Foolad F.C.

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. It was an amazing run, considering that the team began in the 4th division of the Ahvaz City League in 1986.

Ever since their promotion, the club has introduced very talented young footballers to Iranian football. The team was eventually bought by the Ahwaz Steel Mill, this helped the team's financial situation improve. The team was finally able to use its massive potential and 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. Their star player, Iman Mobali was loaned and eventually transferred to Al-Shabab of the UAE Pro 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. At that time, Dehkordi was Foolad's vice president and Ahvaz's Football Association president. 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.

Foolad players celebrating winning their second IPL title in 2014

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 after defeating Gostaresh on the final match day with a goal from Mehrdad Jamaati in the 37th minute. 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. Although Foolad lost to Al Sadd on away goals, they remained the only team in the competition not to lose a game.

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 on the following day.

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

No. Position Player 1 GK Shahab Gordan 2 DF Farzad Jafari 3 DF Milad Badragheh U25 4 DF Ayoub Vali (Captain) 5 DF Moussa Coulibaly 7 FW Hassan Beyt Saeed 8 MF Mohammad Ghaseminejad 9 FW Amirhossein Bagherpour U23 10 MF Sina Moridi U25 11 MF Ahmad Abdollahzadeh 12 MF Ayanda Patosi (on loan from Cape Town City) 13 MF Mohammad Abshak 15 DF Reza Sharbati 16 FW Seyed Heysam Hashemizadeh U23 18 MF Vahid Namdari 20 DF Mojtaba Najjarian U23 21 DF Aref Aghasi U23

No. Position Player 22 GK Ehsan Moradian U25 23 DF Ebrahim Saljouqi 24 MF Abdollah Shabani U19 28 MF Sina Zamehran U23 29 FW Luciano Pereira 31 GK Ali Gholamzadeh U19 32 MF Saber Hardani U23 38 DF Alireza Shahrouei U19 44 GK Mohammadreza Goli U19 45 MF Zobeir Niknafs 50 DF Vahid Heydarieh 73 DF Ahmadreza Jalali U19 74 MF Mehrdad Haratian U23 77 MF Farshad Ahmadzadeh 79 MF Alireza Savari U19 80 DF Saleh Hardani U23 83 MF Omid Seydali U21

For recent transfers, see List of Iranian football transfers winter 2018–19.

12 – Club Supporters (the 12th Man)[2]

Name	Position
Head Coach	Javad Nekounam
Assistant coaches	Mehdi Hasheminasab Hamidreza Rajjabi
Goalkeeping coaches	Asier Rey Santín Nader Ghobeishavi
Fitness coach	Josu Sesma
Team doctor	Akbar Moradi
Physiotherapist	Payam Ahmadi
Masseurs	Behnam Taghizadeh Iman Saeedi
Media Director	Mohammad Rezaei
Technical manager	Naeim Saadavi
Team manager	Mohammad Alavi

• Last updated: 9 June 2018
• Source: Coaching staff

• Last updated: 15 June 2015
• Source: Board of Directors

• Persian Gulf Pro League:
  • Winners (2): 2004–05, 2013–14
  • Third place (2): 2001–02, 2003–04
• Hazfi Cup:
  • Runners-up (1): 1993–94
• Iranian Super Cup:
  • Runners-up (1): 2005