Saipa Football Club ( fa, باشگاه فوتبال سايپا, ''Bashgah-e Futbal-e Saipa'') is a
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club from
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
, Iran. The team is owned by
SAIPA
SAIPA ( fa, سایپا, ''SAIPA'') is an Iranian automaker headquartered in Tehran. The SAIPAC (an acronym for the French ''Société anonyme iranienne de production des automobiles Citroën'') was established in 1965 as with 75% Iranian ownersh ...
, an Iranian automobile manufacturer. The team has never had a large fanbase, despite some success. It is known to have one of the best youth academies in Iranian football and regularly promotes academy players to the first team.
In the 2006–07 season, under the guidance of
Ali Daei
Ali Daei ( fa, ; born 21 March 1969) is an Iranian football manager and former player. A striker, he was the captain of the Iranian national team between 2000 and 2006 and played in the German Bundesliga for Arminia Bielefeld, Bayern Munich ...
, Saipa won their only
Persian Gulf Cup
The Persian Gulf Pro League ( fa, لیگ برتر خلیج فارس, ''Lig-e Bartar-e Xalij-e Fârs''), formerly known as the Iran Pro League ( fa, links=no, لیگ برتر ایران, ''Lig-e bartar-e Irân''), is the highest division of profe ...
title. Saipa has also won the
Azadegan League
The Azadegan League ( fa, ليگ آزادگان, ''Lig-e Âzâdegân''), also known as League 1 ( fa, لیگ یک, ''Lig-e Yek''), is the second highest division of professional football in Iran. It was the top-level football league in Iran from ...
twice and the
Hazfi Cup
Hazfi Cup (Jām-e Hazfi; ) is the Iranian football knockout cup competition, run by the Iranian Football Federation.
The Iranian football league was not held during the 1980s, hence the winner of Hazfi Cup represented Iran in the Asian Club Cha ...
once.
Saipa is the football club of the
multisport Saipa Cultural and Athletic Corporation Saipa Tehran Athletic and Cultural Club is an Iranian multisport club based in Tehran and Karaj, Iran. The club was founded in 1989.
Teams
* Saipa Football Club, competing in the Iran Pro League
The Persian Gulf Pro League ( fa, لیگ برت ...
.
History
Early days
In 1989,
SAIPA
SAIPA ( fa, سایپا, ''SAIPA'') is an Iranian automaker headquartered in Tehran. The SAIPAC (an acronym for the French ''Société anonyme iranienne de production des automobiles Citroën'') was established in 1965 as with 75% Iranian ownersh ...
Company decided to start its own football team. They purchased a team playing in the 4th division of Tehran's city league, and renamed it Saipa F.C. After back to back promotions starting in the first year, the
Karaj
Karaj ( fa, کرج, ) is the capital of Alborz Province, Iran, and effectively a satellite city of Tehran. Although the county hosts a population around 1.97 million, as recorded in the 2016 census, most of the county is rugged mountain. The urb ...
based club was playing in the 2nd division by 1991. That same year they purchased the Shipping Department team's shares, and participated in the 1st division of Tehran's local league. In that year they won the Tehran city championship as well as the Tehran Super Cup, thus attaining the right to play in Iran's top league at the time, the Azadegan League.
Azadegan League
In their first year in the Azadegan League they won the championship, as well as the Hazfi Cup. They also won the league championship again in 1994 marking an unusually successful first five years for the club in Iranian football. The team was relegated into the second division in 1995, but were promoted again in the following year.
Since their second promotion to the top tier, the club has remained in the middle of the league table, and has often included some of the country's most well known players.
Persian Gulf Pro League
Ali Daei era
By 2001, the club's on-field performance remained stable, occupying mid-table position most years. Shortly following Iranian goalkeeper
Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh
Ahmadreza Abedzadeh ( fa, احمدرضا عابدزاده, born 25 May 1966) is an Iranian former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played for Esteghlal, Sepahan, Persepolis and the Iranian national team. He made 79 appearances for Ira ...
's retirement, he was linked with the head coaching job at Saipa. It never materialized, but the club signed another Iranian,
Ali Daei
Ali Daei ( fa, ; born 21 March 1969) is an Iranian football manager and former player. A striker, he was the captain of the Iranian national team between 2000 and 2006 and played in the German Bundesliga for Arminia Bielefeld, Bayern Munich ...
in a move from
Saba Battery
Saba Battery Club (also Saba Battery Physical and Cultural Gym) is an Iranian sports club based in Tehran, Iran. The club was founded in 2002شود
Teams
* Saba Battery Football Club, competing in the Iran Pro League
The Persian Gulf Pro Leagu ...
. The club had finished third in the previous season and now, with Daei on the field and
Werner Lorant
Werner Heinz Erich Lorant (born 21 November 1948) is a German former football player who played as a defender or as a defensive midfielder. He later became a manager, notably managing TSV 1860 Munich for nine years between 1992 and 2001.
Playin ...
as a coach, the team aimed to work for the title. Shortly after the season began though, Littbarski was fired and
Ali Daei
Ali Daei ( fa, ; born 21 March 1969) is an Iranian football manager and former player. A striker, he was the captain of the Iranian national team between 2000 and 2006 and played in the German Bundesliga for Arminia Bielefeld, Bayern Munich ...
took on the role of player/coach. Captaining and coaching the team to the title marked the end of a successful career. Daei also scored the winner in the title winning game.
Daei extended his contract, this time as a full-time coach. He was appointed head coach of the national team but kept his role at Saipa until the end of the season.
Return to mid-table and relocation to Tehran
Following the title winning year which saw the team play in the
AFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition ...
, Saipa turned back into the mid-table places of the league again. Before the start of the 2015–16
Persian Gulf Pro League
The Persian Gulf Pro League ( fa, لیگ برتر خلیج فارس, ''Lig-e Bartar-e Xalij-e Fârs''), formerly known as the Iran Pro League ( fa, links=no, لیگ برتر ایران, ''Lig-e bartar-e Irân''), is the highest division of profe ...
season Saipa announced they had moved their home city from Karaj to nearby Tehran. Saipa also made some significant transfers to attempt to return to the top of the league, namely
Gholamreza Rezaei
Gholamreza Rezaei ( fa, غلامرضا رضایی, born 6 August 1984 in Shiraz, Iran) is a retired Iranian football player who last played for Sepidrood as a forward in the Iran Pro League.
Club career
Early years
He started his career in Fa ...
,
Reza Norouzi
Reza Norouzi ( fa, رضا نوروزی, born 21 September 1982) is a retired Iranian footballer.
Club career
Early years
Norouzi started his career with Bargh Shiraz in Iran Pro League.
Steel Azin
Norouzi joined Steel Azin in 2008 after spe ...
and former
CA Osasuna
Club Atlético Osasuna (, ''Osasuna Athletic Club''), or simply Osasuna, is a Spanish professional football club in Pamplona, Navarre. Founded on 24 October 1920, the club currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at the 23,576-capacity El Sa ...
captain
Javad Nekounam
Javad Nekounam ( fa, جواد نکونام; born 7 September 1980) is an Iranian retired professional association football, footballer who played as a central midfielder and is the current manager (association football), manager of Foolad F.C., F ...
.
Season-by-season
The table below chronicles the achievements of Saipa in various competitions since 1993.
Honours
*
Iran Pro League
The Persian Gulf Pro League ( fa, لیگ برتر خلیج فارس, ''Lig-e Bartar-e Xalij-e Fârs''), formerly known as the Iran Pro League ( fa, links=no, لیگ برتر ایران, ''Lig-e bartar-e Irân''), is the highest division of profe ...
/First Division
**Champions:
1993–94,
1994–95,
2006–07
*
Hazfi Cup
Hazfi Cup (Jām-e Hazfi; ) is the Iranian football knockout cup competition, run by the Iranian Football Federation.
The Iranian football league was not held during the 1980s, hence the winner of Hazfi Cup represented Iran in the Asian Club Cha ...
**Winners:
1993–94
Players
Manager
Coaching staff
The following managers had managed Saipa since 1993:
References
External links
Official website
{{Iranian football league champions
Saipa
SAIPA ( fa, سایپا, ''SAIPA'') is an Iranian automaker headquartered in Tehran. The SAIPAC (an acronym for the French ''Société anonyme iranienne de production des automobiles Citroën'') was established in 1965 as with 75% Iranian ownersh ...
Association football clubs established in 1989
1989 establishments in Iran