| For current sports news on this topic, see Esteghlal F.C. 2007-08 Season |
| Esteghlal Tehran استقلال تهران | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Esteghlal Tehran Football Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname(s) | SS Taj | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Founded | 24 September 1945 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Azadi Stadium Tehran, Iran (Capacity 90,000) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman |  Ali Fatollahzadeh
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| Head Coach | Firouz Karimi
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| League | IPL | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006-07 | Persian Gulf Cup, 4th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Esteghlal Cultural and Athletic Club (Persian: باشگاه فرهنگی ورزشی استقلال ایران) is an Iranian sports club most widely known for its professional football team based in Tehran. It was founded as Taj (Persian: تاج), meaning 'Crown' in Persian and renamed after Islamic Revoloution in 1979. Founded in 1945, they play in the IPL and have spent most of their history in the top tier in Iranian football. It is one of the most famous and popular football clubs in Asia. The club also has a similarly successful futsal section.
They play their home games at the 90,000 capacity Azadi Stadium in Tehran. The club's traditional kit colours are royal blue shirts, shorts and socks.
Esteghlal have been Asian Champions 2 times and have also won 5 National Championship titles.
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History
Establishment
On 24 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 Docharkheh Savaran (Persian: دوچرخه سواران), meaning 'The Cyclists' in Persian. Docharkheh Savaran 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 second most loved team in Iran after some years, and were able to make their fans happy by winning numerous league championships, Hazfi Cups and Asian Club Championships. The club has been able to get successful results in the past couple of years and is always looked at as a contender for the league championship. In the past two years it has finished 2nd or 3rd in the league, but 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 Islamic Revoloution
After 1979 Islamic Revoloution in Iran, the club was confiscated by newly established Islamic government and right now is 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) means 'Crown' in Persian, and after the revolution, any sign of the previous monarchist regime was not tolerated.
Tehran Derby
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. The Azadi Stadium is always sold out when the match takes place. Ali samereh Scored the earliest goal in Tehran derby for Esteghlal F.C. against Perspolis F.C. Since 1995, IRIFF have invited foreign referees to officiate the game 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 2 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. Persepolis fans stormed the field, and many fights broke out on the pitch between fans and players. After this match it was decided that Iranian referees will no longer be used for the derby.
AFC Champions League 2007
Esteghlal was dropped from the 2007 edition of the Asian Champion's League after the AFC did not receive the club's player list for the tournament in time. Despite efforts by the club management to reverse the decision, AFC upheld its decision[1] and the club's board resigned soon after.
Stadium
- Main articles: Azadi Stadium
The Azadi Stadium (Persian: ورزشگاه آزادي) is a football stadium in Tehran, Iran. It is the home of Esteghlal F.C., Persepolis F.C. and Team Melli. Work on the grounds started in 1973, it was built to host the 1974 Asian Games in Iran. The football stadium is part of the much larger Azadi Sport Complex. The stadium is the largest stadium in the IPL. Azadi Statium was renovated in 2003, reducing the capacity of the stadium to 90,000. Originally called the Aryamehr Stadium in honor of the Mohammad Reza Pahlavi after 1979 Islamic Revoloution in Iran change its name. In 2004 a large display was added, replacing the original scoreboard. This giant screen with a total area of about 300m² and screen area of 104m² (20m in 7.5m) is one of the biggest in the world.
Season-by-season
The table below chronicles the achievements of Esteghlal in various competitions.
| Season | League | League Finishing Position | Hazfi Cup | Asian Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-2002 | Iran Premier League | 2nd | Cup | |
| 2002-2003 | Iran Premier League | 9th | First Round | |
| 2003-2004 | Iran Premier League | 2nd | Final | |
| 2004-2005 | Iran Premier League | 3rd | ||
| 2005-2006 | Iran Premier League | 1st (Champions) | Quarterfinal | |
| 2006-2007 | Iran Premier League | 4th | 1/16 Final | Disqualified |
| 2007-2008 | Iran Premier League | In Progress | In Progress |
Honours
Esteghlal is the most successful club in Asia, having won a total of 10 trophies in Iran and a record 2 winners trophies and 2 runners-up trophies in Asian competitions (tied with. Esteghlal has also earned the distinction of being allowed to wear 2 stars on their jersey representing the fact that they have won 2 Asian Club Championships.
- National Championships: 5
- Hazfi Cup: 4
- 1977, 1996, 2000, 2002
- Asian Club Championships: 2
- 1970, 1991
Statistics
Statistics in IPL
- Seasons in IPL: 7 (all)
- Best position in IPL: First (2005-06)
- Worst position in IPL: 9 (2002-03)
- Most goals scored in a season: 51 (2004-05)
- Most goals scored in a match: 4 - 0 (2 times), 3 - 0 (10 times)
- Most goals conceded in a match:
Statistics in Asian Club Championships
- Most goals scored in a match:
- Most goals conceded in a match:
General statistics
- All-time top scorer: Reza Enayati with 41 goals
- Most Appearances:
- Player who has won most titles:
Players
As of December 1 2007.
First-team squad
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2007/2008 transfers
In
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Out
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Famous players
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1945 to 1970s
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1980s
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1990s
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2000s |
Club captains
| Player | Career | Captaincy | Total caps | |
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| Alireza Mansourian | 1996 - present | 2007 - present | - (-) |
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| Mahmoud Fekri | 1991 - present | 2003 - 2007 | - (-) |
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| Javad Zarincheh | 1989 - 2003 | 1997-2003 | - (-) |
Club Managers
Current management team
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Technical Manager | Nasser Hejazi
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| Manager | Firouz Karimi
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| First Team Coach | Sadegh Varmazyar
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| Goalkeeper Coach | Hossein Torabpour
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| Football Academy President | Hassan Rowshan
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Former Managers
Only IPL matches are counted.
| Name | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | % | ||||
| Mansour Pourheidari |
| 2000 | 2002 | 26 | 13 | 9 | 4 | |
| Roland Koch | 
| 2002 | 2003 | 26 | 8 | 8 | 10 | |
| Amir Ghalenoei |
| 2003 | 2006 | 86 | 46 | 30 | 10 | |
| Samad Marfavi |
| 2006 | 2007 | 30 | 14 | 10 | 6 | |
| Nasser Hejazi |
| Aug 2007 | Nov 2007 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | |
| Firouz Karimi |
| Nov 2007 | present | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
Notable managers
The following managers have all won at least one trophy when in charge of Esteghlal F.C.:
| Name | Period | Trophies |
|---|---|---|
 Zdravko Rajkov
| 1969-1976 | Asian Champions Cup |
| Mansour Pourheidari
| - | Azadegan League, Asian Champions Cup |
| Nasser Hejazi
| 1996-1999 | Azadegan League |
| Amir Ghalenoei
| 2003-2006 | IPL |
Club officials
Board of directors
President of the Physical Education Organization of IRI:
- Mohammad Ali Abadi
Executive director:
- Ali Fatollahzadeh
Deputy Executive director:
- Bahram Amiri
Director of football team:
- Asghar Hajilou
Board of directors:
- Khosro Daneshjoo (Chairman)
- Ali Fatollahzadeh
- Mansour Pourheidari
- Mohammad Saeed Nafariye
- Hamid Reza Olian
Spokesman:
Hashem Saedi
Executive directors
| Executive director | Era |
|---|---|
| Ali Fatollahzadeh | 1996 - 2003 |
| Hossein Gharib | 2003 - 2006 |
| Meghdad Najafnejad | 2006 - 2007 |
| Ali Fatollahzadeh | 2007 - present |
Sponsorship
- Official shirt sponsors - Shahr
- Official shirt manufacturer - Majid
- Automobile partner -
- Technological partner - DibaIT
- Official Medical Supplier -
- Official Water - Damavand Mineral Water Co.
Shirt sponsors and manufacturers
| Period | Kit Manufacturer | Shirt Sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2001-02 | Daei | LG |
| 2002-03 | ||
| 2003-04 | Jouraban | AIWA |
| 2004-05 | Aghili | Sharp |
| 2005-06 | Abi Pooshan | Sagem |
| 2006-07 | Merooj | MTN Irancell |
| 2007-08 | Shahr |
Notes
- ^ AFC uphold Esteghlal disqualification. AFC. Retrieved on 2007-02-26.
2. Esteghlal at present season
External links
Official
- (Persian) Official website
Fan sites
- (Persian) Abieteh - Esteghlal Fan Club website
- (Persian) esteghlal fc - Esteghlal Fan Club website
| Preceded by Maccabi Tel Aviv 
| Champions of Asia 1970 | Succeeded by Maccabi Tel Aviv
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| Preceded by Liaoning FC 
| Champions of Asia 1991 | Succeeded by Al-Hilal 
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Esteghlal F.C.
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