Iran Pro League 03/17 15:15 21 [2] Persepolis v Paykan [11] W 2-0
Iran Pro League 03/13 16:30 20 Esteghlal Tehran v Persepolis D 0-0
Iran Pro League 03/08 14:00 19 [2] Persepolis v Foolad Khuzestan [12] W 4-2
Iran Cup 03/04 16:30 5 Persepolis v Naft Gachsaran W 3-0
Iran Pro League 02/28 13:45 18 [7] Zob Ahan v Persepolis [2] W 0-1
Iran Pro League 02/21 13:45 17 Persepolis v Tractor Sazi W 2-0
Iran Pro League 02/15 13:45 16 [8] Aluminium Arak v Persepolis [3] L 1-0
Iran Cup 02/09 14:45 5 Persepolis v Naft Gachsaran - Postponed
Iran Pro League 01/01 14:00 15 Mes Rafsanjan v Persepolis D 1-1
Iran Pro League 12/28 14:00 11 [4] Persepolis v Nassaji Mazandaran [15] W 1-0
Iran Pro League 12/24 14:00 14 [5] Persepolis v Shams Azar Qazvin [9] W 2-1
Iran Pro League 12/19 11:30 13 [16] Esteghlal Khuzestan v Persepolis [5] D 2-2
Iran Pro League 12/14 12:45 5 Persepolis v Esteghlal Tehran D 1-1
Iran Pro League 12/09 12:00 12 [6] Persepolis v Havadar SC [11] W 1-0
AFC Champions League 12/05 16:00 6 [2] Persepolis v Al Duhail [3] L 1-2
AFC Champions League 11/27 18:00 5 [1] Al-Nassr Riyadh v Persepolis [2] D 0-0
Iran Pro League 11/12 13:00 10 [9] Sepahan v Persepolis [2] L 1-0
AFC Champions League 11/07 14:00 4 [4] FK Istiqlol Dushanbe v Persepolis [2] D 1-1
Iran Pro League 11/02 14:30 9 [2] Persepolis v Sanat Naft FC [14] D 2-2
Iran Pro League 10/29 12:30 8 [7] Malavan v Persepolis [2] D 0-0
AFC Champions League 10/24 16:00 3 [2] Persepolis v FK Istiqlol Dushanbe [4] W 2-0
Iran Pro League 10/19 13:20 6 [9] Paykan v Persepolis [1] W 1-3
Iran Pro League 10/08 15:45 7 [5] Persepolis v Gol Gohar [7] W 1-0
AFC Champions League 10/02 18:00 2 [3] Al Duhail v Persepolis [4] W 0-1
Iran Pro League 10/01 17:30 5 Persepolis v Esteghlal - Postponed
AFC Champions League 09/19 18:00 1 [3] Persepolis v Al-Nassr Riyadh [3] L 0-2
Iran Pro League 09/01 17:30 5 Persepolis v Esteghlal - Postponed
Iran Pro League 08/30 18:00 4 [15] Foolad Khuzestan v Persepolis [4] W 0-2
Iran Pro League 08/24 16:00 3 Persepolis v Zob Ahan D 1-1
Iran Pro League 08/16 15:15 2 [14] Tractor Sazi v Persepolis [5] W 0-1

Wikipedia - Persepolis F.C.

Persepolis Football Club (Persian: باشگاه فوتبال پرسپولیس, romanized: Bâšgâh-e Futbâl-e Perspolis) is an Iranian professional football club based in Tehran that competes in the Persian Gulf Pro League. Persepolis F.C. is the football club of the multisport Persepolis Athletic and Cultural Club. The club is owned by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. There have been many attempts to privatise the club, which have been without success due to the large debt the club has accumulated.

Persepolis was founded in 1963 by Ali Abdo and has been in the first division of Iranian football since 1968. The club has played at its home ground, Azadi Stadium, since 1973. They contest the Tehran Derby against rival team Esteghlal, a match that is closely followed by Iranian football fans and considered to be one of the popular clubs in Asia,. According to the Asian Football Confederation, Persepolis is the most popular football club in Asia. At the AFC 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 a record fifteen Iranian league titles, as well as seven Hazfi Cups, five Super Cups and the 1990–91 Asian Cup Winners' Cup. Many notable players have played for the club, including former Bundesliga players Ali Karimi, Ali Daei, Vahid Hashemian and Mehdi Mahdavikia. Ali Parvin, who spent 18 years with the club from 1970 to 1988, is widely regarded as the club's greatest player.

History

Shahin F.C. (1942–1967)

Shahin F.C. in the 1960s, including many players who went on to play for Persepolis

Shahin was established in 1942 by Dr. Abbas Ekrami, a teacher. 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").

Shahin produced many talented players, including Parviz Dehdari, Masoud Boroumand, Homayoun Behzadi, Jafar Kashani, Hossein Kalani and Hamid Shirzadegan, as well as players who played for the Iran national football team. Shahin was popular in the 1960s, but the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) and Keihan Varzeshi (Iran's most important sports publication at the time) viewed that popularity as a threat. The conflict between FFIRI and the team grew to a head on 9 July 1967—two days after Shahin's 3–0 win against Tehranjavan F.C.—when the FFIRI dissolved the clubm. League attendance dropped and other clubs, including Pas, Rah Ahan and Oghab, attempted to sign Shahin players.[]

Establishment early years (1963–1969)

Ali Abdo, founder and first chairman of the club
Persepolis in the 1960s

Persepolis Athletic and Cultural Club was established in 1963 by Ali Abdo. Abdo had returned to Iran from the United States and was a championship boxer.

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 was Mahmoud 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 the Asian Champion Club Tournament held in Thailand, where they were eliminated in the group stage.

Takht Jamshid Cup (1969–1979)

Persepolis winning the Takht Jamshid Cup in 1973

In 1969, Mahmoud Khayami, one of the founders of automobile company Iran National, negotiated with Persepolis and signed all former Shahin players, except for Aziz Asli and Mahmoud Khordbin, to his new team, Paykan Tehran F.C. Paykan won the championship that year, but the new players moved back to Persepolis at the end of the season.

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. In 1973, the Takht Jamshid Cup was established. Persepolis won the inaugural Cup and again in 1975. That year, Persepolis lost just two matches of thirty matches. Persepolis is the most successful club in the Takht Jamshid Cup league, clinching two championship titles and finishing three times as runner-up.

Success under tough conditions (1979–1990)

Persepolis players Safar Iranpak, Homayoun Behzadi and Hossein Kalani at the Takht Jamshid Cup

With the Iranian Revolution in 1979, Abdo returned to United States. Although Persepolis won the Espandi Cup, the club fell apart and many of its old players did not return. The club's property was sequestered by the government-run Oppressed and Veterans Foundation (Persian: بنیاد مستضعفان و جانبازان) and the club was placed under the management of the Physical Education Organization (Persian: سازمان تربیت بدنی).

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 renamed Azadi (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 club Pirouzi (transl. victory; Persian: پیروزی) with the players' agreement; fans still called the name Persepolis, however. On 10 April 2012, club chairman Mohammad Rouyanian announced that the club's official name was Persepolis.

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,[] Ali Parvin served as player-manager.[]

Revitalization (1990–2001)

The 1990s were a successful decade for the team, with four league championships, two Hazfi Cups, a strong roster and renewed support. At one point, more than six Persepolis players were starters on Iran's national team. The team won the national championship in the 1995–96 season, coming back from being 10 points behind Bahman to be 6 points ahead of the league runner-up. They won the league again the next season, again finishing ahead of the runner up by 6 points. They were stopped by the Korean Pohang Steelers in the semi-finals of the Asian Champions' Cup.[] Persepolis finished third, defeating Iraq's Al-Zawraa in the third place match.[]

The team withdrew from the 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 and AFC officials led to this unprofessional event.[] 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 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 Ali Karimi played for the club during those seasons.

After the World Cup 1998, several of Persepolis' best players were transferred to European clubs, but Persepolis maintained a talented squad, with future national team members Ali Karimi and Hamed Kavianpour joining the club. They won the 1998–99 championship as well as the Hazfi Cup that season. They also won the 1999–2000 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 and Amirali Abedini was the chairman.

IPL era (2001–present)

Ali Karimi played for the team on three occasions from 1998 to 2013.

Persepolis joined the Iran Pro League (IPL) when it was formed in 2001. By the end of the inaugural season, they were in a close race with their rival Esteghlal, which led the league by two points going into the final day of the regular season. Esteghlal's loss to Malavan and Persepolis' 1–0 win against Fajr Sepasi in their last games of the season gave Persepolis a one-point lead and the first-ever IPL championship. Persepolis finished third in the 2002–03 season; they also failed to advance out of the group stage in the newly created AFC 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 coach Vinko Begović and entered into contracts with several prominent players. Persepolis had a good start in the 2003–04 season, but things deteriorated. Begović left the team and German manager Rainer Zobel was bought in. Ghamkhar was also replaced with Hojatollah Khatib, who brought back Parvin as the club's technical director. The club finished fifth in the standings in the 2004–05 season.

The club experienced major financial problems as some of the spending decisions made in previous years had overextended the club.[] Persepolis finished the 2005–06 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 to Fajr Sepasi in Azadi Stadium; after the game, fans had cursed at Parvin and the players.

Khatib resigned as chairman and Mohammad Hassan Ansarifard was elected to the post by the club council.[] Arie Haan was brought in as the new manager, helping the team make it to the 2005–06 Hazfi Cup final, but he was fired by the club just before the 2006–07 season began. Turkish manager Mustafa Denizli signed with the team on 17 August 2006. 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.[]

The club did not win the Hazfi Cup in 2007, losing to Sepahan in the semi-finals. The club finished third in the 2006–07 IPL, and Denizli left the club after Ansarifard resigned as chairman in June 2007.

Afshin Ghotbi: Emperor epoch

Fans celebrating after the club won the title in the 2007–08 season

Habib Kashani became the club chairman in June 2007 and selected Afshin Ghotbi as head coach of Persepolis for the 2007–08 season. Ghotbi promised to lead Persepolis to the IPL championship; the club started the IPL with a 3–2 win over Sanat Naft. Persepolis was undefeated until the 17th round, where they suffered a 2–1 loss to Sepahan. 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 by FIFA because of unpaid wages to a number of former players. This placed Persepolis behind Sepahan in the standings. Near the end of the season, Sheys Rezaei and Mohammad 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. Habib Kashani and Mahmoud Khordbin both suffered heart attacks during the season. Persepolis cut Sepahan's seven-point lead to two points by the last game of the season. In the last week, Persepolis defeated Sepahan, when Sepehr Heidari scored a 90+6th-minute goal in front of over 110,000 fans in Azadi Stadium, earning Persepolis its second championship in the IPL and a slot in the Asian Champions League. Persepolis, Ghotbi, and Mohsen Khalili won the Team, Manager and Player of the year titles at the 2007–2008 Golden Ball awards.

Ghotbi's contract expired at the end of the season and he decided to leave the club. 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. Dariush Mostafavi was then selected as club chairman. Mostafavi promised to bring Ghotbi back. Negotiations were successful, and on 4 July 2008, Ghotbi signed a two-year contract with Persepolis. Ghotbi had many problems with Mostafavi and resigned on 19 November 2008. When talking to the popular Iranian show 90, Ghotbi teared up when discussing leaving Persepolis and the fans who had given him the nickname Emperor. Ghotbi left the team in mid-season after a series of losses and eventually became head coach of the Iran national football team.

After the resignation of Ghotbi, his assistant Afshin Peyrovani was named as interim head coach of the club; he led the team in 11 matches in Iran Pro League, and was replaced with former Portugal and Saudi Arabia manager, Nelo Vingada. Vingada's contract was terminated at the end of the season.[]

Daei years

Persepolis players celebrating after winning the 2010–11 Hazfi Cup

After Vingada was fired as head coach of the club, former Croatia and Dinamo Zagreb manager Zlatko Kranjčar was hired as his successor, but he was quickly replaced with former Persepolis and Iran national football team captain, Ali Daei.[] At the end of the 2009–10 Season, Persepolis finished fourth in the league, but they won the Hazfi Cup. In the Hazfi Cup final, Persepolis defeated Azadegan League club Gostaresh Foolad Tabriz 4–1 on aggregate to qualify for the 2011 AFC Champions League. In the 2010–11 season, Persepolis finished fourth in the league and was eliminated in the group stage of the 2011 AFC Champions League. At the end of the season, Persepolis won the 2010–11 Hazfi Cup after defeating rivals Sepahan, Foolad and Malavan. The technical committee chose Hamid Estili as Daei's successor on that day.[] Under the management of Daei, Persepolis won back to back trophies for the first time in 13 seasons.

After Daei's resignation, Hamid Estili, Mustafa Denizli, Manuel José and Yahya Golmohammadi managed Persepolis, for a record[] four head coaches over two seasons. Golmohammadi led Persepolis to the final of the Hazfi Cup, where they lost to Sepahan 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 of 2013–14 season. Under Daei, Persepolis finished second with 55 points, 2 points behind champions Foolad. Persepolis retained its place in the AFC Champions League after a two-year absence. After a poor start to the 2014–15 season which left Persepolis in 9th place, Daei was sacked and replaced by Hamid Derakhshan.

Ivanković years

Persepolis players celebrating winning the 2017–18 season

On 5 April 2015, Hamid Derakhshan resigned as head coach of Persepolis and was temporarily replaced by Hossein Abdi. On the following day, former Iran national football team manager Branko Ivanković was named as new head coach of the club.

On 15 May 2015, Ivanković won his first Tehran derby after a 1–0 victory over Esteghlal. Later that week, on 19 May 2015, Persepolis defeated Al-Hilal 1–0 in the first leg of AFC Champions League round of 16. In the second leg they lost 3–0 against Al-Hilal and were eliminated.

After the departure of Mohammad Nouri, the club named Hadi Norouzi as the captain for the 2015–16 season. Persepolis was also very active in the summer transfer season, adding Iranian international Ramin Rezaeian, Croatian defender Luka Marić and Honduras international Jerry Bengtson.

Hadi Norouzi celebrating a goal

On 1 October 2015, club captain Hadi Norouzi died in his sleep at the age of 30 after an apparent heart attack. 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 against Esteghlal in the Tehran 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 against Gostaresh Foolad and moved into second place, behind Esteghlal Khuzestan on goal difference. A final day win on 13 May 2016 against Rah 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 members Alireza Beiranvand, Jalal Hosseini and Vahid 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 a Persian 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 against Machine Sazi, Persepolis claimed its third championship in the Persian Gulf Pro League and its 10th championship in total.[] Persepolis defended its championship in the Persian Gulf Pro League 2017–18 and won Super cup.

On 30 May 2017, Persepolis advanced to the quarterfinals in the AFC Champions League, for the first time in its current format, after defeating Qatari club Lekhwiya 1–0 in the Round of 16. Persepolis beat Saudi club Al Ahli 5–3 on aggregate to make it to the semi-finals, where they lost to Al Hilal 6–2 on aggregate. In 2018, Persepolis advanced to the AFC Champions Leage finals, losing 2–0 in the first leg. Persepolis were held to a goalless draw by the Kashima Antlers of Japan in the second leg of the AFC Champions League. On 16 May 2019, Ivanković lead the team to a Persian Gulf Pro League championship with a hat-trick. He left the club at the end of season after four years, winning a record seven trophies for a foreign coach.

Persepolis is a professional soccer team based in Tehran, Iran. The team was founded in 1963 and has since become one of the most successful clubs in Iranian football history. The team's home stadium is the Azadi Stadium, which has a capacity of over 78,000 spectators.

Persepolis has won the Iranian league title 13 times, the Iranian Super Cup 3 times, and the Hazfi Cup 6 times. The team has also had success in international competitions, reaching the final of the AFC Champions League in 2018 and 2020.

The team's colors are red and white, and their logo features the mythical bird Simorgh, which is a symbol of Persian mythology. The team's fans are known for their passionate support and are called "The Red Army."

Persepolis has a strong squad of talented players, including Mehdi Torabi, Ali Alipour, and Siamak Nemati. The team is known for their attacking style of play and their ability to score goals from all areas of the pitch.

Overall, Persepolis is a highly respected and successful soccer team in Iran and the wider Asian region.