Persepolis F.C.

This article is about the men's professional football team. For the women's team associated to the same club, see Persepolis F.C. (women).

Persepolis
Full namePersepolis Football Club
Nickname(s)Red Army[1][2]
Tehran Reds[3]
Short namePRS[4]
FoundedNovember 1963; 60 years ago (1963-11) as Persepolis Amateur (Bowling) team[5]
[6][7]
March 21, 1967; 57 years ago (1967-03-21) as Persepolis Football team[8][9]
GroundAzadi Stadium
Capacity78,116[10]
OwnerPersepolis Athletic and Cultural Club
(Shahr Bank: 30%
Bank Mellat: 20%
Tejarat Bank: 20%
Bank Saderat Iran: 5.175%
MSY: 5.158%
Refah Bank: 5%
EN Bank: 5%
Public Shareholders: 9.667% – IFB: PSPP1)
PresidentReza Darvish[11]
Head coachJuan Carlos Garrido
LeaguePersian Gulf Pro League
2023–24Persian Gulf Pro League, 1st
WebsiteClub website
Current season
Departments of Persepolis
Football
(Men's)		Football
(Women's)		Handball
TaekwondoSwimmingWeightlifting
Futsal
(Men's)		Futsal
(Women's)		Volleyball
Wheelchair
basketball		JudoBasketball
WrestlingGoalballChess

Persepolis Football Club (Persian: باشگاه فوتبال پرسپولیس, romanized: Bâšgâh-e Futbâl-e Perspolis) is an Iranian professional football club based in Tehran that competes in the Persian Gulf Pro League. Persepolis F.C. is the football club of the multisport Persepolis Athletic and Cultural Club. The club was owned by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports until April 2024 when, due to Asian Football Confederation licensing regulations, an 85% majority ownership stake was transferred to a consortium of six Iranian banks.[12][13] Ten percent of the club's share is publicly available on the Tehran Stock Exchange.

Persepolis was founded in 1963 by Ali Abdo and has been in the first division of Iranian football since 1968. The club has played at its home ground, Azadi Stadium, since 1973. They contest the Tehran Derby against rival team Esteghlal, a match that is closely followed by Iranian football fans and considered to be one of the biggest in Asia.[14] According to the Asian Football Confederation, Persepolis is one of the most popular football club in Asia.[15][16][17][18][19] At the AFC Champions League, 11 of the top 20 matches by attendance were played by Persepolis. Persepolis has also broken the record of 100,000 attendees in four matches at the AFC Champions League. Persepolis has won a record fifteen Iranian league titles, as well as seven Hazfi Cups, five Super Cups and the 1990–91 Asian Cup Winners' Cup.[20] Many notable players have played for the club, including former Bundesliga players Ali Karimi, Ali Daei, Vahid Hashemian and Mehdi Mahdavikia. Ali Parvin, who spent 18 years with the club from 1970 to 1988, is widely regarded as the club's greatest player.

  1. ^ "Iran's Red Army to use 200% power". IRNA. 10 November 2018. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  2. ^ "Persepolis primed for Iran Pro League season". The-AFC.com. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  3. ^ "Tehran's Reds Move to Third after Victory over Saba". Archived from the original on 28 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  4. ^ "پاسخ پرسپولیس به نامه کنفدراسیون فوتبال آسیا". 5 July 2023. Archived from the original on 6 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  5. ^ "پرسپولیس ۶۰ ساله شد". 22 November 2023. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  6. ^ "Victory name of Persepolis' game". FIFA. Archived from the original on 23 October 2016.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference AFC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "تولد باشگاه پرسپولیس روی سکوهای آزادی (عکس)". Varzesh3. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  9. ^ "در مورد پرسپولیس در ویکی تابناک بیشتر بخوانید". www.tabnak.ir. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  10. ^ "22". varzesh3.com. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  11. ^ "Reza Darvish appointed Persepolis general manager". Tehran Times. 12 January 2022. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  12. ^ [1]
  13. ^ "Iran's two major clubs officially sold to banks, petchem companies | Newsbase".
  14. ^ FIFA.com (3 February 2010). "The battle of Tehran". fifa.com. Archived from the original on 15 July 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  15. ^ The search for Asia's Most Popular Football Club: Tractor SC, Persepolis FC through to final
  16. ^ The most popular football clubs: IR Iran
  17. ^ "Poetry in motion – Asia's top ten clubs". ESPN. 16 May 2013. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  18. ^ "آشنایی با باشگاه پرسپولیس". Hamshahri. Archived from the original on 16 June 2008.
  19. ^ "ترجمه مقاله به فارسی) مجله ورلد ساکر)". World Soccer Magazine, ISNA. Archived from the original on 20 January 2011.
  20. ^ ":: وب سایت رسمی باشگاه فرهنگی ورزشی پرسپولیس". Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2014.