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Persian Gulf Pro League Finally to End

reporter 1222 — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 05:24:44 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – The curtain will come down on a long and exhausting Persian Gulf Pro League season on Thursday.

With the title secured by Persepolis for a record fourth consecutive time and Shahin Shahrdari Blusher already relegated, 10 sides in the 16-team table will still have something to play for, heading into the final day of the season – which kicked off on August 22, 2019.

The season would have finished in late April, had it not been for a four-month halt forced by the coronavirus outbreak.

Four teams – Esteghlal, Tractor, Sepahan, and Foolad Khuzestan – will be eyeing a top-three finish and a place in next year’s AFC Champions League.

At the other end of the table, meanwhile, six sides – Zob Ahan, Golgohar Sirjan, Saipa, Paykan, Mashinsazi Tabriz, and Pars Jonoubi Jam – will be seeking to maintain their place in next season’s top-flight football.

Second-placed Esteghlal looks set to claim the runner-up spot as Farhad Majidi’s men play away to the rock-bottom side Shahin.

The decisive match in the top-three battle, however, will probably be played in Ahvaz with the third-placed Tractor – equal on points with Esteghlal (50pts) – taking on Foolad – fifth in the table with 48 points.

A home victory might still not be enough for Javad Nekounam’s Foolad to finish in the top three as Sepahan – only in fourth place by virtue of a superior goal difference over Foolad – has a rather easier task when playing struggler Paykan.

Any result other than a victory could see Abdollah Veisi’s Paykan – fall down to the lower tier.

Paykan sits 13th before Thursday’s fixtures, leading Mashinsazi on GD and 15th-placed Pars by a single point.

The 12th-placed Saipa – unbeaten after the league resumption in June – will have its fate in its own hands against Persepolis, having a two-point advantage over Pars.

Mashinsazi – which has the best goal difference among the relegation candidates – will play at home against San’at Naft – which won’t probably have extra motivation for the game as it has already been secured a seventh-spot finish.

Sirius Pourmousavi’s Pars – currently in the bottom two – will play at Naft Masjed Soleyman – which has only lost six all season – desperately needing a victory and will still have to wait for other results to be played out in its favor.

Zob Ahan and Golgohar Sirjan – equal on 30 points – will square off in a do-or-day battle in Isfahan.

A draw will see both sides stay in the league as they are three points clear of the relegation zone.

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Esteghlal Moves Up in IPL As Second Team

reporter 1222 — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 06:46:27 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Esteghlal football team defeated Pars Jonoubi on Monday and moved up to the Iran Professional League (IPL) second place.

The match had originally been scheduled for early July but was canceled after Esteghlal players tested positive for COVID-19.

Esteghlal defeated Pars Jonoubi 2-0 and leapfrogged Sepahan and Tractor on goal difference.

Ali Karimi and Cheick Diabate were on target for the Blues.

In Ghaemshahr, Nassaji battled back from 2-0 down to beat 9-man Foolad 3-2.

Luciano Pereira Mendes and Moussa Coulibaly were on target for the visiting team but Foolad was reduced to 10-man after Vahid Heydarieh was sent off for his second yellow card in the 65th minute.

With 10 minutes remaining, Hamed Shiri pulled a goal back and leveled the score from the penalty spot in the 90th minute.

Foolad midfielder Mohammad Abshak was shown a straight red card in the added time and Mojtaba Mamashli scored the winner with a header just before the final whistle.

Persepolis on Friday won the IPL title with 62 points with four matches to go.

Esteghlal, Sepahan and Tractor all have 45 points.

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Karim Ansarifard Linked with Persepolis

reporter 1222 — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 08:56:30 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran international forward Karim Ansarifard has reportedly been linked with a move to Persepolis.

According to Al Kass, the 30-year-old will leave Qatari club Al-Sailiya at the end of the season.

Ansarifard was a member of the Persepolis football team in 2012-13 before joining Tractor.

He has also played in Spanish football team Osasuna and Panionios and Olympiacos of Greece.

According to Qatari media reports, Ansarifard is on the verge of returning to Persepolis.

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Ali Karimi, Best Foreign Player of UAE League

reporter 1222 — Sun, 21 Jun 2020 11:55:16 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Ex-Iran national football team captain Ali Karimi, who played in Emirati club Al Ahli from 2001 to 2005, has been named as the best foreign player in the UAE Pro League.

In a poll conducted by Albayan website, the Iranian midfielder along with Chilean midfielder Gorge Valdivia, who played for Al Wahda, was named as the best foreign player in the league with 25 percent of the votes.

Ali Karimi played 69 matches for Al Ahli in UAE and scored 45 goals in a four-year career.

The former Bayern Munich player helped the Emirati football team win UAE Cup twice in 2002 and 2004.

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Persepolis resumes training as Persian League restarts

reporter 1222 — Tue, 26 May 2020 05:33:08 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian champion Persepolis took a small but significant step closer to defending its Persian Gulf Pro League title, returning to the training pitch on Sunday after a hiatus of more than two months.

Under the tutelage of head coach Yahya Golmohammadi, the Tehran giants spent 70 minutes being put through their paces, with the country’s Pro League scheduled for a June 11 return, the-afc.com reported.

The return of Persepolis and other Iranian clubs to training is a major milestone on the road to football’s return, marking the first team-based activity for the league’s clubs since the sport was suspended in the country in early March.

Ten points clear with nine games remaining, Persepolis is well-placed to add this year’s title to the three in a row it has claimed in previous seasons, with Sepahan and Tractor currently their nearest challengers.

Several clubs reportedly underwent COVID-19 testing last Wednesday as the league edges toward a resumption.

Six positives

Meanwhile, Reza Saeidi, the spokesman of Iran’s Sports Medicine Federation, said on Sunday that, of all COVID-19 tests carried out among the league’s players, only six Gol Gohar Sirjan players have tested positive.

As a result, Saeidi added that the Pro League side’s training resumption was called off by the team’s doctor, ion.ir wrote.

Saeidi said the players, whose infection is confirmed, will have to be quarantined for further treatment through the Health Ministry’s protocols.

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