampionsLeague, Hazfi Cups and IPL.

The club has been successful in recent years and is always a contender for the league championship. In the past few years it has finished 2nd or 3rd in the league, and Amir Ghalenoei was able to get the team its first championship in the IPL in the 2005–06 season after his third and final year as the manager.

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 change its name to Esteghlal(Persian: استقلال), 'Independence' in Persian. Taj (Persian: تاج ها) means 'Crown' in Persian; after the revolution, any sign of the previous monarchist regime was not tolerated.

Former logo of Esteghlal

Tehran Derby

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

The club's main rival and its opponent in the Tehran Derby is Persepolis F.C. The first derby match between the clubs took place on April 5, 1968 at Amjadieh Stadium. Today, all derbies and home matches occur at the 100,000 capacity Azadi Stadium which is invariably sold out for the derby.

In 1995, IRIFF began to invite foreign referees to officiate the derby to ease fan and player suspicions of referee bias. This occurred after the events of the 38th derby. In the 38th derby (January 11, 1995), Persepolis was leading in the match by a score of 2–0 until the last 10 minutes of the match. Esteghlal scored two goals in quick succession, including one which was a penalty. This angered the Persepolis fans and players who felt the referee was biased towards Esteghlal (there was speculation about Esteghlal bribing the referee and the officials). Persepolis fans stormed the field, and fights broke out on the pitch between fans and players. Following this match it was decided that Iranian referees would no longer be used for the derby. After 13 years of foreign referees, the second leg of the 2008–09 season Derby saw an Iranian once again refereeing the game. The game ended a draw with goals coming from Mojtaba Jabari and Maziar Zare.

Over the years, Esteghlal has 24 wins and Persepolis has won 18 derbies.

AFC Champions League

Esteghlal is one of the most successful clubs in Asian Champion's League with 2 champions titles in 1970, 1991, in 1970 victory against Hapoel Tel Aviv.

Taj Tehran after winning the Asian Champion Club Tournament in 1970

Supporters and Fans

Esteghlal is one of the highest supported teams in Iranian football. It is said in unofficial counts that the club has over 30 million fans.The club is based in Tehran and is popular in all parts of country. Esteghlal also has a fan base in Afghanistan And Persian Gulf countries.[8]

Stadium

Main article: Azadi Stadium

The Azadi Stadium is Iran's national stadium and the largest in the country. The Azadi Stadium officially has a capacity of 100,000 people [9][10] 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. Azadi Stadium is the fifth biggest association football stadium in the world, fourth in Asia and first in West Asia.[11][12]

Esteghlal's home stadium is the Azadi (Persian: ورزشگاه آزادی), a football stadium in Tehran, Iran. The Stadium's former name was Aryamehr Stadium but was changed after the Iranian Revolution. The stadium has an official capacity of 100,000 but has been filled over capacity on numerous occasions, for example when it faces rivals Persepolis F.C. 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.

Achievements

National

  • Winner (9): 1949–50, 1951–52, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1958–59, 1960–61 ,1961–62, 1968–69, 1969–70
  • Runners-Up (5): 1945–46, 1950–51, 1957–58, 1968–69, 1981–82
  • Winner (2): 1946–47, 1957–58,
  • Runners-Up ():
  • Esteghlal Is One of The Most Popular Football Clubs In Asian Football And They Are Iran's Best Supported Club

Also Esteghlal Have Been The Most Successful Iran Club In Asia And One of The Most Successful Football Clubs In Iran.

  • Table Shows The Iran Premier League Ranking For The Successful Clubs in These All 11 Seasons.
Pos. Club Seasons Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Best Rank
1 Esteghlal 11 338 164 107 67 526 342 +184 599 Champions
2 Sepahan 11 338 154 105 79 501 336 +165 5641 Champions
3 Persepolis 11 338 146 113 79 490 377 +113 5452 Champions
4 Zob Ahan 11 338 143 110 85 425 336 +89 539 2nd

Continental

  • The Following Table Lists Clubs By Number of Winners And Runner-up In AFC Champions League (Asian Club Championship Also Included).
Team Winners Runners-Up Years Won Years Lost
South Korea Pohang Steelers 3 0 1996–97, 1997–98, 2009 -
Iran Esteghlal FC 2 2 1970, 1990–91 1991–92, 1998–99
Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal FC 2 2 1991–92, 1999–2000 1986–87, 1987–88
South Korea Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 2 2 1995–96, 2010 1996–97, 2004
Saudi Arabia Al-Ittihad FC 2 1 2004, 2005 2009


Unofficial titles

  • Caspian Cup:
  • Winners (1): 1996
  • Kish Quartet Competition Cup:
  • Winners (1): 1996
  • Ettehad Cup:
  • Winners (1): 1973
  • Winners (1): 1998
  • Winners (1): 1989
  • Milz Cup:
  • Winners (4): 1969 , 1970 , 1971, 1989
  • Runners-Up (1): 1972
  • Qatar Independence Cup:
  • Winners (1): 1991
  • Emirates Quartet Competition Cup:
  • Runners-Up (1): 1996

Statistics and records

Statistics in IPL

  • Seasons in IPL: 11 (all)
  • Best position in IPL: First (2005–06), (2008–2009)
  • Worst position in IPL: 13 (2007–08)
  • Most goals scored in a season: 70 (2008–09)
  • Most goals scored in a match: 6 – 0 (1 time)
  • Most goals conceded in a match: 4 – 1 (3 times)

Statistics in Asian Club Championships

  • Most goals scored in a match: 8–0
  • Most goals conceded in a match:

Statistics in Hazfi Cup

  • Most goals scored in a match: 13 – 0
  • Most goals conceded in a match:
  • Player with the most goals in a single match: Arash Borhani with 5 goals

General statistics

Players

First-Team 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
1 GK Iran IRN Mehdi Rahmati (2st vice-captain)
2 DF Iran IRN Khosro Heydari
3 DF Trinidad and Tobago TRI Jlloyd Samuel
4 DF Iran IRN Meysam Hosseini
5 DF Iran IRN Hanif Omranzadeh
6 MF Iran IRN Kianoush Rahmati
8 MF Iran IRN Mojtaba Jabbari (1st Vice-Captain)
9 FW Iran IRN Arash Borhani
10 FW Iran IRN Milad Meydavoudi
11 FW Iran IRN Amin Manouchehri
16 DF Iran IRN Hashem Beikzadeh
17 MF Iran IRN Maysam Baou
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 MF Portugal POR Tarantini
19 FW Iran IRN Ali Alipour
20 FW Iran IRN Siavash Akbarpour
21 GK Iran IRN Mehrdad Mohammad Hosseini
22 DF Iran IRN Amir Hossein Sadeghi (Captain)
23 MF Iran IRN Iman Mobali
25 FW Iran IRN Mojtaba Mahboub-Mojaz
29 MF Iran IRN Tohid Gholami
32 MF Iran IRN Ferydoon Zandi
33 MF Iran IRN Pejman Montazeri
40 DF Iran IRN Ali Hamoudi
-- MF Australia AUS Vince Grella

See List of Iranian football transfers summer 2012.

See also: Esteghlal F.C. season 2012–13
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