November 1963; 62 years ago (1963-11) as Persepolis Amateur (Bowling) team[5] [6][7] March 21, 1967; 58 years ago (1967-03-21) as Persepolis Football team[8][9]
Persepolis was founded in 1963 byAli Abdo and has been in the first division ofIranian football since 1968. The club has played at its home ground,Azadi Stadium, since 1973. They contest theTehran Derby against rival teamEsteghlal, a match that is closely followed by Iranian football fans and considered to be one of the biggest inAsia.[15] According to theAsian Football Confederation, Persepolis is one of the most popular football club in Asia.[16][17][18][19][20] At theAFC Champions League, 11 of the top 20 matches by attendance were played by Persepolis. Persepolis has also broken the record of 100,000 attendees in four matches at the AFC Champions League. Persepolis has won arecord sixteen (16) Iranian league titles, as well as sevenHazfi Cups, fiveSuper Cups and the1990–91 Asian Cup Winners' Cup.[21] Many notable players have played for the club, including formerBundesliga playersAli Karimi,Ali Daei,Vahid Hashemian andMehdi Mahdavikia.Ali Parvin, who spent 18 years with the club from 1970 to 1988, is widely regarded as the club's greatest player.
Shahin F.C. in the 1960s, including many players who went on to play for Persepolis
Shahin was established in 1942 byDr. Abbas Ekrami, a teacher.[22][23] Ekrami founded the club with the help of his young students and adopted the motto: "اول اخلاق، دوم درس، سوم ورزش" (transl. "Ethics first, education second, sports third").[24]
Persepolis F.C. started the 1968 season with Dehdari as manager. Under Dehdari, the club signed many of Shahin's former players, thereby retaining its popularity. The team was initially quite weak, and participated in Iran's second division. The best player on the team then wasMahmoud Khordbin.
The club, using four Shahin players, had a friendly match with Jam Abadan, a respected team at the time. After the match, the remainder of the Shahin players joined Persepolis. That year, no league competition was held, as many teams had been dissolved, so a 44-team tournament was held. Persepolis, along with Pas,Taj and Oghab, finished top of the group.
The next year Persepolis was the first Iranian club to compete at theAsian Champion Club Tournament held inThailand, where they were eliminated in the group stage.
In 1969,Mahmoud Khayami, one of the founders of automobile companyIran National, negotiated with Persepolis and signed all former Shahin players, except forAziz Asli and Mahmoud Khordbin, to his new team,Paykan Tehran F.C.[27] Paykan won the championship that year, but the new players moved back to Persepolis at the end of the season.[28]
In 1971, Persepolis won its first ever championship in the Iranian League; Persepolis had ended the season with 13 wins and 1 draw in 14 weeks. In 1972, Abdo announced Persepolis as the first professional football club in Iran. The club did not enter the domestic league and only played against foreign clubs; a few months later, it became amateur again.[28] In 1973, theTakht Jamshid Cup was established. Persepolis won the inaugural Cup and again in 1975.[29] That year, Persepolis lost just two matches of thirty matches.[30] Persepolis is the most successful club in the Takht Jamshid Cup league, clinching two championship titles and finishing three times as runner-up.[31]
In 1981, the Physical Education Organization declared that the name of the club would change, but club officials, players and fans opposed the move. In protest, the team did not appear in a match against Homa in the Tehran league, losing 3–0 by default and handing Homa the championship. In 1986, the club was taken over by the Oppressed and Veterans Foundation and renamedAzadi (transl. freedom;Persian:آزادی). Players declared that they would not play for the club if the name change went through. After a brief period, the Foundation handed control back to the Physical Education Organization. On 16 February 1987, the Physical Education Organization renamed the clubPirouzi (transl. victory;Persian:پیروزی) with the players' agreement; fans still called the name Persepolis, however.[33] On 10 April 2012, club chairmanMohammad Rouyanian announced that the club's official name was Persepolis.[34]
In the 1980s, the club only played in the Tehran League and various elimination tournaments. Persepolis was successful and maintained its popularity, winning the Tehran League five seasons in a row. During that time,[when?]Ali Parvin served asplayer-manager.[citation needed]
The 1990s were a successful decade for the team, with four league championships, twoHazfi Cups, a strong roster and renewed support. At one point, more than six Persepolis players were starters onIran's national team. The team won the national championship in the1995–96 season, coming back from being 10 points behindBahman to be 6 points ahead of the league runner-up. They won the league again the nextseason, again finishing ahead of the runner up by 6 points. In the same year they were stopped by theKoreanPohang Steelers in the semi-finals of theAsian Champions' Cup.Persepolis finished third, defeatingIraq'sAl-Zawraa in the third place match in1996–97 ACC.[35]
The team withdrew fromNational League in the following season because a large number of players were on the national team and the club had commitment to play in the Asian Champions' Cup. The poor scheduling and mismanagement of both the FFIRI andAFC officials led to this unprofessional event.[clarification needed] This prevented Persepolis from possibly winning a third consecutive league championship. 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 third place match toAl-Hilal.
After theWorld Cup 1998, several of Persepolis' best players were transferred to European clubs, but Persepolis maintained a talented squad, with future national team membersAli Karimi andHamed Kavianpour joining the club. They won the1998–99 championship as well as the Hazfi Cup that season. They also won the1999–2000 league championship, again finishing third 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 andAmirali Abedini was the chairman.
Ali Karimi played for the team on three occasions from 1998 to 2013.
Persepolis joined theIran Pro League (IPL) when it was formed in 2001. By the end of theinaugural season, they were in a close race with their rivalEsteghlal, which led the league by two points going into the final day of the regular season. Esteghlal's loss toMalavan and Persepolis' 1–0 win againstFajr Sepasi in their last games of the season gave Persepolis a one-point lead and the first-ever IPL championship. Persepolis finished third in the2002–03 season; they also failed to advance out of the group stage in the newly createdAFC Champions League.
When Akbar Ghamkhar took over as club chairman, he made several changes in an effort to improve the team. He made player and staff salaries public, angering Parvin, the highest paid player on the team. Ghamkhar hired coachVinko Begović and entered into contracts with several prominent players. Persepolis had a good start in the2003–04 season, but things deteriorated. Begović left the team and German managerRainer Zobel was bought in. Ghamkhar was also replaced withHojatollah Khatib, who brought back Parvin as the club's technical director. The club finished fifth in the standings in the2004–05 season.
The club experienced major financial problems as some of the spending decisions made in previous years had overextended the club.[when?] Persepolis finished the2005–06 season in ninth place, the lowest it had ever placed. Parvin left the club in February 2006, vowing to never return to Persepolis following a 4–2 loss toFajr Sepasi inAzadi Stadium; after the game, fans had cursed at Parvin and the players.
Khatib resigned as chairman andMohammad Hassan Ansarifard was elected to the post by the club council.[when?]Arie Haan was brought in as the new manager,[36][37] helping the team make it to the 2005–06 Hazfi Cup final, but he was fired by the club just before the2006–07 season began.Turkish managerMustafa Denizli signed with the team on 17 August 2006.[38][39] Denizili's first match was the final cup matchWith the final cup match being his first one as the club's manager, 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 financial benefits by doing so.[clarification needed]
The club did not win the Hazfi Cup in 2007, losing toSepahan in the semi-finals. The club finished third in the2006–07 IPL, and Denizli left the club after Ansarifard resigned as chairman in June 2007.
Fans celebrating after the club won the title in the2007–08 season
Habib Kashani became the club chairman in June 2007 and selectedAfshin Ghotbi as head coach of Persepolis for the2007–08 season.[40] Ghotbi promised to lead Persepolis to the IPL championship;[41] the club started the IPL with a 3–2 win overSanat Naft. Persepolis was undefeated until the 17th round, where they suffered a 2–1 loss to Sepahan.[42] On 9 January 2008, the disciplinary committee of the FFIRI penalized Sepahan with a five-point deduction because its fans had seriously injured a security soldier. This was later reduced to three points. Persepolis was also docked six points byFIFA because of unpaid wages to a number of former players.[43] This placed Persepolis behind Sepahan in the standings.[44] Near the end of the season,Sheys Rezaei andMohammad Reza Mamani were expelled by the team after both players showed poor behaviour towards club players, coaches and management, and for other non-football related issues.[45]Habib Kashani andMahmoud Khordbin both suffered heart attacks during the season.[46] Persepolis cut Sepahan's seven-point lead to two points by the last game of the season. In the last week, Persepolis defeated Sepahan, whenSepehr Heidari scored a 90+6th-minute goal in front of over 110,000 fans inAzadi Stadium, earning Persepolis its second championship in the IPL and a slot in theAsian Champions League.[47][48] Persepolis, Ghotbi, andMohsen Khalili won theTeam,Manager andPlayer of the year titles at the2007–2008 Golden Ball awards.[49][50]
Ghotbi's contract expired at the end of the season and he decided to leave the club.[51][52] His assistant,Hamid Estili, was very close to management but Kashani and other club officials resigned because of conflicts between them and the Iran Physical Education Department.[53][54]Dariush Mostafavi was then selected as club chairman.[55] Mostafavi promised to bring Ghotbi back. Negotiations were successful, and on 4 July 2008, Ghotbi signed a two-year contract with Persepolis.[56][57] Ghotbi had many problems with Mostafavi and resigned on 19 November 2008. When talking to the popular Iranian show90, Ghotbi teared up when discussing leaving Persepolis and the fans who had given him the nickname Emperor.[58] Ghotbi left the team in mid-season after a series of losses and eventually became head coach of theIran national football team.[59]
After the resignation of Ghotbi, his assistantAfshin Peyrovani was named as interim head coach of the club; he led the team in 11 matches inIran Pro League, and was replaced with formerPortugal andSaudi Arabia manager,Nelo Vingada. Vingada's contract was terminated at the end of the season.[when?]
After Daei's resignation,Hamid Estili,Mustafa Denizli,Manuel José andYahya Golmohammadi managed Persepolis,for a record[clarify] four head coaches over two seasons. Golmohammadi led Persepolis to the final of theHazfi Cup, where they lost toSepahan on penalties. After the Hazfi Cup, Golmohammadi announced that he would not be managing Persepolis the following season.
Daei returned to the club and signed a three years contract before the start of2013–14 season. Under Daei, Persepolis finished second with 55 points, 2 points behind championsFoolad. Persepolis retained its place in theAFC Champions League after a two-year absence. After a poor start to the2014–15season which left Persepolis in 9th place, Daei was sacked and replaced byHamid Derakhshan.
On 15 May 2015, Ivanković won his firstTehran derby after a 1–0 victory overEsteghlal. Later that week, on 19 May 2015, Persepolis defeatedAl-Hilal 1–0 in the first leg ofAFC Champions League round of 16. In the second leg they lost 3–0 againstAl-Hilal and were eliminated.
After the departure ofMohammad Nouri, the club namedHadi Norouzi as the captain for the 2015–16 season. Persepolis was also very active in the summer transfer season, adding Iranian internationalRamin Rezaeian, Croatian defenderLuka Marić and Honduras internationalJerry Bengtson.
On 1 October 2015, club captainHadi Norouzi died in his sleep at the age of 30 after an apparent heart attack.[64] After Norouzi's death, Persepolis improved their form and won several games in a row, propelling them to the top 3 midway through the season. After a historic 4–2 win againstEsteghlal in theTehran derby, the team moved into first place. However, after a loss to Naft Tehran on 28 April, the team dropped down to third place. Persepolis won the following week's match againstGostaresh Foolad and moved into second place, behindEsteghlal Khuzestan on goal difference. A final day win on 13 May 2016 againstRah Ahan was not enough for Persepolis, as Esteghlal Khuzestan also won their game and were crowned champions of Persian Gulf Pro League 2015–16.
Before the 2016–17 season, Persepolis added national team membersAlireza Beiranvand,Jalal Hosseini andVahid Amiri. Persepolis started the season strong and never dropped below third place. They set records for the lowest number of goals conceded and most points accumulated after 17 weeks in aPersian Gulf Pro League season. On 15 April 2017, Persepolis became the champions of the season with three weeks remaining until the end of the season. After a victory againstMachine Sazi, Persepolis claimed its third championship in thePersian Gulf Pro League and its 10th championship in total.[citation needed] Persepolis defended its championship in thePersian Gulf Pro League 2017–18 and wonSuper cup.
On 30 May 2017, Persepolis advanced to the quarterfinals in theAFC Champions League, for the first time in its current format, after defeating Qatari clubLekhwiya 1–0 in the Round of 16. Persepolis beat Saudi clubAl Ahli 5–3 on aggregate to make it to the semi-finals, where they lost toAl Hilal 6–2 on aggregate. In 2018, Persepolis advanced to the AFC Champions League finals, losing 2–0 in the first leg. Persepolis were held to a goalless draw by theKashima Antlers of Japan in the second leg of the AFC Champions League.[65] On 16 May 2019, Ivanković lead the team to a Persian Gulf Pro League championship with ahat-trick.[66] He left the club at the end of season after four years, winning a record seven trophies for a foreign coach.
Persepolis Football Club was named afterPersepolis, the capital of theAchaemenid Empire. The club logo incorporates elements from the location. The first design of Persepolis' crest used theFaravahar, an ancientPersian andZoroastrian symbol depicting a man with three-feathered falcon wings.[67] After using the crest on its shirt in its early years, the team stopped including the crest[when?] on its shirt until the 1980s. In the middle of the 1980s, the team created a new crest based on an image depicted on a column atApadana. The image consists of two bull heads attached to one body, with a cup on top and theOlympic symbols underneath.[67] The bull is a symbol of productivity in ancient Persian beliefs andPersian Literature, and the cup on the top of the column represents the championship. The team then changed the crest again in the middle of the 1990s to a more stylised image: the crest became bent[clarification needed] and the Olympic rings were dropped, the cup became more explicit, and the bull heads leaned toward the cup.[67] This version was used until 2004,[67] when the team restored the Olympic rings and replaced the bulls with theHoma, a mythological bird and symbol used in the architecture of Persepolis.[67] During the2011–2012 season, and before 74thTehran derby, the club released a new version of its logo[68] This current version of the club's logo incorporates the previous version into a red shield-shaped frame and includes the name of Persepolis in Persian and English.[67]One of Persepolis' nicknames isSorkhpoushan (transl. "the reds";Persian:سرخپوشان), stemming from their traditional kit, which is predominantly red. From the foundation of the club, the common home kit includes a red shirt, red (in some seasons black or white) shorts and red socks. White and black colours are also seen in the kit. In the early 1970s, the players wore black shorts. White shorts were used in the late 1970s, and red shorts became predominant in the 1980s.[citation needed]
In the2006–07 season, fans saw the team wear red-and-white striped shirts. The away kit of the club usually includes a white background.[citation needed]
17 May 2008: Persepolis-Sepahan match during the last week of the7th IPL at theAzadi Stadium. Azadi Stadium hosted over 100,000 fans for the match.
When Persepolis was founded, the football team did not have a stadium, although it had gymnasiums, swimming pools andbowling alleys.[70][71][72] Ali Abdo bought some land in theEkbatan area of Tehran and constructed a stadium there.[73][when?] At the time, it was known as Apadana Stadium. Persepolis played only one game at the stadium[73] because the seating was poorly organised and other Iranian clubs would not cooperate to play there.[73] Persepolis then used the stadium as a training ground.[73]
Around the mid-1970s, Abdo had to sell much of the club's property to keep the club functioning due to its poor financial situation; he sold Apadana Stadium toRah Ahan for 200,000tomans in 1975.[73] Apadana Stadium is now calledRah Ahan Stadium. Due to theIranian Islamic Revolution in 1979, club properties were confiscated by the Oppressed and Veterans Foundation. Bowling Abdo, the club's original headquarters, was burnt down, and Abdo returned to the United States.[citation needed]
Before the construction ofAzadi Stadium in 1971, Persepolis played its matches atAmjadieh (Shahid Shiroudi) Stadium. Since 1973, Persepolis has started playing in Azadi stadium as its home ground.[74] The team has played almost all of their home games at Azadi Stadium, except for the2002–03 season, when they played all but two of their home matches at Tehran'sTakhti Stadium while renovations were taking place at Azadi.[75]
In mid-2006, Persepolis considered buying Shahre Ghods Stadium,[76] but the deal fell through due to Persepolis' poor financial situation and the long distance between the city center and the stadium.[77]
Persepolis has playedEstheghlal 85 times in this stadium, with 25 wins to Esthaghlal, 21 wins to Persepolis, and 39 draws. This derby is regarded as the biggest inAsia, and one of the world, in terms of same city rivals.[78]
Derafshifar Stadium is Persepolis' training ground and academy base. Inside the complex, there are training areas, a hotel and pools. There is also a sauna, steam and weight rooms, a restaurant, conference rooms and offices. The stadium was given to Persepolis in 2013 with the support of team presidentMohammad Rouyanian.[79][80][81][82]
Persepolis became the owner of Shahid Kazemi Stadium in the winter of 2016. The stadium, with a capacity of 15,000, is used for training sessions and friendly matches. The complex has a sauna, steam room, weight room, restaurant and conference room. In January 2017, the club announced they would renovate the complex by adding a second natural grass pitch, parking lots and a cafeteria, as well as upgrading the conference room, locker room, gym and swimming pool.[83]
Persepolis opened the first Iranian sport university in 2013. Dariuosh Soudi was appointed as the first president of the university andMehdi Mahdavikia was the first student of this university. This university has 600 students and accepts students in thirteen different fields, including football andfutsal coaching, fitness, sports reporting and match commentary.[84][85][86][87][88][89][90][91][excessive citations]
In June 2013, Persepolis launched Persepolis TV, available onHot Bird satellite television. The manager of Persepolis TV wasReza Rashidpour.[92][93] The channel closed in October 2013, and was relaunched during the 2017–18 season.[citation needed]
The team also operates an internet radio station through its official website. The station includes recordings that can be downloaded. Rouyanian negotiated an agreement with "Iran Seda" to air live commentary of the 77th Tehran derby, commentated by Eskandar Koti.[94]
The club began sellingenergy drinks in 2013.[95] The club also established three restaurants to improve its finances and bring in fans. The first restaurant opened inShiraz.[96] As of June 2023[update], all three restaurants have closed.[citation needed][needs update?]
A Persepolis fan shows holds up a balloon depicting the number "6", referring to Persepolis' 6–0 win againstEsteghlal in 1973
Persepolis plays in theTehran Derby againstEsteghlal; their rivalry is derived from the previous significant derby betweenShahin andTaj.[citation needed] After the departure of Shahin players to Persepolis, the club became popular and its archrival Taj (meaning "crown" in Persian) was supported by theShah of Iran,Mohammad Reza. The Derby was declared the most important derby in Asia and the 22nd most important derby in the world in June 2008 byWorld Soccer.[97][98][99] Persepolis has the largest margin of victory, having defeated Esteghlal 6–0 on 7 September 1973.[citation needed]
Persepolis has a rivalry withSepahan, which is based inIsfahan. Both clubs were dependent upon Shahin; one hired most of the Shahin players in its early years and the other was the branch of Shahin F.C. in Isfahan. The rivalry renewed in the early 2000s, when Isfahan's teams—Sepahan andZob Ahan—Sepahan wonIPL and theHazfi Cup. Persepolis also had a derby against the now dissolved club,Pas Tehran.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Ali Parvin, who played from 1970 to 1988, holds the record for Persepolis appearances with 341.Afshin Peyrovani holds the league appearances records with 209, playing from 1993 to 2004. The record for a goalkeeper is held byAlireza Beiranvand, with 189 appearances. The record for total Persepolis appearances among current players is held byHadi Norouzi, with 175 appearances and 32 goals.
With 149 caps,Ali Daei of Iran is Persepolis' most capped international player.Farshad Pious is the club's all-time top goalscorer in all competitions with 153 goals in 211 matches,[120] playing between 1985 and 1998. Persepolis set the Iran's league records for most titles (15) and most runners-up (9). The club's all-time top scorer isFarshad Pious with 153 goals. The team has a record for scoring in 36 consecutive matches in two seasons (2014–2015) and a record 22 games unbeaten.
This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(August 2022)
Persepolis is publicly owned. Privatisation of both Persepolis andEsteghlal, has failed, most likely due to the government's lack of interest to bequeath the enormous social (and potentially financial) capital of the two clubs to private entities.[citation needed] In May 2009, in the run-up to the2009 presidential election, PresidentMahmoud Ahmadinejad stated that the club would be privatised.[citation needed] A second much anticipated bid in May 2015 was called null and void after Persepolis fan and tycoon Hossein Hedayat was found unqualified by Iranian Privatization Organization.[121] It is expected that the transfer of the club to private investors will be a long process, largely due to problems with the club's financial documents and the debts that the club has accumulated, which make it unable to be listed on theTehran Stock Exchange.[citation needed] Shares for the club can be sold on theOTC market once it has removed all of its financial ambiguities.[citation needed]
Persepolis is one of the most supported teams inIranian football.[122] Unofficial counts indicate that the club has over 40 million fans.[123][124] The club is based in Tehran and is popular in all parts of country. Persepolis also has a fan base inAfghanistan[125] andPersian Gulf countries.[126]
^جهان|TABNAK, سایت خبری تحلیلی تابناك|اخبار ایران و (6 October 2015)."پیراهن شماره 24 هادی نوروزی بایگانی شد + عکس".tabnak.ir.Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved4 January 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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