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Zob Ahan
ذوب ‌آهن
Full name	Zob Ahan Football Club
Founded	1969
Ground	Foolad Shahr Stadium; Fooladshahr; Iran; (Capacity: 25,000)
Owner	Esfahan Steel Company
Chairman	Asghar Dalili
Head Coach	Mansour Ebrahimzadeh
League	Persian Gulf Cup
2008-09	Persian Gulf Cup, 2nd
Home colours	Away colours
	Current season

Zob Ahan Football Club (Persian: باشگاه فوتبال ذوب ‌آهن) is an Iranian football club based in Esfahan, Iran.

It is sponsored by the Esfahan Steel Company, which also goes by the name Zob Ahan. The club's main rival is fellow Esfahani team Sepahan, which is also sponsored by the rival steel mill.

Zob Ahan club also has a basketball team, sponsored by the same Esfahan Steel Company, which is one of the teams in the Iranian Super League.

[edit] History

Mohammad Ali Taghizadeh Farahmand established the club in 1969. They entered the Takhte Jamshid Cup in 1973. Zob Ahan prepared its team by buying 14 players from Sepahan. Zob Ahan has always been the wealthier team. The team has participated in the highest Iranian league for every year except in 1995 when they played in the 2nd division. They were promoted to the 1st division the year after and are now seen as contenders every season in the IPL ever since. The club's biggest honor to date has been winning the Hazfi Cup in 2003. The club was able to participate in the Asian Champions League after winning the Hazfi Cup, but did not make any noise and was soon eliminated.

[edit] Season-by-season

The table below chronicles the achievements of Zob Ahan since 1973.

Season	League	Position	Hazfi Cup	Asian Cup
1973-1974	Takht Jamshid Cup	10th	Not held	Did not qualify
1974-1975	Takht Jamshid Cup	11th	Not held
1975-1976	Takht Jamshid Cup	9th	1/8 Final
1976-1977	Takht Jamshid Cup	15th	1/16 Final
1977-1978	Takht Jamshid Cup	8th	Not held
1978-1979	Takht Jamshid Cup	did not finish	Not held
1979-1993	N/A
1993-1994	Azadegan League	4th	1/8 Final
1994-1995	Azadegan League	8th*	1/16 Final
1995-1996	2nd Division	1st**	1/8 Final
1996-1997	Azadegan League	10th	1/8 Final
1997-1998	Azadegan League	3rd	Not held
1998-1999	Azadegan League	12th	Third Round
1999-2000	Azadegan League	5th	First Round
2000-2001	Azadegan League	4th	Final
2001-2002	Iran Pro League	6th	Quarterfinal
2002-2003	Iran Pro League	8th	Cup
2003-2004	Iran Pro League	4th	Semifinal	First Round
2004-2005	Iran Pro League	2nd	1/8 Final	Did not qualify
2005-2006	Iran Pro League	6th	1/8 Final
2006-2007	Iran Pro League	8th	1/16 Final
2007-2008	Iran Pro League	6th	1/16 Final
2008-2009	Iran Pro League	2nd	Cup
2009-2010	Iran Pro League			Qualified

* Relegated.
** Promoted.

[edit] Club honours

National Championships

Runner Up (2): 2004-2005, 2008-09

Hazfi Cup:

Winners (1): 2003, 2009

[edit] Club chairmen

Mohammad Mehdi Taghizadeh Farahmand
Mostafa Ghanei
Asghar Nilchian
Fazollah Omranian
Heydar Taheri
Nematollah Zargar
Alireza Shogi
Saeed Azari (2004-2009)
Asghar Dalili (Current)

[edit] Club managers

Mahmoud Yavari
Aziz Asli
Bahram Atef
Mohsen Hajnasrollah
Mahmoud Arabzadeh
Yevgeny Lyadin (1974-1978)
Rasoul Korbekandi
Fereydoon Moeini
Yevgeny Lyadin (1993 - 1995)
?
Nasser Hejazi (1998 - 2001)
Bahram Atef (2001 - 2002)
Samvel Darbinyan (2002 - 2004)
Rasoul Korbekandi (2004 - Jun 2007)
Zoran Đorđević (Jun 2007 - Oct 2007)
Bijan Zolfagharnasab (Nov 2007 - May 2008)
Mansour Ebrahimzadeh (May 2008 - Present)

[edit] Players

[edit] First-team squad

No.	Position	Player
1	GK	Shahab Gordan
2	DF	Seyed Mohammad Hosseini
4	DF	Farshid Talebi
5	DF	Mohammad Salsali
6	DF	Mostafa Salehi Nejad (captain)
7	MF	Mohammad Mansouri
8	DF	Hassan Ashjari
9	MF	Mohammad Reza Khalatbari
10	FW	Esmaeil Farhadi
11	FW	Keivan Amraei
12	GK	Abbas Ghasemi
14	MF	Ghasem Hadadifar
15	FW	Igor Castro
16	FW	Mohsen Mosalman

No.	Position	Player
17	MF	Sina Ashouri
18	MF	Babak Razi
19	FW	Mohammad Ghazi
20	MF	Jalal Omidian
22	GK	Mohammad Bagher Sadeghi
23	MF	Seyed Ahmad Mohammadpour
24	MF	Alireza Hadadifar
26	MF	Payam Sadeghian
27	MF	Saman Ragh
28	MF	Ali Goudarzi
29	MF	Iman Shirazi
31	MF	Reza Rishesfahani
33	MF	Hamid Reza Bajlavand