Foolad F.C.

Infobox Football club
clubname = Foolad
فولاد


fullname = Foolad Khuzestan Football Club
nickname =
shortname =
founded = 1986
dissolved =
ground = Takhti Stadium
Ahvaz
Iran
capacity = 30,000
chairman = flagicon|IRN Masoud Rezaeian
mgrtitle = Head Coach
manager = Flagicon|IRN Majid Jalali
league = Iran Pro League
season = 2008-09
position =
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pattern_la1=|pattern_b1=|pattern_ra1=
leftarm1=FFFF00|body1=FF0000|rightarm1=FFFF00|shorts1=FF0000|socks1=FF0000
pattern_la2=|pattern_b1=|pattern_ra2=
leftarm2=FFFF00|body2=000000|rightarm2=FF0000|shorts2=000000|socks2=000000

Foolad Khuzestan Football Club (PerB|باشگاه فوتبال فولاد خوزستان) is an Iranian football club, based in Ahvaz, Khuzestan. They currently play in the Azadegan League.

It was named Foolad partially because it is funded by the industry in Khuzestan. The club contributed the highest number (six) of players to the national team during the Asian Cup 2004 in China, in particular during the quarter-final clash with South Korea, which ended 4-3 (in normal time) in favor of the then underdogs, Iran. In the 2004-05 season, Foolad became the champion of the fourth Iranian Premier League (IPL), gaining a total of 64 points over 30 league matches. After several successful seasons and what at one point seemed to be the emergence of a new pole in Iranian football, Foolad has been recently relegated to the 2nd highest division in Iran, the Azadegan league.

Club history

Establishment

Foolad was a team that no one knew anything about until the dissolution of "Jonoub Ahvaz F.C." in 1996. Foolad had won the Ahvaz City Championship in 1991, and entered the 2nd division of the Khuzestan football league two years later.

Road to IPL

In 1995, which was Foolad's second year in the "Khuzestan 2nd Division", they became provincial champions. That same year "Jonoob Ahvaz F.C.", 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 really an amazing run, considering that the team began in the 4th division of the Ahvaz City League in 1986.

IPL

Ever since their promotion, the club has introduced very talented young footballers to Iranian football. The team was eventually bought by the "Ahvaz 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 unfortunately due to some ensuing internal problems and coaching difficulties could not perform well in the 2006 Asian Champions League. Their star player and MVP of their championship season was loaned and eventually transferred to Al-Shabab in the UAE. The club also had to change the location of its home field, due to renovations, instead playing in neighbouring city, Abadan's Takhti Stadium.

After a mediocre 2005-06, Foolad went through a terrible 2006-07 season finishing 15th and being relegated to the lower Azadegan League.

Youth academy

In 2000 Foolad formed a youth academy and today over 400 players play in Foolad's youth system. Players such as Eman Mobali and Adel Kolahkaj are products of the youth system.

New management

Foolad started the 2006-07 season with former Iranian national team coach Mohammad Mayeli Kohan, but he resigned half way through the season as Foolad had achieved poor results. Youth club coach, Nenad Nikolić temporary replaced him and soon after Portuguese manager Augusto Inácio was named head coach.

Season-by-season

The table below chronicles the achievements of Foolad in various competitions since 2001.

Club honours

* League Championships:
** 2004-05

Club managers

Managerial history

Players

First-team squad

As of 1 December 2007, according to the official website. [cite web |url=http://www.fooladfc.ir/Teams.aspx |title=First Team |accessdate=2007-12-01 |year=2007 |publisher=FooladFC.ir ]

2008/2009 Transfers

In:Fs player|no=|nat=Iran|pos=MF|name=Saeid Ramezani "from Esteghlal Ahvaz"Fs player|no=|nat=Iran|pos=FW|name=Reza Taheri "from Esteghlal Ahvaz"Fs player|no=|nat=Iran|pos=MF|name=Hojatolah Zadmahmoud "from Sepahan"Fs player|no=|nat=Iran|pos=DF|name=Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh "free agent"Fs player|no=|nat=Iran|pos=MF|name=Mohammadreza Zolfonoon "from Pegah"Fs player|no=|nat=Iran|pos=MF|name=Gholamreza Eidizadeh "from Estil Azin"Fs player|no=|nat=BRA|pos=FW|name=Roma "from C.D. Santa Clara"Fs player|no=|nat=Iran|pos=MF|name=Pejman Jamshidi "from Estil Azin"Fs player|no=|nat=Iran|pos=GK|name=Mohammad Savari "loan from Sepahan"Fs player|no=|nat=Iran|pos=GK|name=Aghil Abdolkhani "from Naft Ahvaz"Out:

Famous players

* Omid Sharifinasab
* Mohammad Alavi
* Ali Badavi
* Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh
* Yahya Golmohammadi
* Hossein Kaebi
* Iman Mobali
* Jalal Kameli Mofrad
* Adel Kolahkaj
* Mojahed Khaziravi
* Ebrahim Mirzapour
* Naeem Saadavi
* Ahmad Momenzadeh
* Behnam Seraj
* Pejman Montazeri
* Meisam Soleimani
* Emad Mohammed Ridha
* Erfan Olerum
* Fábio Januário
* Fábio Hempel
* Armando Sá
* Rashad Sadygov

References

External links

Official

* [http://www.fooladfc.ir/ Foolad F.C. Official Website]
* [http://www.khzfootball.ir/ Khuzestan Football Association]