Foolad F.C.

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Foolad
فولاد

Full name	Foolad Khuzestan Football Club
Nickname(s)	Foolad Mardaan (Men of Steel) Leopard of Khuzestan
Founded	2 March 1971; 53 years ago (1971-03-02)
Ground	Foolad Arena
Capacity	30,655
Owner	Foolad Khuzestan Company
Chairman	Houshang Nasirzadeh
Head Coach	Yahya Golmohammadi
League	Persian Gulf Pro League
2023–24	Persian Gulf Pro League, 11th
Website	http://www.fooladfc.ir/
Home colours Away colours Third colours
Current season

Foolad Khuzestan Football Club (, Bāshgāh-e Futbāl-e Fulād-e Khuzestān) is an Iranian professional football club based in Ahvaz, Khuzestan, that plays in Persian Gulf Pro League.^[1] The club was founded in 1971 and is owned by Foolad Khuzestan Company.

The club has won Iran Pro League twice, including a championship in the lower division, Azadegan League. In the 2004–05 season, Foolad became the champion of the fourth newly founded Iran Pro League (IPL), gaining a total of 64 points over 30 league matches. After several seasons, Foolad lost many of its key players through transfers and internal problems and also displayed a poor performance in the 2006 AFC Champions League. The club was subsequently relegated to the Azadegan League, second highest division in Iran at the end of 2006–07. However, Foolad was able to return to the IPL starting from the next season, 2008–09 Iran Pro League. Foolad won its second championship in 2013–14 season. The club also won their first Hazfi Cup title in the 2020–21 season.

Foolad's home kit is red and yellow shirts, with the same color for shorts, accompanied by red socks. The colors used in clothing are derived from the symbol of the club.^[2]

Foolad Khuzestan Football Club was founded on 2 March 1971 in Ahwaz, Iran by at that time, President of the Foolad Khuzestan Company Ali Akbar Davar. Foolad was a team that no one knew anything about until the dissolution of Jonoub Ahwaz in 1996. Foolad won the Ahwaz City Championship in 1991 and entered the 2nd division of the Khuzestan football league two years later. Foolad won the first group in its debut season and was promoted to the Ahwaz's first league which they won in their debut season as well. This meant they would be promoted to the Khuzestan Provincial Leagues.

In 1995, which was Foolad's second year in the Khuzestan's Second Division, they became provincial champions. That same year Jonoub Ahvaz, was contracted and Foolad took their place in Iran Football's 2nd Division. In 1996, with Homayoun Shahrokhinejad as manager, the team was promoted to the 1st division.

The team was eventually bought by the Ahwaz Steel Mill. The team was finally able to win the IPL in the 2004–05 season but due to some ensuing internal problems and coaching difficulties could not perform well in the 2006 Asian Champions League.

After a mediocre 2005–06, Foolad started the 2006–07 season with former Iranian national team coach Mohammad Mayeli Kohan, but he resigned halfway through the season as Foolad had achieved poor results. Youth club coach Nenad Nikolić temporarily replaced him and soon after Portuguese manager Augusto Inácio was named head coach. Foolad went through a terrible 2006–07 season finishing 15th and being relegated to the lower Azadegan League.

Foolad start the 2007–08 season at Azadegan League and won the playoff spot despite their strong leadership until the last weeks. In the playoff, they drew with Payam Mashhad in a two-leg matches and missed the promotion via away goal. A few weeks later they bought the right to play in Persian Gulf Cup from Sepahan Novin and promoted to IPL. Then Majid Jalali was announced as the club's head coach with signing a three years contract where they had an average season with ending the season in the 7th place.

On September 1, 2009, Seifollah Dehkordi was elected as the club's president after previous president Masoud Rezaeian resigned from his position. After the election of Dehkordi, Majid Jalali left the club despite good results. Luka Bonačić was named as Jalali's successor but he could not please the club as he was not able to win a single match in first eight weeks and the club decided to bring Majid Jalali back where they finished the league 10th. At the Jalali's final year as Foolad manager, the club ended the season at the 14th place, the worst since their promotion back to the league.

After Jalali's contract was not renewed, Naft Tehran manager Hossein Faraki was named as the club's new head coach. He led Foolad to the 4th rank in his first season as the club's manager, gaining an AFC Champions League spot for the second time in the Foolad's history. In the 2013–14 Iran Pro League season, Faraki led the club to their second Iran Pro League title, his team finished with 57 points. They finished 2 points clear of second place Persepolis. Five days later, Foolad advanced to the Round of 16 of the AFC Champions League for the first time after they defeated El-Jaish of Qatar. Foolad lost to Al Sadd on away goals.

On 23 May 2014, Faraki resigned as the manager of the club, due to knee problems, despite two good seasons with Foolad. Dragan Skočić was named as his successor.

Foolad Novin is the reserve side of Foolad. In 2014 they were promoted to the Azadegan League for the second time in their history. Foolad Yazd is not Foolad's reserve team, but is a feeder club, they also compete in the Azadegan League.

In April 1999, Foolad formed a youth academy.

The name and symbol of the club adapted from its founder and owner company, Foolad. Its symbol means that is related to steel production process. The club's logo repeatedly changed but the overall layout is preserved. After Foolad's league title in 2006, club added a golden star above the team logo etched into the club's shirt, but this was not accepted by the Islamic Republic of Iran Football Federation. So there is not any star on the club's official logo.

Foolad began playing in red, yellow and black, but then changed the yellow to white since 1999. The kit has been made by Nike until 2002. Then Merooj and Daei Sport were the club's kit manufacturers. Uhlsport is the current kit manufacturers, made the kits from past four years. The club currently doesn't have any official sponsor as the club's company name is inserted on the shirts.

•  – Tefal was the sponsor of the team in only some matches not full season.

The team competes in Ahvaz derby against Esteghlal Khuzestan which is a new born club. The first time the teams met each other was in season 2013–14 which Esteghlal Khuzestan lost that game.

As of 18 September 2024

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  UZB Utkir Yusupov 2 DF  IRN Mojtaba Najjarian 3 FW  IRN Sasan Ansari (Captain) 5 DF  MLI Moussa Coulibaly 6 DF  IRN Ali Nemati 7 FW  IRN Mohammad Javad Mohammadi 8 MF  IRN Hamid Bou Hamdan 9 MF  IRN Ehsan Pahlevan 10 MF  IRN Sina Moridi 11 FW  IRN Mohammad Reza Soleimani 14 MF  IRN Mohammad Abbasi 17 MF  IRN Amirmasoud Sarabadani 18 MF  IRN Ali Kolahkaj 19 DF  IRN Mohammad Khademi Monfared 22 GK  IRN Alireza Nazi

No. Pos. Nation Player 23 MF  IRN Shahin Tavakoli 24 DF  IRN Behnam Teymourian 26 DF  IRN Mohammadali Kazemi 27 MF  IRN Ali Asghar Aarabi 29 FW  BRA Chimba (Vice Captain) 30 DF  IRN Arash Akbarzadeh 33 DF  IRN Amirhossein Neshatjoo 44 DF  IRN Ali Hassani 49 GK  IRN Adib Zarei 66 MF  IRN Amin Saedi 70 MF  IRN Yousef Mazrae 77 MF  IRN Mohammadreza Keshavarzi 79 MF  IRN Sina Asadbeigi 83 MF  IRN Amin Moradi 84 GK  IRN Hossein Kazeminia 88 MF  IRN Alireza BaviehU23 90 MF  IRN Mohammad Askari 99 FW  IRN Amin Ghaseminejad

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

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

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF  IRN Sina Shahabbasi (at Fajr Sepasi until 30 June 2025)

Name	Position
Head Coach	Juan Ignacio Martínez
Assistant coaches	Mohammad Khoramgah Hossein Kazemi Ahmad Aleneme
Goalkeeping coaches	Nader Ghobeishavi
Athletic coach	Alireza Ahmedaei
Fitness coach	Mehrdad Bakhtiyarzadeh
Team doctor	Akbar Moradi
Physiotherapist	Payam Ahmadi
Masseurs	Behnam Taghizadeh Iman Saeedi
Media officer	Soheil Ehyaei
Team manager	Mohammad Alavi

• Last updated: 11 August 2022
• Source: Coaching staff

• Last updated: 15 March 2023
• Source: Board of Directors

The table below chronicles the achievements of Foolad in various competitions since 1990.

The club plays their home games at the newly built 30,655-seat Foolad Arena in northern Ahvaz since 2019. Before this, the club played originally at the Takhti Stadium until 2012 and Ghadir Stadium from 2012 until 2019.

• Persian Gulf Pro League:
  • Winners (2): 2004–05, 2013–14
• Hazfi Cup:
  • Winners (1): 2020–21
• Iranian Super Cup:
  • Winners (1): 2021

As of 14 NOVEMBER 2023

• Foolad B
• Foolad C
• Hafari Ahvaz F.C.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Foolad FC.

• Foolad F.C. Official Website
• (in Persian) Foolad F.C. Fans Weblog
• (in Persian) Khuzestan Football Association