Sepahan S.C.

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Sepahan
Full nameFoolad Mobarakeh Sepahan Sport Club
Nickname(s)Yellow Storm
Short nameSepahan
Founded5 October 1953; 70 years ago (1953-10-05)
GroundNaghsh-e Jahan Stadium
Capacity75,000
OwnerMobarakeh Steel Company
PresidentManouchehr Nikfar (Acting)
ManagerJosé Morais
LeaguePersian Gulf Pro League
2022–23Persian Gulf Pro League, 2nd
WebsiteClub website
Current season

Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan Sport Club (Persian: باشگاه فرهنگی ورزشی فولاد مبارکه سپاهان, Bâšgâh-è Varzeši-ye Fulâd-è Mobârake-ye Sepâhân), commonly known as Sepahan, are an Iranian sports club based in Isfahan, best known for their association football branch[1] that play in the Persian Gulf Pro League, the highest tier of Iranian football.

In the

Hazfi Cups
, becoming one of the most successful football clubs in Iran.

Club history

Before the revolution

Shahin Isfahan Club

In 1953, with the help of

Zob Ahan
.

Post Revolution

After the

Foolad Mobarekeh (Steel Mill of Mobarekeh Isfahan) bought the team from the Siman factory. The team now plays under the name of Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan, and enjoys very good support by the club board, and has been able to attain a respectable fan base in its hometown.[citation needed
]

Success years

The club was able to demonstrate its worth when it captured the league title in the

]

Sepahan in a match against Homa during 1975–76 season

With

UAE to reach the final of the newly established continental tournament for the first time. Although they lost the final to Urawa Red Diamonds on aggregate, by reaching the final, Sepahan became the first Iranian club to qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup.[citation needed
]

In the opening match of the

FIFA Club World Cup 2007, Sepahan defeated Waitakere United of New Zealand to reach the quarter-final where they met Urawa Red Diamonds for a spot in the semifinal match against AC Milan. Urawa Reds managed to defeat Sepahan for the second time in just one month, reaching the semifinals of the FIFA Club World Cup.[citation needed
]

By winning the

2007
.

Sepahan has qualified for the

Persian Gulf Cup 2007-08. Sepahan lost the title by only one point to Persepolis F.C., who beat them 2–1 in the last match of the season with a winner six minutes into second half injury time. They tried to improve the team by sacking the Brazilian coach Viera and replacing him with the German coach Firat but they had a difficult season where they could not win anything in the 2008–09 season and changed the coach three times.[citation needed
]

In the next season Sepahan hired Turkish and former

2010 Season, the club sealed a championship title two weeks before the end of the season with a 2–2 tie against F.C. Aboomoslem.[2]

In the

]

Kranjčar Era

They also repeated their league title in

2011–12 season, this time with Croatian manager, Zlatko Kranjčar. Sepahan also made it to the quarter-finals of 2012 AFC Champions League after defeating the fellow Iranian club Esteghlal.[citation needed
]

In 2013 however, Sepahan was placed in Group C of the

Al-Ahli SC at Foolad Shahr Stadium, losing poorly once again but this time with a score of 4–2. Sepahan still had a chance after those two losses, but all hopes were lost once they lost in front of the Saudi giants again, this time with a score of 4–1 thus having them bid farewell to the 2013 AFC Champions League.[citation needed
]

Sepahan players celebrating their fifth league title in 2015

In the

2013–14 Iran Pro League season, Sepahan finished 4th, thus missing out on the AFC Champions League for the first time in five years. At the end of the season, Croatian manager Zlatko Kranjčar announced that he would not be returning for the 2014–2015 season. Sepahan also struggled in the Champions League as well, failing to make it past the group stage with a 1–0 loss to Al Hilal
on the final match day. After originally announcing he was leaving the club, Sepahan announced that they had extended the contract of Kranjčar for another season.

Faraki years

Sepahan started the

2014–15 season with three wins in a row. However, Sepahan did not win their next four matches. Kranjčar resigned on 8 September 2014 and was replaced with former Foolad manager Hossein Faraki
.

On 15 May 2015, with a 2–0 Sepahan victory over Saipa and Tractor drawing 3–3 with Naft Tehran, Sepahan won their fifth league title with a one-point margin over runner up Tractor. With the league victory, Sepahan returned to the AFC Champions League after a one-year absence.

On 12 November 2015 Hossein Faraki left Sepahan for personal problems. Faraki left by saying "Things just don't seem to be working out for me and I decided to quit my job in the team, I have nothing more to say because I think Sepahan needs concentration at the moment since they will play in Iran's Hazfi Cup on Thursday,"[3][4]

Štimac and Veisi years

After

Zob Ahan in penalties at the semi-final. Sepahan also went out of the AFC Champions League
after losing five times in the first round. Igor Štimac resigned as Sepahan head coach on 20 April 2016, after a run of unsuccessful results which led the league champions Sepahan to end up in 11th place and out of both season's cups, Hazfi Cup and AFC Champions League.

Before the start of the 2016–17 season, Abdollah Veisi who had led Esteghlal Khuzestan to the league title, was announced as the new manager of Sepahan but sepahans poor results continued so they announced Zlatko Kranjčar as their new manager. Sepahan finished the season in the 5th place.

Reserve team

Sepahan is also one of the clubs in Iranian football to have a senior reserve team,

Iran Pro League from the Azadegan League
, but was not allowed to participate due to Fifa's regulations about two teams from the same club playing in the same league.

Individual Records

All Top Appearances

# Name Nationality Position Apps
1 Alireza Rahimi Iran Iran
Striker
359
2 Moharram Navidkia Iran Iran Midfielder 347
3
Hadi Aghili
Iran Iran Defender 309
4
Ehsan Haji Safi
Iran Iran
Left back
299
5 Hossein Papi Iran Iran Forward 298
6 Mohsen Bengar Iran Iran Defender 217
7 Mehdi Seyed-Salehi Iran Iran Forward 181
8 Mahmoud Karimi Iran Iran Forward 180
9 Payam Niazmand Iran Iran Goalkeeper 159
10 Omid Ebrahimi Iran Iran Midfielder 158

All Top scorers

# Name Nationality Position Period League Goals Goals
1 Alireza Rahimi Iran Iran
Striker
1973-1985 98 98
2 Emad Reza Iraq Iraq Forward 2006-2010 2011-2012 59 65
3 Moharram Navidkia Iran Iran Midfielder 1998-2004 2006-2016 41 44
Ibrahima Toure
Senegal Senegal
Striker
2009-2011 36 44
5 Shahriyar Moghanlou Iran Iran
Striker
2021-Present 35 42
6 Rasoul Khatibi Iran Iran Midfielder 2003-2006 2009 32 39
7 Sajjad Shahbazzadeh Iran Iran Forward 2018-2022 35 38
Ehsan Haji Safi
Iran Iran
Left back
2006-2015 2016-2017 2021 34 38
9 Mehdi Sharifi Iran Iran Forward 2012-2018 27 34
10 Mahmoud Karimi Iran Iran Forward 1998-2009 31 33

Rivalries

Isfahan Derby

The

1977/78
). Their rivalry resumed in the 1990s when they faced each other in
1997/98
) and from then on the two met each other twice a year.

Tehran rivalries

Persepolis–Sepahan rivalries are the two important Iran Football Rivalries played between Sepahan and two Tehran based football clubs: Esteghlal and Persepolis
.

FIFA Club World Cup

One of the most important titles of Sepahan football club, which makes this club a special club in Iranian football, is the participation in the Club World Cup in 2007. For the people of Isfahan and those interested in football, especially the fans of Sepahan and of course Iranian football, the second day of November is undoubtedly a reminder of the name of Sepahan. On the day when the club was born, Sepahan's name was placed next to big teams such as AC Milan of Italy, Boca Juniors of Argentina, Pachuca of Mexico, Whiteacres United of New Zealand, Sahil Tunis and Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan. Until today, Sepahan is the first and last representative of Iranian football who has hoisted the Iranian flag in the Club World Cup.

Partnerships

Two smiling men holding a golden plaque together
The general secretary of Ahed (left) and the president of Sepahan (right) in 2009

On 28 January 2009, Sepahan and Lebanese club Ahed signed an informal partnership deal.[6] The partnership was made official on 8 March 2021, involving training camps and friendly games between the two sides.[7]

Stadium

The

Zob Ahan
too. Some of Sepahan's matches are held in that stadium.

Season-by-season

For details on seasons, see

List of Sepahan F.C. seasons

Season Div. Pos.
Hazfi Cup
Asia
2001–02 IPL 9th Semi-Final - -
2002–03 IPL Champions Semi-Final - -
2003–04 IPL 6th Champions ACL Group stage
2004–05 IPL 10th 1/8 Final ACL Group stage
2005–06 IPL 7th Champions - -
2006–07 PGC 5th Champions ACL Runner Up
2007–08 PGC 2nd Quarter-Final ACL Group stage
2008–09 PGC 4th 1/8 Final ACL Group stage
2009–10 PGC Champions 1/8 Final ACL Group stage
2010–11 PGC Champions Quarter-Final ACL Quarter-Final
2011–12 PGC Champions Round of 32 ACL Quarter-Final
2012–13
PGC 3rd Champions ACL Group stage
2013–14
PGC 4th Round of 32 ACL Group stage
2014–15
PGPL Champions Round of 32 - -
2015–16
PGPL 11th Semi-Final ACL Group stage
2016–17
PGPL 5th Semi-Final - -
2017–18 PGPL 14th Round of 32 - -
2018–19 PGPL 2nd Semi-Final - -
2019–20
PGPL 5th Quarter-Final ACL Group stage
2020–21 PGPL 2nd Quarter-Final - -
2021–22 PGPL 3rd Round of 16 ACL Group Stage

Honours

Domestic

League

Cup

Continental

Players

First-team squad

See also: 2023–24 Sepahan S.C. season
As of 21 February 2024

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 Payam Niazmand (vice-captain)
2 DF Iran IRN Hadi Mohammadi
5 MF Iran IRN Reza Asadi
6 MF Burkina Faso BFA Bryan Dabo
8 MF Iran IRN Mohammad Karimi (captain)
9 DF Iran IRN Ramin Rezaeian
10 MF Iran IRN Farshad Ahmadzadeh
11 FW Iran IRN Kaveh Rezaei
13 GK Iran IRN Mohammad Gerami U21
14 DF Iran IRN Aria Yousefi U23
17 MF Iran IRN Esmaeil Gholizadeh U21
18 DF Iran IRN Milad Zakipour
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 DF Iran IRN Omid Noorafkan (third-captain)
22 GK Iran IRN Sadegh Salehi U21
23 MF Iran IRN Ahmad Reza Mousavi U21
33 FW Ghana GHA Issah Abass (on loan from Chaves)
44 GK Iran IRN Nima Mirzazad
58 DF Iran IRN Mohammad Daneshgar
70 FW Iran IRN Shahriyar Moghanlou
77 MF Iran IRN Ali Ahmadi U21
80 MF Iran IRN Arshia Sarshogh U21
81 MF Iran IRN Reza Shekari
86 MF Iran IRN Mohammad Javad Hosseinnejad U21
99 DF Iran IRN Siavash Yazdani
  • U21 = Under-21 level player. U23 = Under-23 level player. SPE = Special group player. INJ = Out of main squad due to injury.


Loan list

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
DF Iran IRN Hossein Rouholamin (at Chadormalou Ardakan until June 2024)
MF Iran IRN Mohammad Alinejad (at Foolad until June 2024)
No. Pos. Nation Player
FW Iran IRN Isa Moradi (at Shams Azar until June 2024)

For recent transfers, see List of Iranian football transfers summer 2023.

Former players

For details on former players, see Category:Sepahan players.

Notable players

See: List of Sepahan players

Managerial staff

[8][9]

Current managerial staff

Position Name
Manager Portugal José Morais
Assistant coaches Iran Hossein Ghadami
Iran Vahid Esfahani
Goalkeepers coach Iran Mohammadreza Farahani

Head coaches

Below is a list of Sepahan coaches from 1953 until the present day.[10][11][12]

Name Nationality Years
Mahmoud Hariri Iran 1953–1960
Technical Commission 1960–1970
Mahmoud Yavari Iran 1970–1978
Zdravko Rajkov Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1978
Mahmoud Yavari Iran 1978–1980
Masoud Tabesh Iran 1980–1993
Firouz Karimi Iran 1993–1994
Nasser Hejazi Iran 1994–1995
Mahmoud Yavari Iran 1995–1996
Rasoul Korbekandi Iran 1996–1998
Mehdi Monajati Iran 1998–1999
Hamid Nadimian Iran 1999–2001
Stanko Poklepović Croatia 2001–2002
Farhad Kazemi Iran 2002–2005
Stanko Poklepović Croatia 2005
Edson Tavares Brazil 2005–2006
Luka Bonačić Croatia 2006–2008
Jorvan Vieira Brazil 2008
Engin Firat
Turkey 2008
Hossein Charkhabi Iran 2008
Farhad Kazemi Iran 2008–2009
Amir Ghalenoei Iran 2009–2011
Luka Bonačić Croatia 2011
Zlatko Kranjčar Croatia 2011–2014
Hossein Faraki Iran 2014–2015
Igor Štimac Croatia 2015–2016
Ghasem Zaghinejad* Iran 2016
Abdollah Veisi Iran 2016–2017
Zlatko Kranjčar Croatia 2017–2018
Mansour Ebrahimzadeh Iran 2018
Amir Ghalenoei Iran 2018–2020
Miguel Teixeira* Portugal 2020
Moharram Navidkia Iran 2020–2022
José Morais Portugal 2022–Present

Club officials

Position Name
President Manouchehr Nikfar (Acting)
Chairman of the Board Mojtaba Lotfi
Board Members Mojtaba Lotfi
Mohammad Reza Saket
Karim Fakharezadeh
Ali Pezeshk
Alireza Afzal

List of Sepahan records

FIFA Club World Cup participation

FIFA Club World Cup History
Year Round Score Result Scorers
2007 Play-off Sepahan 3 – 1 New Zealand Waitakere United Win Emad Mohammed 3', 4'
Abdul-Wahab 47'
2007 Quarterfinals Sepahan 1 – 3 Japan Urawa Red Diamonds Loss Karimi 80'

Top scorers by season

Season Player in League Player in whole season
2001–02 Iran Edmond Bezik 6
2002–03 Iran Edmond Bezik 13
2003–04 Iran Rasoul Khatibi 8 Iran Rasoul Khatibi 14
2004–05 Iran Rasoul Khatibi 14 Iran Rasoul Khatibi 17
2005–06 Iran Rasoul Khatibi 10 Iran Rasoul Khatibi 11
2006–07
Emad Mohammed Ridha
9
Emad Mohammed Ridha
12
2007–08 Iran Mahmoud Karimi 9 Iran Mahmoud Karimi 13
2008–09
Emad Mohammed Ridha
14
Emad Mohammed Ridha
16
2009–10
Emad Mohammed Ridha
19 Senegal Ibrahima Touré 20
2010–11 Senegal Ibrahima Touré 18 Senegal Ibrahima Touré 24
2011–12
Emad Mohammed Ridha
9 Brazil Bruno Correa 12
2012–13 Iran Mohammad Reza Khalatbari 13 Albania Xhevahir Sukaj 16
2013–14 Iran Mehdi Sharifi 8 Iran Mehdi Sharifi 12
2014–15 Iran Mehdi Sharifi 12 Iran Mehdi Sharifi 12
2015–16
Luciano Chimba
4
Luciano Chimba
Iran Mehdi Sharifi
6
2016–17 Iran Mehrdad Mohammadi
Iran Masoud Hassanzadeh
7 Iran Mehrdad Mohammadi
Iran Masoud Hassanzadeh
Iran Jalaleddin Alimohammadi
7
2017–18 Iran Sasan Ansari 11 Iran Sasan Ansari 11
2018–19
Kiros Stanlley
16
Kiros Stanlley
17

Players on international cups

Cup Players
Argentina 1978 FIFA World Cup Iran Ali Shojaei
Iran Bahram Mavaddat
Germany 2006 FIFA World Cup Iran Moharram Navidkia
Iran Rasoul Khatibi
ThailandVietnamMalaysiaIndonesia 2007 AFC Asian Cup Iran Hadi Aghily
South Africa 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
Emad Mohammed
Qatar 2011 AFC Asian Cup
Emad Mohammed
Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup Iran Ehsan Hajsafi
Iran Rahman Ahmadi
Australia 2015 AFC Asian Cup Iran Ehsan Hajsafi
Iran Voria Ghafouri
United Arab Emirates 2019 AFC Asian Cup Iran Payam Niazmand

Sponsorship

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

Sepahan League Sponsors
Period Kit Manufacturer Shirt Sponsor
2007–08 Germany Uhlsport
Mobarakeh Steel Company
2008–09
2009–10 Italy Lotto
2010–11
2011–12
2012–13
2013–14 Germany Uhlsport
2014–15
2015–16 Spain Joma
2016–17 Germany Uhlsport
2017–18 China Peak
Snapp
2018–19 Iran Start
Hamrah-e-Avval
2019–20 Germany Uhlsport
2020–21
Mobarakeh Steel Company / Iran Insurance Company
2021–22
2022-23 Iran Merooj
Mobarakeh Steel Company
/ Bahonar Brokerage / GERAD Clothing
2023-24 Iran Start
Mobarakeh Steel Company

References

  1. ^ "Weekly Howl 21-09-12". Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  2. ^ "FIFA.com – Sepahan complete Iranian brace". FIFA. Archived from the original on 26 May 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Hossein Faraki steps down as Sepahan coach". Archived from the original on 14 February 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  4. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 10 January 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ Lastkick.com Archived 3 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ مراسم خواهر خواندگی تیم‌های فوتبال سپاهان و العهد لبنان [Ceremony of partnership of Sepahan and Lebanese football team Ahed]. Mehr News Agency (in Persian). 29 January 2009. Archived from the original on 29 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  7. ^ Abou Diab, Rami (8 March 2021). "Ahed partners up with a foreign club". FA Lebanon. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  8. ^ ورزش3: دستیاران قلعه‌نویی در سپاهان مشخص شدند
  9. ^ ورزش3: تکسیرا جانشین قلعه نویی در سپاهان
  10. ^ "تاریخچه باشگاه سپاهان اصفهان". Archived from the original on 30 June 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  11. ^ "تاریخچه دیدارهای سپاهان و استقلال در تهران". Archived from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  12. ^ "تاریخچه دیدارهای سپاهان و استقلال در اصفهان". Archived from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2012.

External links