From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

F.C. Zob Ahan
Full name	Football Club Zob Ahan Isfahan
Founded	1969
Ground	Foolad Shahr Stadium
Capacity	25,000
Chairman	Saeed Azari
Manager	Rasoul Korbekandi
League	IPL
2005-06	IPL, 6th
Home colours 　 Away colours

Football Club Zob Ahan Isfahan (Persian: ذوب ‌آهن‎ ) is an Iranian football club based in the city of Isfahan, Iran.

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

Zob Ahan club also has a basketball team, sponsored by the same Isfahan Steel Company, which is one of the teams in the Iranian national basketball league.

Contents 1 History 2 Season-by-season 3 Honors 4 2006/2007 Squad 4.1 Squad changes during 2006/07 season 5 Famous players 6 External links

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 partcipate in the Asian Champions League after winning the Hazfi Cup, but did not make any noise and was soon eliminated.

The table below chronicles the achievements of Zob Ahan in IPL.

Season	League	League Finishing Position	Hazfi Cup	Asian Cup
2001-2002	Iran Premier League	6th	Quarterfinal
2002-2003	Iran Premier League	8th	Cup	First Round
2003-2004	Iran Premier League	4th	Semifinal
2004-2005	Iran Premier League	2nd	1/8 Final
2005-2006	Iran Premier League	6th	1/8 Final
2006-2007	Iran Premier League	Not done yet	1/16 Final

• Hazfi Cup:
  • 2003

The numbers are established according to Iranian Pro League Stats and FootballRoad.com

As of September 1, 2006

No. Position Player 1 GK Abbas Ghasemi 2 MF Mehdi Zarei 3 DF Sepehr Heidari (captain) 6 MF Mohammad Hamrang 7 MF Mohammad Mansouri 8 DF Hassan Ashjari 9 FW Ali Tahmasebi 10 FW Esmail Farhadi 13 DF Alireza Noormohammadi 14 MF Gheorghe Stratulat 15 MF Mohammad Salsali 16 MF Ali Azari 17 MF Ghasem Haddadi 19 FW Farshid Talebi

No. Position Player 20 DF Mostafa Salehinejad 21 FW Majid Bajlan 22 GK Fábio Carvalho 26 DF Sina Ashouri 27 MF Mohammad Reza Khalatbari 28 DF Mohammad Ali Ahmadi 29 FW Vahid Amraei 30 FW Mehdi Rajabzadeh 31 GK Mehdi Gahroui 32 GK Issa Indougi TBA DF Manouchehr Azin TBA FW Hami Mohammadzadeh TBA FW Edgardo Simovic

In:

• Mohammad Ali Ahmadi - From Zob Ahan B
• Issa Indougi - Signed
• Sina Ashouri - From Zob Ahan Youth
• Ali Azari - From Shemushack Noshahr F.C.
• Fábio Carvalho - From GD Estoril-Praia
• Mohammad Reza Khalatbari - From F.C. Aboomoslem
• Hami Mohammadzadeh - From Sanat Naft F.C.
• Edgardo Simovic - From Club Atlético Nueva Chicago
• Ali Tahmasebi - Signed
• Farshid Talebi - From F.C. Fajr Sepasi

Out:

• Reza Azizi -
• Hamid Azizzadeh - To Sepahan F.C.
• Farhad Bahadorani -
• Farshad Bahadorani - To Sepahan F.C.
• Leon Estepanian -
• Faraz Fatemi - To Persepolis F.C.
• Miroslav Hyll - To Bargh Shiraz F.C.
• Mahdi Karimian - To Bargh Shiraz F.C.
• Meisam Khosravi (B Team) - To Paykan Tehran F.C.
• Keyvan Sajedi - To Malavan F.C.
• Hamid Shafiei - To Sepahan F.C.
• Joelson Rodriguez Da Silva - To Esteghlal F.C.

• Leon Estepanian
• Rasoul Korbekandi
• Armenak Petrosian
• Rahman Rezaei
• Ali Shojaei
• Gheorghe Stratulat
• Ali Akbar Ostad-Asadi

• (Persian) Zob Ahan FC Official Website

Persian Gulf Cup • 2006-07 clubs v • d • e
Aboomoslem | Bargh Shiraz | Esteghlal Ahvaz | Esteghlal | Fajr Sepasi Foolad | Malavan | Mes Kerman | Pas | Paykan | Persepolis Rah Ahan | Saba Battery | Saipa | Sepahan | Zob Ahan
Azadegan League seasons (Post 2001)
1991-92 | 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | 2000-01
IPL seasons
2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06
Persian Gulf Cup season
2006-07
Football in Iran v • d • e
League competitions IRIFF Cup competitions Persian Gulf Cup Iran Hazfi Cup Azadegan League (2 groups) U-23 Iranian Super Cup 2nd Division (2 groups) League system 3rd Division (8 groups) List of clubs List of venues Top Goalscorers (season-by-season) Top Goalscorers (all-time)