Sepahan S.C.
Template:Short description Template:More citations needed Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox football club
Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan Sport Club (Template:Langx, 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<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> that play in the Persian Gulf Pro League, the highest tier of Iranian football league system.
In the 2002–03 season, Sepahan ended the total dominance of two Tehran-based clubs, Persepolis and Esteghlal, to win the Pro League. They are also the first Iranian club to win three consecutive league titles, reach the AFC Champions League final in 2007 and qualify for the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup, becoming the first-ever Iranian representative to the tournament. To date, they have won five league titles and five Hazfi Cups, becoming one of the most successful football clubs in Iran.
Club history
Before the revolution
In 1953, with the help of Iran national football team player Mahmoud Hariri the Shahin Isfahan football club was created. This club was one of the teams attached to the more popular and successful Shahin F.C. of Tehran. In 1963, Shahin as the representative of Isfahan Province became champions of Iran after a 1–1 draw against Tehran XI. In 1967, due to the problems that arose in the Shahin F.C. organization in Tehran, the Isfahan branch was forced to cease operations. The club changed its name to Sepahan. The club participated in the Takht Jamshid Cup league from 1974 to 1978. In the club's first season in the Takht Jamshid Cup they finished in 10th place ahead of city rivals Zob Ahan.
Post Revolution
After the Revolution, they played in the local Isfahan leagues for many years until 1993. That year the club was purchased by the Siman-e-Sepahan (Sepahan Cement) factory of Isfahan. It participated in the Azadegan League until the year 2000, when 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.Template:Citation needed
Success years
The club was able to demonstrate its worth when it captured the league title in the 2002–03 season of the IPL, and qualified for the AFC Champions League tournament with Farhad Kazemi. It also won the Hazfi Cup in 2004 and was able to qualify for another season of the ACL competition, though the club did not have much success in the continental tournaments of ACL 2004 and 2005.Template:Citation needed
With Luka Bonačić, Sepahan was able to once again win the Hazfi Cup on 22 September 2006. With this win, they gained Iran's final and second spot in the AFC Champions League 2007. They were impressive in continental stage as they finished top of their group and defeated Kawasaki Frontale of Japan and Al Wahda of the 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.Template: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.Template:Citation needed
By winning the Hazfi Cup once again in 2007, Sepahan also qualified for the AFC Champions League 2008, but could not repeat their success of 2007.
Sepahan has qualified for the AFC Champions League for the third consecutive time in 2009, coming as the Runners-up in 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.Template:Citation needed
In the next season Sepahan hired Turkish and former Iran's assistant coach Engin Firat, but he was fired after getting poor result in the league, and Hossein Charkhabi who was Sepahan Novin head coach at that time replaced Firat. Despite getting good result with the team Charkahbi was replaced once again with Farhad Kazemi who won the league title with Sepahan in the 2002–03 season. Finally Sepahan finished 4th in the league and qualified for the 2010 AFC Champions League Group stage. In the next season the club hired former Iran and Esteghlal head coach Amir Ghalenoei, at the helm of Sepahan's 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In the 2010–11 Persian Gulf Cup, Sepahan dominated the league after a slow start and practically won the title two weeks before the season end. They also advanced to the knock out stage of the ACL competition, after finishing on top of the table in the group stage. Their group was arguably the group of death, consisting of Al-Hilal, Al Gharafa and Al-Jazira. They won their third championship and became the most successful team in Iran Pro League.Template:Citation needed
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.Template:Citation needed
In 2013 however, Sepahan was placed in Group C of the 2013 AFC Champions League and was unable to get past the 2013 AFC Champions League group stage. Being placed in the same group as Al-Gharafa Sports Club of Qatar, Al-Ahli SC of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates' Al Nasr SC, they could not qualify as one of the top two teams of their group. Sepahan started the 2013 AFC Champions League with a great win at home against Al Nasr SC, however heading for an away game against Al-Gharafa Sports Club in Qatar, Sepahan only returned home humiliated by the Qatari team in a 3–1 lost game. That was not the end of Sepahan's poor performance in the AFC Champions League. About three weeks after their loss in Qatar, Sepahan hosted 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.Template:Citation needed
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,"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Štimac and Veisi years
After Hossein Faraki's resignation, the club signed former Croatia national team manager Igor Štimac. Igor Štimac won his first game against Naft Tehran, but after not winning a game in 10 weeks made the situations harder for Sepahan. Sepahan got knocked out of the Hazfi Cup by their rivals, 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, Foolad Sepahan Novin F.C., that as of the 2007/08 season, participates in 3rd Division and the Hazfi Cup. The reserve team was promoted to the 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.
Crest and colours
The team's primary color is yellow, but it has undergone changes throughout history. Sepahan has also used blue or red at times during the league.
Sepahan's emblem, logo, or logotype has undergone changes throughout the club's history. The club's first emblem, when it was called Shahin Isfahan, was similar to the emblem of Shahin Tehran.
Rivalries
Isfahan Derby
Template:Main The Nagsh-e Jahan derby is a football match played annually in Isfahan, Iran, between the two rival professional teams of the city: Zob Ahan F.C. and Sepahan. Naqsh-e Jahan is an important square in old centrum of Isfahan. The competition is one of the most popular annual football events in Iran.<ref>Lastkick.com Template:Webarchive</ref> The Isfahan derby goes back to the 1970s, when Zob Ahan F.C. and Sepahan F.C. faced each other in Takht Jamshid Cup seasons (1974/75, 1975/76, 1976/77, 1977/78). Their rivalry resumed in the 1990s when they faced each other in Azadegan League seasons (1993/94, 1996/97, 1997/98) and from then on the two met each other twice a year.
Tehran rivalries
Esteghlal–Sepahan and 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
On 28 January 2009, Sepahan and Lebanese club Ahed signed an informal partnership deal.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The partnership was made official on 8 March 2021, involving training camps and friendly games between the two sides.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Stadium
The Naghsh-e-Jahan Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Isfahan, Iran that is home ground of Sepahan. It is currently used for football matches. The stadium was built in 2003 and holds 45,000 in a three-tier configuration. The first phase finished in 2003 and they have decided to finish the second phase which is the first floor of the stadium. It was started in 2007 and was meant to be finished by 2008, but construction continued until summer 2016. The final capacity of the stadium will be 76,000. Sepahan's second home ground is Foolad Shahr Stadium that is the home ground of Zob Ahan too. Some of Sepahan's matches are held in that stadium.
In 2024, female supporters of the club watched the team's match in stadium for the first time after the 1979 ban.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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 Champions Semi-Final - - 2003–04 6th Champions ACL Group stage 2004–05 10th 1/8 Final ACL Group stage 2005–06 7th Champions - - 2006–07 5th Champions ACL Runner Up 2007–08 2nd Quarter-Final ACL Group stage 2008–09 4th 1/8 Final ACL Group stage 2009–10 Champions 1/8 Final ACL Group stage 2010–11 Champions Quarter-Final ACL Quarter-Final 2011–12 Champions Round of 32 ACL Quarter-Final 2012–13 3rd Champions ACL Group stage 2013–14 4th Round of 32 ACL Group stage 2014–15 Champions Round of 32 - - 2015–16 11th Semi-Final ACL Group stage 2016–17 5th Semi-Final - - 2017–18 14th Round of 32 - - 2018–19 2nd Semi-Final - - 2019–20 5th Quarter-Final ACL Group stage 2020–21 2nd Quarter-Final - - 2021–22 3rd Round of 16 ACL Group Stage 2022–23 2nd Round of 16 ACL Round of 16 2023–24 3rd Champions - - 2024–25 ACLE
ACL2Prem. Round 1
Group stage2025–26
Honours
Domestic
League
- Persian Gulf Pro League
- 2nd Division
- Winner (1): 1973–74
Cup
- Hazfi Cup
- Iranian Super Cup
- Winners (1): 2024
Continental
- AFC Champions League Elite
- Runners-up (1): 2007
Players
First-team squad
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Reserve Squad
Template:Fs start Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs mid Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs end
Loan list
Template:Fs start Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs end For recent transfers, see List of Iranian football transfers summer 2023.
Former players
For details on former players, see Category:Sepahan players.
Notable players
Managerial staff
<ref>ورزش3: دستیاران قلعهنویی در سپاهان مشخص شدند</ref><ref>ورزش3: تکسیرا جانشین قلعه نویی در سپاهان</ref>
Current managerial staff
| Position | Name |
|---|
Head coaches
Below is a list of Sepahan coaches from 1953 until the present day.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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 Template:Flagicon Waitakere United | Win | Emad Mohammed Template:Goal Abdul-Wahab Template:Goal |
| 2007 | Quarterfinals | Sepahan 1 – 3 Template:Flagicon Urawa Red Diamonds | Loss | Karimi Template:Goal |
Top scorers by season
Players on international cups
Sponsorship
Shirt sponsors and manufacturers
| Period | Kit Manufacturer | Shirt Sponsor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 | Template:Flagicon Uhlsport | Mobarakeh Steel Company | ||||
| 2008–09 | ||||||
| 2009–10 | Template:Flagicon Lotto | |||||
| 2010–11 | ||||||
| 2011–12 | ||||||
| 2012–13 | ||||||
| 2013–14 | Template:Flagicon Uhlsport | |||||
| 2014–15 | ||||||
| 2015–16 | Template:Flagicon Joma | |||||
| 2016–17 | Template:Flagicon Uhlsport | |||||
| 2017–18 | Template:Flagicon Peak | Mobarakeh Steel Company / Snapp | ||||
| 2018–19 | Template:Flagicon Start | Mobarakeh Steel Company / Taban Air / Hamrah-e-Avval | ||||
| 2019–20 | Template:Flagicon Uhlsport | |||||
| 2020–21 | Mobarakeh Steel Company / Iran Insurance Company | |||||
| 2021–22 | ||||||
| 2022-23 | Template:Flagicon Merooj | Mobarakeh Steel Company / Bahonar Brokerage / GERAD Clothing | ||||
| 2023-24 | Template:Flagicon Start | Mobarakeh Steel Company | ||||
References
External links
- Template:Official website
- Sepahan S.C. at Soccerway
- Sepahan S.C. on PersianLeague.com
Template:Portal bar Template:Sepahan S.C. Template:Sepahan F.C. squad Template:Sepahan F.C. managers Template:Sepahan S.C. seasons Template:Persian Gulf Pro League Template:Iranian football league champions