Tehran derby

Tehran Derby^[1]

City or region	Tehran, Iran
First contested	5 April 1968
Teams involved	Esteghlal Football Club Persepolis Football Club
Number of meetings	Official: 67 Friendlies: 5
Most wins	Esteghlal (23)
Most player appearances	Ali Parvin (20)
Most recent meeting	November 07, 2011 2–2 (Persepolis – Esteghlal)
Next meeting	February 2, 2012
Largest victory	6-0 Persepolis - Esteghlal (September 7, 1973)

The Tehran derby (Persian: شهرآورد تهران) known locally as the derby Tehran is a football local derby match that takes place twice a year between the two most popular clubs in Iran: Esteghlal F.C. and Persepolis F.C. This match was declared as the most important derby in Asia and 22nd most important derby in the world in June 2008 by World Soccer magazine.^[2][3][4] Despite being a derby between two teams from Tehran, the match has been played in other Iranian cities as well.

History

Ali Parvin

The first derby match between the teams took place on April 5, 1968, at Amjadieh Stadium, where the game finished as a scoreless draw. At the time, Esteghlal was known as Taj FC. Both clubs were relatively young but Persepolis had a solid fan base, because of its close association to the once popular Shahin club. The rivalry between Shahin and Taj was transferred to its current stage when the Shahin club had to cease operations due to poor relations with the IFF.

Nasser Hejazi

Over time, the rivalry became more heated and club fans began attaining collective identities. By the mid-1970s Persepolis was seen as a working class club, while Taj was viewed as a club close to the ruling establishment and supported by the upper class of Iranian society. Persepolis fans outnumbered Esteghlal fans by large numbers at the time and still do.

Because of the sensitive nature of the matches, fan violence has occurred several times. In minor cases fans break chairs or throw garbage at the field, but more notable cases of violence have involved physical fights between opposing teams and fans, storming of the field by fans, as well as significant destruction of public property.

Ever since 1995, federation officials have invited foreign referees to officiate the game to ease fan and player suspicions of referee bias. This occurred after the events of the 38th derby (see below).

Azadi Stadium has been the stadium where most of the matches took place, but Amjadieh Stadium(now Shiroudi) in Tehran, Azadi Stadium in Bandar Abbas and Yadegare Imam Stadium in Tabriz have all hosted the game at least once.

Results

	Esteghlal Wins
	Persepolis Wins
	Hazfi Cup matches
	Champions League matches
	Friendly matches

Game	Date	Est vs Per	Esteghlal	Persepolis	Competition	Description
1	1968-04-5	0-0	-	-
2	1969-01-9	0-0	-	-
3	1969-08-03	3-1	A.Monshizadeh(8) A.Jabbari(44) K.Haghverdian(88)	K.Ganjapour(72)
4	1970-02-06	1-0(3-0)	G.Mazloumi(9)	-
5	1970-09-25	3-2	J.Gharrab(73) K.Haghverdian(87) A.Mojdehi(88)	A.Parvin(7) H.Kalani(23)
6	1971-01-17	1-1(3-0)	A.Mojdehi(75)	H.Kalani(2)
7	1971-06-18	1-1	G.Mazloumi(30)	S.Iranpak(91)
8	1972-02-04	1-4	A.Jabbari(75)	H.Kalani(43,93) S.Iranpak(56) M.Khordbin(75)
9	1972-03-23	0-2	-	S.Iranpak(50) H.Kalani(89)
10	1973-03-01	2-0	A.Jabbari(40,87)	-		Jabbari Disenchants
11	1973-06-14	1-0	R.Adelkhani(3)	-		Adelkhani Disenchants
12	1973-09-06	0-6	-	H.Behzadi(50,86,92) I.Soleymani(45,56) H.Kalani(32)
13	1973-12-08	1-1	A.Jabbari(70)	H.Behzadi(46)
14	1974-05-25	1-0	H.Rowshan(88)	-		Rowshan Disenchants
15	1974-12-18	1-2	G.Mazloumi(60)	S.Iranpak(50) E.Hajrahimipour
16	1975-05-05	3-1	G.Mazloumi(11,62) M.Mojdehi(47)	S.Iranpak(53)
17	1975-10-17	0-2	-	J.Fattahi(22) E.Hajrahimipour(38)
18	1976-03-17	1-1	M.Mojdehi(20)	M.Khordbin(85)
19	1976-09-24	1-1	H.Naraghi(26)	A.Parvin(40)
20	1977-05-07	3-0	M.Ashouri(45) H.Rowshan(83) S.Maraghechian(88)	-
21	1977-12-08	1-2	H.Rowshan(85)	S.Iranpak(15,34)	-
22	1979-11-16	1-0	G.Fathabadi(42)	-	Friendly	Respect of Majid Danayifar
23	1980-07-04	0-0	-	-
24	1981-10-07	0-0	-	-	Tehran Cup
25	1983-01-07	1-1	B.Fariba(87)	G.Fathabadi(10)	Tehran Cup
26	1983-10-07	1-0	P.Mazloumi(59)	-	Tehran Cup	Mazloumi Disenchants
27	1986-06-15	0-3	-	Sr.Bayani(p12,52) Ns.Mohammadkhani(62)	Tehran Cup
28	1987-03-27	0-0	-	-	Tehran Cup
29	1988-09-09	1-1	J.Mokhtarifar(60)	F.Pious(46)	Tehran Cup
30	1989-03-09	0-0(2-4 pen.)	J.Mokhtarifar, R.Hasanzadeh,	M.Moharrami, R.Yousefi, M.Ashouri, M.Kermanimoghadam	Hazfi Cup	Quarter Final
31	1989-12-07	0-1	-	R.Abedian(18)	Qods League
32	1990-05-25	2-1	A.Sarkhab(46)S.Marfavi(72)	N.Mirahmadian(12)	Qods League	Final
33	1991-01-18	1-1	Sr.Bayani(P62)	F.Pious(75)	Azadegan Cup
34	1992-01-24	0-0	-	-	Azadegan Cup
35	1992-03-05	2-0	S.Maravi(8) S.Varmazyar(15)	-	Azadegan Cup
36	1992-05-29	1-0	S.Marfavi(48)	-	Azadegan Cup	Semi Final
37	1993-01-01	0-0	-	-	Azadegan Cup
38	1995-01-05	2-2(3-0)	S.Varmazyar(79) E.Akhtar(87)	F.Pious(51) B.Dadashzadeh(56)	Azadegan Cup	Semi Final
39	1995-01-27	0-0	-	-	Azadegan Cup	Semi Final
40	1995-07-28	3-1	E.Akhtar(7) S.Varmazyar(16) M.Taghavi(36)	M.Kermanimoghadam(49)	Azadegan League
41	1995-12-29	0-0	-	-	Azadegan League
42	1996-10-18	0-1	-	E.Bezik(87)	Azadegan League	Bezik Disenchants
43	1997-07-11	0-3	-	E.Bezik(30) M.Mahdavikia(71) B.Taherzadeh(87)	Azadegan League
44	1998-11-13	0-1	-	M.Hasheminasab(45)	Azadegan League
45	1999-03-22	1-1	F.Malekian(43)	M.Hasheminasab(3)	Azadegan League
46	1999-07-11	1-2	S.Bakhtiarizadeh(50)	M.Hasheminasab(P12)M.Peyrovani	Hazfi Cup	Final
47	1999-09-24	0-0	-	-	Azadegan League
48	2000-02-27	0-2	-	M.Hasheminasab(7 )P.Rafat(80)	Azadegan League
49	2000-12-29	2-2	M.Navazi(67) M.Hasheminasab(86)	B.Rahbarifard(P57) A.Karimi(89)	Azadegan League
50	2001-02-23	1-0	A.Akbarpour(72)	-	Azadegan League	Akbarpour Disenchants
51	2002-03-19	1-1	M.Navazi(P38)	R.Jabbari(25)	IPL 1st
52	2002-05-09	0-0	-	-	IPL 1st
53	2003-01-10	1-1	A.Samereh(1)	A.Ansarian(P70)	IPL 2nd
54	2003-07-17	1-2	A.Akbarpur(63)	Y.Golmohammadi(11) B.Abolghasempour(50)	IPL 2nd	Abolghasempour Disenchants
55	2003-10-17	2-1	A.Samereh(8) M.Fekri(57)	I.Traore(70)	IPL 3rd	Fekri Disenchants
56	2004-02-02	1-1	D.Seyedabbasi(3)	H.Kavianpour(20)	IPL 3rd
57	2004-10-22	0-0	-	-	IPL 4th
58	2005-02-25	3-2	Enayati(53) M.Fekri(87) P.Ghorbani(90+3)	S.Rezaei(67) S.Entezari(84)	IPL 4th	Ghorbani Disenchants
59	2005-11-05	1-0	R.Enayati(56)	-	IPL 5th	Enayati Disenchants
60	2006-03-10	0-0	-	-	IPL 5th
61	2006-11-03	1-2	A.Sadeghi (16)	M.Madanchi(22) M.Oladi(71)	IPL 6th	Oladi Disenchants
62	2007-03-30	1-1	A.Alizadeh(43)	A.Nikbakht(13)	IPL 6th
63	2007-10-14	1-1	O.Ravankhah(17)	M.Khalili(64)	IPL 7th
64	2008-04-03	1-1	O.Ravankhah(5)	M.Khalili(28)	IPL 7th
65	2008-10-03	1-1	A.Borhani(47)	A.Karimi(87)	IPL 8th
66	2009-02-13	1-1	M.Jabbari(56)	M.Zare(P94)	IPL 8th
67	2009-10-02	1-1	F.Majidi(55)	A.Kolahkaj(49)	IPL 9th
68	2010-02-03	1-2	F.Majidi(16)	H.Norouzi(37) K.Bagheri(87)	IPL 9th	Bagheri Disenchants
69	2010-10-15	1-0	F.Majidi(91)	-	IPL 10th	Majidi Disenchants
70	2011-03-30	1-0	A.Borhani (43)	-	IPL 10th
71	2011-09-16	2-0	F.Majidi (15) M.Jabbari (87)	-	IPL 11th
72	2011-11-07	2-2	A.Borhani (33) H.Omranzadeh (70)	H.Norouzi (P6, 46)	Velayat Cup
73	2012-02-20				IPL 11th

Notable derby matches

• Persepolis 0 - Taj 3 (February 6, 1970) - The game score was 1-0 in favor of Taj until the 82nd minute when the Persepolis players left the field to protest against the match officials. The football federation later declared Taj the winner by a score of 3-0.

• Persepolis 0 - Taj 3 (January 17, 1971) - The game was tied 1-1 until the 75th minute when the Persepolis players left the field to protest against the match officials after several decisions went Esteghlal's way. The football federation later declared Taj the winner by a score of 3-0. This was the second time this occurred in two years.

• Persepolis 4 - Taj 1 (November 15, 1972) - This was the first time Persepolis won the derby match. Mahmoud Khordbin and Safar Iranpak both scored one goal each and Hossein Kalani bagged the other two goals for a decisive 4-1 win.

• Persepolis 6 - Taj 0 (September 7, 1973) - In a game that is still remembered to this day, Persepolis scored 6 goals to win the match with a hat-trick from Homayoun Behzadi(50,86,92) and three more goals from Soleymani(45,56) and H.Kalani(32). the game to this date, is still the highest scoring affair between the two teams.

• Esteghlal 1 - Persepolis 0 (October 7, 1983) - Iranian television broadcaster IRIB did not air the match so a large number of fans flocked to Azadi Stadium. An estimated 128,000 entered the 100,000-capacity stadium. So many fans were in attendance that some were forced to climb the metal base of the stadium floodlights. None of the derby matches to this date have had a higher attendance and mostly likely never will as the 2002 renovations of the stadium reduced its capacity.

• Esteghlal 0 (2) - Persepolis 0 (4) (February 1989) - This is one of few times the two clubs have met each other in the Hazfi Cup. The match finished scoreless in regulation time, and extra-time was eventless. Persepolis beat Esteghlal 4-2 in penalty shootouts to advance to the next stage in the Hazfi Cup.

• Esteghlal 3 - Persepolis 0 (January 11, 1995) - In the 38th derby Persepolis was leading in the match by a score of 2-0 until the last 10 minutes of the match. Esteghlal scored 2 goals in quick succession, including one which was a penalty. This angered the Persepolis fans and players who felt the referee was biased towards Esteghlal. Persepolis fans stormed the field, and many fights broke out on the pitch between fans and players. After this match it was decided that Iranian referees will no longer be used for the derby.

• Persepolis 2 - Esteghlal 2 (December 29, 2000) - One of the most exciting and heated matches in derby history.^{[citation needed]} The game was extremely sensitive as Mehdi Hasheminasab had left Persepolis in the off-season for Esteghlal. Behrouz Rahbarifar opened up the scoring in minute 56, while Mohammad Navazi tied the game up at the 67th minute. Many thought the game would be over when Hasheminasab scored a late goal at minute 86, but Ali Karimi saved Persepolis scoring a goal at minute 89 to please the red fans. During the game Esteghlal's goalkeeper Parviz Broumand and Persepolis striker Payan Rafat were constantly insulting each other. This eventually led to Broumand punching Rafat in the face and giving him a black eye. A massive fight broke out between the players. After the match hooligans went on a rampage. They completely destroyed 250 city buses and damaged many shops. Three players from each side were arrested along with 60 fans for their behavior.

• Esteghlal 3 – Persepolis 2 (February 25, 2005) – Another one of the most thrilling matches in derby history.^{[citation needed]} After a scoreless draw at halftime Esteghlal opened the scoreline 53 minutes with a goal from Reza Enayati. Persepolis responded by two goals Sheys Rezaei in the 67th minute and another by Sohrab Entezari in the 84th minute. Persepolis players and fans believed they have earned the win and Esteghlal fans begin to leave the stadium. Shortly after the goal by Entezari Mahmoud Fekri scored an equalizer just 3 minutes later. Esteghlal soon put everything they have into the attack and in the 93rd minute it paid off with a header by Pirouz Ghorbani hitting the back of the Persepolis net.

• Persepolis 2 - Esteghlal 1 (November 3, 2006) - One of the most important derby matches for the two teams. Both teams' chances of winning the league were very unlikely so the two desperately wanted to win so one would finish above the other. Amir Hossein Sadeghi broke the deadlock with a header in the 16th minute to make it 1-0 to Esteghlal. Six minutes later, Esteghlal goalkeeper Mehdi Rahmati charged out of his goal to clear the ball for a corner to Persepolis. However, he lost his concentration and took a long time to return back to his net resulting into Mehrzad Madanchi curling one in for Persepolis from the corner of the pitch and making the score 1-1 at half-time. The match was very open in the second half and finally in the 71st minute, Mehrdad Oladi broke through and chipped Mehdi Rahmati to win the game for Persepolis 2-1. Later on that season, Persepolis finished 3rd in the league, one place above Esteghlal who finished 4th.

• Esteghlal 1 - Persepolis 1 (February 13, 2009) - Going into this derby the four previous meetings between the rivals had ended in 1-1 draws. However all the speculations regarding possible match-fixing started after this game. Esteghlal was winning the game when substitute Ali Alizadeh late into stoppage time and what did look deliberately played a handball and gifted away a penalty-kick. Maziar Zare scored the equalizer and the game finished in yet another 1-1 draw.

• Persepolis 2 - Esteghlal 1 (February 3, 2010) - Before this derby six straight derby games between the two had finished 1-1. Many fans^[who?] were claiming that the matches had been fixed to avoid having a losing team. Both teams have been having the same owner, a fact that obviously adds fuel to the fire. Prior to this game the two teams had had a several-year-long tradition of eating dinner together on the day before the games, a tradition which did not take place ahead of this very tense game. Much to many fans' expectations this game was also about to end in a 1-1 draw before Karim Bagheri late in the game scored a 2-1 winner from long range.

• Esteghlal 1 - Persepolis 0 (October 15, 2010) - The match was tied late in the game when Esteghlal got a counter attack and captain Farhad Majidi scored the winning goal in the 91st minute.

71st Tehran derby, 16 September 2011

• Esteghlal 2 - Persepolis 0 (September 16, 2011) - Esteghlal defeated their rivals for the third time in a row with goals from Majidi(15) and Jabbari(87). This was also the first derby with more than a one goal margin in over 10 years

Statistics and records

As of September 16, 2011, there have been 71 competitive first-class meetings between the two teams since the first league meeting in 1970, of which Esteghlal has won 23 and Persepolis 17. The biggest winning margin and highest scoring match was in the 12th derby when Persepolis beat Taj, 6–0.

Ali Parvin has the record for most appearances playing and managing in the derby, having done so 20 and 22 times respectively for Persepolis. Afshin Peyrovani is second in total appearances as a player, having played 18 matches, while third place is shared by Karo Haghverdian and Ali Jabbari who both made 17 appearances for Taj.

Safar Iranpak has scored the highest number of goals in total for the derby, amassing a total of 7 goals, followed by teammate Hossein Kalani who scored 6. A number of players have scored 5 goals.

Summary of results

	Apps	Esteghlal wins	Draws	Persepolis wins
League	65	21	29	15
Hazfi Cup	2	0	0	2
Friendly	5	2	3	0
Total	72	23	32	17

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Esteghlal Tehran	72	23	32	17	78	70	+8	101
2	Persepolis	72	17	32	23	70	78	−8	83

Updated to games played on 7 November 2011
Source:^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.

All-time top scorers

Rank	Nationality	Player	Persepolis	Esteghlal	Total
1	Iran	Safar Iranpak	7		7
2	Iran	Hossein Kalani	6		6
3	Iran	Ali Jabbari		5	5
	Iran	Gholam Hossein Mazloomi		5	5
	Iran	Mehdi Hasheminasab	4	1	5
6	Iran	Homayoun Behzadi	4		4
	Iran	Farhad Majidi		4	4
8	Iran	Hadi Norouzi	3		3
	Iran	Hassan Rowshan		3	3
	Iran	Sadegh Varmazyar		3	3
	Iran	Farshad Pious	3		3
	Iran	Shahrokh Bayani	2	1	3
	Iran	Arash Borhani		3	3
14	Iran	Karo Haghverdian		2	2
	Iran	Ali Parvin	2		2
	Iran	Ali Karimi	2		2
	Iran	Mahmoud Khordbin	2		2
	Iran	Abbas Mojdehi		2	2
	Iran	Masoud Mojdehi		2	2
	Iran	Iraj Soleimani	2		2
	Iran	Samad Marfavi		2	2
	Iran	Edmond Akhtar		2	2
	Iran	Ali Samereh		2	2
	Iran	Alireza Akbarpour		2	2
	Iran	Mohammad Navazi		2	2
	Iran	Esmaeil Hajrahimipour	2		2
	Iran	Naser Mohammadkhani	2		2
	Iran	Reza Enayati		2	2
	Iran	Gholamreza Fathabadi	1	1	2
	Iran	Mohsen Khalili	2		2
	Iran	Omidreza Ravankhah		2	2
	Iran	Mahmoud Fekri		2	2
	Iran	Edmond Bezik	2		2
	Iran	Mojtaba Jabbari		2	2

1 goals

• Persepolis scorers

Nazem Ganjapour, Jahangir Fattahi, Nader Mirahmadian, Behzad Dadashzadeh, Morteza Kermani Moghaddam, Mehdi Mahdavikia, Behnam Taherzadeh, Afshin Peyrovani, Payan Rafat, Behrouz Rahbarifard, Reza Jabbari, Ali Ansarian, Yahya Golmohammadi, Behnam Abolghasempour, Issa Traore, Hamed Kavianpour, Sheys Rezaei, Sohrab Entezari, Mehrzad Madanchi, Mehrdad Oladi, Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht, Maziar Zare, Adel Kolahkaj, Karim Bagheri

• Esteghlal scorers

Ahmad Monshizadeh, Javad Gharrab, Reza Adelkhani, Hadi Naraghi, Mohsen Ashouri, Saeid Maraghechian, Behtash Fariba, Parviz Mazloumi, Jafar Mokhtarifar, Abbas Sarkhab, Mohammad Taghavi, Fred Malekian, Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh, Davoud Seyed Abbasi, Pirouz Ghorbani, Amir Hossein Sadeghi, Ali Alizadeh, Hanif Omranzadeh

Playing for both teams

Over the years, a number of players have played for both of the heavily supported clubs. Switching sides often angers fans, and players who have done so are heavily booed and mocked in and out of the stadium. When Mehdi Hasheminasab joined Esteghlal, Persepolis fans booed and swore at him so loudly that he covered his face with his hands to hide his tears.

The following players have played for both teams:

Ahmadreza Abedzadeh Akbar Eftekhari Ali Alizadeh Ali Akbarian Ali Ansarian Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht Amir Mousavinia Behzad Dadashzadeh Dariush Mostafavi Davoud Seyed Abbasi Ebrahim Taghipour Faraz Fatemi Gholam Reza Fathabadi Hadi Tabatabaei

Javad Allahverdi Mehdi Salehpour Mahmoud Kalhor Majid Namjoo-Motlagh Maysam Baou Mehdi Hasheminasab Mehdi Shiri Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Parviz Ghelichkhani Reza Ahadi Shahrokh Bayani Farzad Ashoubi Mohammad Mohammadi Hawar Mulla Mohammed Gholam Vafakhah

Referees

IPL referees

Season	Leg 1	Leg 2
2001-02	Pasquale Rodomonti	Paulo Costa
2002-03	Roberto Rosetti	Vladimir Hrinak
2003-04	Paulo Costa	Mustafa Çulcu
2004-05	Florian Meyer	Valentin Valentinovich Ivanov
2005-06	Wolfgang Stark	Saad Kamil Al-Fadhli
2006-07	Alfonso Pérez Burrull	Felix Brych
2007-08	Eduardo Iturralde González	Bernardino González Vázquez
2008-09	Saad Kamil Al-Fadhli	Mohsen Torky
2009-10	Mohsen Torky	Saeid Mozaffari Zadeh
2010-11	Masoud Moradi	Mohsen Torky
2011-12	Mohsen Torky

Other notable referees

• Markus Merk
• Young Joo Kim
• Sándor Puhl
• Jamal Al Sharif
• Mohammed Kousa
• Omer Al Mehannah
• Abdul Rahman Al-Zeid
• Rudolf Scheurer
• Jack Taylor
• Bahadorkhan

References

1. ^ "(English)Esteghlal Tehran VS Persepolis Tehran (The battle of Tehran)". FIFA. http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/stories/classicderby/news/newsid=1165699.html#the+battle+tehran. 
2. ^ "(English)Worlds Greatest Derbies". bigsoccer.com. http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=719260. 
3. ^ "(English)World Soccers' 50 Greatest Derbie". groups.google.com. http://groups.google.com/group/rec.sport.soccer/browse_thread/thread/3af42febbad1ab69?hide_quotes=no. 
4. ^ "(English)World Soccers' 50 Greatest Derbies". nnseek.com. http://www.nnseek.com/e/rec.sport.soccer/world_soccers_50_greatest_derbies_130039448t.html. 

• (English) The battle of Tehran FIFA
• (English) "Football, blood and war" The Observer, 18 January 2004, accessed 11 October 2006
• (English) "The Red 'Victors' and the 'Independent' Blues" FIFA Magazine, 31 October 2002, accessed 11 October 2006
• (Persian) "59 بازی حاصل 37 سال رقابت سرخ و آبی" [[Fars News Agency