Taj Ahvaz F.C.
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Esteghlal Ahvaz Football Club (, ''Bashgah-e Futbal-e Esteqlâl Ahvaz''), commonly known as Esteghlal Ahvaz, was an Iranian
football club In association football, a football club (or association football club, alternatively soccer club) is a sports club that acts as an entity through which association football teams organise their sporting activities. The club can exist either as ...
based in
Ahvaz Ahvaz (; ) is a city in the Central District of Ahvaz County, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is home to Persians, Arabs and other groups such as Qashqai and Kurds. Languages spok ...
,
Khuzestan Khuzestan province () is one of the 31 Provinces of Iran. Located in the southwest of the country, the province borders Iraq and the Persian Gulf, covering an area of . Its capital is the city of Ahvaz. Since 2014, it has been part of Iran's ...
, that competed in the khuzestan province league The club was founded in 1948 as Taj Ahvaz Football Club (). The football team played their home games at the Takhti Ahvaz which has a
seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...
of 10,000. The club was owned and supported by Mohammad Maleki.


History


Establishment

The club was founded as Taj Ahvaz Football Club by Hakim Shoushtari in 1938. The club was one of Taj Tehran branches at the time.


Before 1970

Before the 1970s, Iran did not have an official national football league. Most clubs participated in championships of their city or province. In addition to that Taj Ahvaz played in the Khuzestan Premier League until 1970.


1970s

In 1970, the Local League was created. The league included teams from all Iran in different qualifying tournaments. Taj Ahvaz finished first in
Group A Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived touring cars for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles wer ...
of their qualifying tournament. After losing the semifinal, Taj Ahvaz defeated Javanan Isfahan 2–0 in the third-place match. The club also participated in the
1971–72 Local League The 1971–72 season was the second and last season of the Local League of Iranian football. The competition was won by Persepolis Football Club of Tehran. Qualifying Tournament Region A Group A Group B Semifinals Third plac ...
season. Taj Ahvaz missed again qualification for the final stage after defeating 0–2 by
Sepahan Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan Sport Club (, ''Bâšgâh-e Farhangi-Varzeši-ye Fulâd-e Mobârake-ye Sepâhân''), commonly known as Sepahan, is an Iranian sports club based in Isfahan. It is best known for their football section that play in the P ...
in the semifinal of their qualifying tournament. Once again, they achieved third place after a 2–1 win over
Tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a Trailer (vehicle), trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or constructio ...
. In 1972, the
Takht Jamshid Cup The Takht Jamshid Cup (, Jâm-e Taxt-e Jamšid) was a national football league based in Iran which lasted from 1974 to 1979. The league was named after ''Takht-e Jamshid'', the Iranian name for the ancient city known as Persepolis. Hi ...
was founded as the national league and included teams from all over the country. Although Taj Ahvaz was promoted to the Takht Jamshid Cup in 1973, the club had to play in the Khuzestan Premier League anymore. Reason therefore was rule by the Iran Football Federation. They allowed only one team of the same name to participate in the league at that time. Taj Tehran played in the league already.


1979 Revolution

After the
Islamic Revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Im ...
in Iran, Taj Ahvaz changed its name into Esteghlal Ahvaz Football Club. ''Esteghlal'' means ''independence'' in
Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
. After the revolution, any sign of the previous monarchist regime was not tolerated.


1980s and 1990s

Due to the revolution and the
Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...
, the Takht Jamshid Cup was dissolved and also the lower leagues were unorganized. The war hit Ahvaz and Khuzestan hard. Consequently, the people paid very little attention to the club and football in general at that time. In 1989 the
Qods League Qods may refer to: Geography * Jerusalem, a disputed city in the Levant, sometimes known as Qods from Al-Quds, the Arabic name * Qaleh-ye Qods, a village in Markazi Province, Iran * Qods, Iran, a city in Tehran Province, Iran * Qods, Semnan, a v ...
was created as the national football league, but Esteghlal Ahvaz did not participate. In 1991 the
Azadegan League The Azadegan League (, ''Lig-e Âzâdegân''), also known as League 1 (, ''Lig-e Yek''), is the second highest division of professional football in Iran. It was the top-level football league in Iran from its foundation in 1991 until 2001, when t ...
was formed as the top flight of Iranian football. Esteghlal Ahvaz played eight years in the league with average results. After they finished 13th in the
1997–98 Azadegan League The 1997–98 Azadegan League was the seventh season of the Azadegan League that was won by Esteghlal. The following is the final results of the Azadegan League's 1997–98 football season. Final classification Summary * Iranian footbal ...
season, Esteghlal Ahvaz relegated to
Iran Football's 2nd Division Iranian football's 2nd division () is the third-highest football (soccer), football division overall in the Iranian football league system. Before 2001, the 2nd division league was the second-highest division in the national football league system ...
.


2000s

After the
Iran Pro League The Persian Gulf Pro League (, ''Lig-e Bartar-e Xalij-e Fârs''), formerly known as the Iran Premier League (, ''Lig-e bartar-e Irân''), is a professional association football league in Iran and the highest level of the Iranian football league s ...
was established as the professional football league of Iran, Azadegan League was declared as the second-highest professional league in the
Iranian football league system The Iranian football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for soccer, football clubs in Iran. Structure The current structure has been in place since 2001. The Iran's Premier Football League, Pro League is the highest level of cl ...
. Esteghlal Ahvaz won the
2001–02 Azadegan League The 2001–02 Azadegan League was the 11th season of the League since its establishment in 1991 and its first season as the second highest football league division in Iran. Following are the final results and standings for the Azadegan League 200 ...
season and promoted to Iran Pro League. Esteghlal Ahvaz had a good team and remained in Iran pro League. They finished eighth in the
2003–04 Iran Pro League The following is the standings of the Persian Gulf Cup's 2003–04 football season. This was the third season since the establishment of the Iran Pro League (Persian Gulf Cup). Pas Tehran F.C. were defending champions. Final classification Re ...
season and fifth one
season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
later. After they achieved only 12th place in
2005–06 Iran Pro League The 2005–06 Iran Pro League was the 23rd season of Persian Gulf Pro League, Iran's Football League and fifth as Persian Gulf Pro League, Iran Pro League since its establishment in 2001. Foolad F.C., Foolad were the 2004–05 Iran Pro League, def ...
, Esteghlal Ahvaz finished as runners-up in the 2006–07 season. They continued to be an average team in seasons 2007–08 and 2008–09.


Weak years

Based on a weak performance during 2009–10 Iran Pro League, Esteghlal Ahvaz finished 18th and relegated to Azadegan League. Only one year later they relegated again due to a lot of instability in
2010–11 Azadegan League The 2010–11 Azadegan League was the 20th season of the Azadegan League and tenth as the second highest division since its establishment in 1991. The season featured 19 teams from the 2009–10 Azadegan League, three new teams relegated from th ...
as they finished 13th. Esteghlal Ahvaz returned to Azadegan League in 2012. They won the 2011–12 Iran 2nd Division after a 4–3 win over PAS Novin Hamedan. Past on two average seasons, Esteghlal Ahvaz relegated again to League 2. They lost their Play-off match against
Shahrdari Tabriz Shahrdari Tabriz Cultural and Athletic Club (, ''Bashgah-e Futbal-e Vârzeshi-ye Shiherdari Tebriz'') was an Iranian sports club most widely known for its professional football team based in Tabriz, Iran. Shahrdari Tabriz also has futsal, basket ...
3–3 on aggregate due to away goals.


Promotion and relegation

Although Esteghlal Ahvaz was relegated to League 2, they were able to play in the
2015–16 Persian Gulf Pro League The 2015–16 Persian Gulf Pro League (formerly known as Iran Pro League) was the 33rd season of Persian Gulf Pro League, Iran's Football League and 15th as Persian Gulf Pro League since its establishment in 2001. Sepahan F.C., Sepahan were the 20 ...
. They get the licence from Foolad Novin, which was actually promoted. Foolad Novin could not promote to Persian Gulf Pro League as they are the reserve side of Foolad Khuzestan. However the team was mismanaged and they were relegated back to the Azadegan League several games before the end of the season. Because of a very poor performance in the
2016–17 Azadegan League The 2016–17 Azadegan League was the 26th season of the Azadegan League and 16th as the second highest division since its establishment in 1991. The season featured 12 teams from the 2015–16 Azadegan League, three new teams relegated from the ...
season, Esteghlal Ahvaz relegated to League 2 without winning a single match.


Stadium

Esteghlal Ahvaz plays their home games at the Takhti Ahvaz which has a seating capacity of 10,000. The stadium was opened in 1978 and is owned by the Municipality of Ahvaz. The stadium was renovated in 2005 and 2012. It is also the home venue of local rival Shahin Ahvaz. Furthermore, Esteghlal Ahvaz played two matches in the
2015–16 Persian Gulf Pro League The 2015–16 Persian Gulf Pro League (formerly known as Iran Pro League) was the 33rd season of Persian Gulf Pro League, Iran's Football League and 15th as Persian Gulf Pro League since its establishment in 2001. Sepahan F.C., Sepahan were the 20 ...
season at Ghadir. They played also their
Hazfi Cup Hazfi Cup (, ) formerly known as Pahlavi Cup () is an Iranian knockout football competition held annually by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran. The Iranian Football League, Iranian football league was not held during the 1980s, h ...
match in this season there.


Average attendances

Notes:
Matches with spectator bans are not included in average attendances


Supporters

Due to the
Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...
, the people paid very little attention to the club and football in general in the 1980s. Based on weak years between 2010 and 2015, the club has to fight with falling attendance numbers and sinking popularity. Last but not least the fans stands out negative sometimes. For instance the fans thrown stones in a match against
Persepolis Persepolis (; ; ) was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (). It is situated in the plains of Marvdasht, encircled by the southern Zagros mountains, Fars province of Iran. It is one of the key Iranian cultural heritage sites and ...
on 22 April 2016. As a result of this, Esteghlal Ahvaz had to play three matches with spectator bans.


Rivalries

Esteghlal Ahvaz' main rival is Foolad.


Ahvaz Derby

Esteghlal Ahvaz' longest-running and deepest rivalry is with the other major club in
Ahvaz Ahvaz (; ) is a city in the Central District of Ahvaz County, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is home to Persians, Arabs and other groups such as Qashqai and Kurds. Languages spok ...
, Foolad Khuzestan. Matches between the two clubs are referred to as the Ahvaz Derby. Although Foolad represents the
Arab Arabs (,  , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...
minority of Ahvaz, while the supporters of Esteghlal Ahvaz are primarily
Persians Persians ( ), or the Persian people (), are an Iranian ethnic group from West Asia that came from an earlier group called the Proto-Iranians, which likely split from the Indo-Iranians in 1800 BCE from either Afghanistan or Central Asia. They ...
, there is no any ethnic rivalry in the derby. After weak seasons of Esteghlal Ahvaz in the past, the derby lost in importance.


Further rivalries

Other smaller rivalries within Ahvaz include those with
Esteghlal Khuzestan Esteghlal Khuzestan Football Club (, ''Bašgâh-e Futbâl-e Esteqlâl-e Xuzestân''), commonly known as Esteghlal Khuzestan, is an Iranian Football (soccer), football club based in Ahvaz, Iran. The club currently competes in the Persian Gulf Pr ...
and Shahin Ahvaz.


Seasons

The table below chronicles the achievements of Esteghlal Ahvaz in various competitions since 1970. Notes:
The
Persian Gulf Pro League The Persian Gulf Pro League (, ''Lig-e Bartar-e Xalij-e Fârs''), formerly known as the Iran Premier League (, ''Lig-e bartar-e Irân''), is a professional association football league in Iran and the highest level of the Iranian football league s ...
was formerly known as Iran Pro League (IPL) and Persian Gulf Cup (PGC)
The
Azadegan League The Azadegan League (, ''Lig-e Âzâdegân''), also known as League 1 (, ''Lig-e Yek''), is the second highest division of professional football in Iran. It was the top-level football league in Iran from its foundation in 1991 until 2001, when t ...
was the highest division between 1991 and 2001
The League 2 was formerly known as Iran 2nd Division
The League 3 was formerly known as Iran 3rd Division


Honours


Domestic

*
Persian Gulf Pro League The Persian Gulf Pro League (, ''Lig-e Bartar-e Xalij-e Fârs''), formerly known as the Iran Premier League (, ''Lig-e bartar-e Irân''), is a professional association football league in Iran and the highest level of the Iranian football league s ...
**Runners-up (1): 2006–07 *
Azadegan League The Azadegan League (, ''Lig-e Âzâdegân''), also known as League 1 (, ''Lig-e Yek''), is the second highest division of professional football in Iran. It was the top-level football league in Iran from its foundation in 1991 until 2001, when t ...
**Winners (1): 2001–02 * League 2 **Winners (1): 2011–12


Players


First team squad

''For recent transfers, see '' List of Iranian football transfers summer 2016''.


Coaches


Coaches since 1993


Club chairmen


Chairmen since 2002


See also

* Esteghlal Tehran *
Esteghlal Khuzestan Esteghlal Khuzestan Football Club (, ''Bašgâh-e Futbâl-e Esteqlâl-e Xuzestân''), commonly known as Esteghlal Khuzestan, is an Iranian Football (soccer), football club based in Ahvaz, Iran. The club currently competes in the Persian Gulf Pr ...
*
FC Istiklol Football Club Istiklol () is a Tajik professional football club owned by Maldivian Conglomerate Maziya. Founded in 2007, the club competes in the Ligai Olii Tojikiston, the top flight of Tajik football league system. It was founded to commemo ...
*
2016–17 Azadegan League The 2016–17 Azadegan League was the 26th season of the Azadegan League and 16th as the second highest division since its establishment in 1991. The season featured 12 teams from the 2015–16 Azadegan League, three new teams relegated from the ...
* 2016-17 Hazfi Cup


References


External links

*
Official club website
*
Khuzestan Football Association
{{Esteghlal F.C. Esteghlal Ahvaz F.C. Football clubs in Iran Association football clubs established in 1948 Football clubs in Ahvaz 1948 establishments in Iran Sport in Ahvaz