2007–08 Persian Gulf Cup Explained

Competition:Persian Gulf Cup
Season:2007–08
Winners:Persepolis
2nd Pro League title
9th Iranian title
Relegated:Sanat Naft
Shirin Faraz
Continentalcup1:Champions League
Continentalcup1 Qualifiers:Persepolis
Sepahan
Saba Battery
Esteghlal (Hazfi Cup champions)
League Topscorer:Mohsen Khalili
Hadi Asghari
(18 goals)
Matches:306
Total Goals:721
Biggest Home Win:Rah Ahan 5–0 Paykan
(11 March 2008)
Persepolis 5–0 Shirin Faraz
(30 April 2008)
Biggest Away Win:Esteghlal 1–4 Pegah
(11 April 2008)
Fajr Sepasi 1–4 Zob Ahan
(1 May 2008)
Saba Battery 1–4 Persepolis
(14 May 2008)
Highest Scoring:Paykan 4–2 Bargh Shiraz
(16 August 2007)
Persepolis 3–3 Fajr Sepasi
(21 September 2007)
Persepolis 3–3 Aboumoslem
(10 February 2008)
Esteghlal 4–2 Bargh Shiraz
(29 February 2008)
Saipa 4–2 Shirin Faraz
(3 April 2008)
Bargh Shiraz 3–3 Sepahan
(3 May 2008)
Zob Ahan 4–2 Est. Ahvaz
(17 May 2008)
Highest Attendance:110,000
Persepolis – Sepahan
(17 May 2008)
Lowest Attendance:0 (spectator ban)
Malavan – Zob Ahan
(19 September 2007)
Pegah – Shirin Faraz
(16 November 2007)
Sanat Naft – Saba Battery
(16 November 2007)
Sepahan – Pegah
(22 January 2008)
Persepolis – Sanat Naft
(22 January 2008)
Sepahan – Paykan
(10 February 2008)
Sepahan – Fajr Sepasi
(22 February 2008)
Sepahan – Zob Ahan
(5 March 2008)
Est. Ahvaz – Saba Battery
(17 March 2008)
Sepahan – Est. Ahvaz
(3 April 2008)
Sepahan – Mes Kerman
(18 April 2008)
Shirin Faraz – Pegah
(5 May 2008)
Attendance:3,303,000
Average Attendance:11,235
Longest Wins:4 matches
Persepolis
Longest Unbeaten:13 matches
PAS Hamedan
Longest Winless:27 matches
Shirin Faraz
Longest Losses:6 matches
Shirin Faraz
Prevseason:2006–07
Nextseason:2008–09

The 2007–08 Persian Gulf Cup (also known as Iran Pro League) was the 25th season of Iran's Football League and seventh season of Iran Pro League since its establishment in 2001. Saipa were the defending champions. The season featured 13 teams from the 2006–07 Persian Gulf Cup and three new teams promoted from the 2006–07 Azadegan League: Shirin Faraz as champions, Pegah and Sanat Naft. PAS Hamedan replaced PAS Tehran. The league started on 16 August 2007 and ended on 17 May 2008. Persepolis won the Pro League title for the first time in their history (total ninth Iranian title).

Teams

width=100Teamwidth=55Citywidth=130Stadiumwidth=160Managerwidth=70Nationalitywidth=80Past season
AboomoslemMashhadSamenParviz Mazloomi6th
BarghShirazHafeziehMahmoud Yavari12th
EsteghlalTehranAzadiFirouz Karimi4th
EsteghlalAhvazTakhti AhvazMajid Jalali2nd
MalavanAnzaliTakhti AnzaliMohammad Ahmadzadeh14th
MesKermanShahid BahonarAmir Ghalenoei9th
PasHamedanGhodsVinko BegovicN/A
PaykanTehranIran KhodroAli Asghar Modir Roosta7th
PegahRashtSardar JangalNader DastneshanQualifier
PersepolisTehranAzadiAfshin Ghotbi 3rd
Rah AhanTehranRah AhanDavoud Mahabadi16th
Saba BatteryTehranShahid DerakhshanYahya Golmohammadi13th
SaipaKarajEnghelab KarajAli DaeiChampion
Sanat NaftAbadanTakhti AbadanAhmad Tousi Qualifier
SepahanEsfahanNaghsh JahanJorvan Vieira5th
SepasiShirazHafeziehGholam Peyrovani10th
Shirin FarazKermanshahAzadi KermanshahShahram MehrpeymaQualifier
Zob AhanEsfahanFoolad ShahrBijan Zolfagharnasab8th

Below is the list of coaches who left their teams after the start of the season.

TeamNameNationality
AboomoslemKhodadad Azizi
Esteghlal AhvazFirouz Karimi
EsteghlalNasser Hejazi
MesFarhad Kazemi
PaykanSamvel Darbinyan
PegahMajid Jahanpour
Rah AhanAkbar Misaghian
Saba BatteryMohammad Hossein Ziaei
Sanat NaftEbrahim Ghasempour
SepahanLuka Bonačić
Shirin FarazMarco Octavio
Zob AhanZoran Đorđević

Participating in international competitions

2008 AFC Champions League

Foreign players

ClubPlayer 1Player 2Player 3Player 4Former Players
Aboomoslem Rodrigo Teixeira Daniel Olerum Ivan Petrović Franck Atsou Ivan Savorjest
Bargh Shiraz Mohammed Nasser Freddy Freire Martín Barlocco
Esteghlal Ahvaz Carlos Soto Fabrício Ceará
Esteghlal Tehran Srđan Urošević
Malavan
Mes Kerman Edinho Paulo Zaltron Sékou Fofana Uche Iheruome Gerardo Morales
PAS Hamedan Emir Obuća Faruk Ihtijarević Sandro Tomić Vladimir Mićović
Paykan Guillaume N'Kendo Ronny Kockel Ibrahima Touré Taribo West
Pegah Joël Tchami William Esenjo Akvsenti Gilauri Saša Ilić Martin Abena
Persepolis Jacques Elong Elong Mate Dragičević Jorge Gaona
Rah Ahan Gevorg Kasparov Hamlet Mkhitaryan Thiago Junio César Pellegrín
Saba Battery Alen Avdić Almir Tolja Marinko Mačkić
Saipa Adriano Alves Evandro Alou Traoré Issa Traoré
Sanat Naft Léo Renato Medeiros Marcelo de Souza
Sepahan Abdul-Wahab Abu Al-Hail Emad Mohammed Haitham Khadim Taher Kabir Bello Jaba Mujiri
Sepasi
Shirin Faraz Alou Badra Djakité Ivan Dragičević Nenad Stojaković
Zob Ahan Armen Tigranyan Fábio Carvalho Mohammed Martin Issa Ndoye Armen Ghazaryan

Final classification

Results table

Last updated March 17, 2008

Player statistics

Top goalscorers

18
13
12
10
9
8

Top goalassistants

8
7
6

Cards

wight=200Playerwidth=40width=40width=40wight=180Team
Hossein Pashaei1300Rah Ahan
Ali Haghdoost1020Aboomoslem
Alou Badra Djakité1110
Mohsen Bengar1100Sepahan
Morteza Kashi1010Saba Battery
Saber Mirghorbani1100Sanat Naft
Abouzar Rahimi1010
Hossein Memar901
Hanif Omranzadeh900
Ivan Petrović801
Mehrdad Pooladi810

Matches played

34

Attendances

Highest attendances

RankHome teamScoreAway teamAttendanceDateWeekStadium
align=center 1 Persepolis align=center 2–1Sepahan align=center 110,000 34 Azadi
align=center rowspan="2" 2 Esteghlal align=center 1–1Persepolis align=center 90,000 9 Azadi
Saba Battery align=center 1–4Persepolis align=center 90,000 33 Azadi
align=center 4 Persepolis align=center 0–0Rah Ahan align=center 85,000 5 Azadi
align=center 5 Persepolis align=center 1–1Esteghlal align=center 80,000 26 Azadi
align=center rowspan="4" 6 Persepolis align=center 3–2Esteghlal Ahvaz align=center 70,000 10 Azadi
Persepolis align=center 1–0Mes Kerman align=center 70,000 12 Azadi
Persepolis align=center 1–0Saipa align=center 70,000 14 Azadi
Persepolis align=center 1–1Bargh Shiraz align=center 70,000 32 Azadi
align=center 10 Persepolis align=center 2–1Paykan align=center 65,000 4 Azadi
Notes:
Updated to games played on 17 May 2008. Source: iplstats.com

See also

References