{"id":55352,"date":"2026-09-16T17:40:43","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T00:40:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.persianfootball.com\/news\/?p=55352"},"modified":"2026-09-16T17:41:03","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T00:41:03","slug":"iranian-football-returns-in-the-shadow-of-war-and-with-row-over-last-league-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.persianfootball.com\/news\/2026\/09\/16\/iranian-football-returns-in-the-shadow-of-war-and-with-row-over-last-league-title\/","title":{"rendered":"Iranian football returns in the shadow of war and with row over last league title"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Guardian – TEHRAN, Three months ago, Iran was one of the biggest stories in football as Team Melli arrived at the World Cup to try to play in the US, a country that had been bombing and firing missiles at Tehran and other targets. A disallowed goal and a last-minute effort that hit the bar in the final group game against Egypt confirmed Iran\u2019s group\u2011stage exit \u2013 to the delight of some US officials \u2013 by the narrowest of margins. It also signalled the abrupt end of international attention.<\/strong><\/p>\n

There was a return to international action this week as Esteghlal and Tractor SC started out in the AFC Champions League Elite. It comes after the Persian Gulf League kicked off in mid-August, almost six months after it was postponed at the end of February, and subsequently abandoned, as the war continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most important impact of the war on Iranian football was the prolonged suspension of competition,\u201d the Esteghlal head coach, Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh, says. \u201cFor months, we were deprived of club football. Not only were the players and teams unable to train, but the fans also had nothing to talk about, engage in, banter over, and so on. It was sad that football was suspended for such a long period and it will certainly weaken the sport and its passionate supporters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Esteghlal were especially unhappy as the Tehran giants were top of the league when it stopped with 22 games of the 30 played, two points clear of Tractor. It soon became clear the season was never going to be completed, with the 10-time winners feeling they should be given number 11.<\/p>\n

\u201cEsteghlal should be declared the champions of the previous season,\u201d Bakhtiarizadeh says. \u201cBeing at the top of the table is a suitable criterion for determining the most successful team in a tournament at any given time. This is also what Esteghlal fans want.\u201d<\/p>\n

A decision is to be made soon. The majority of the other clubs seem to be against such a presentation, especially those owned by industrial companies such as the steel-backed pair Sepahan FC and Foolad, which have suffered during the war. Whatever happens, Esteghlal have started pretty well in the new campaign.<\/p>\n

As has the league in general. There had been talk in the buildup that games would be behind closed doors, but most matches have had fans, with some decent crowds. At the Tehran derby between Persepolis and Esteghlal, the biggest game in Iran (and many would argue the biggest in Asia), 50,000 fans turned out in the second city of Isfahan.<\/p>\n

The usual home of both teams, the capital\u2019s renowned Azadi Stadium, is unavailable, not because of bombs and missile damage, though the wider sports complex has been hit, but because of continuing repairs. The money spent has become a hot topic and it seems nothing is ever simple in Iranian football even during times of relative peace.<\/p>\n

Esteghlal may not have got the trophy yet, but are representing the country in the AFC Champions League Elite and started with an impressive 3-0 win against the Qatari powerhouse Al-Sadd on Monday. It was even more impressive that the home game took place in the southern Iraqi city of Basra. Iranian clubs are accustomed to playing home games away.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing deprived of home advantage has been one of the biggest problems Iranian football has faced in recent years,\u201d Bakhtiarizadeh says. \u201cNevertheless, it makes us happy to host Al-Sadd in Basra, close to Iran \u2026 with the presence of some of our supporters who live in southern Iran.\u201d The 8,000 fans did their best to create a Tehran-like atmosphere in the massive Basra International Stadium.<\/p>\n

Given that relations between Iran and the United Arab Emirates are not exactly cordial, Tractor may have been relieved there were only 1,300 in attendance in Dubai as they lost 1-0 against Shabab Al-Ahli. However, given the AFC has, for some reason, followed Uefa\u2019s big league-style group stage, there is a lot of time to overcome a poor start.<\/p>\n

At least Saudi Arabian clubs were avoided, useful on and off the pitch. Even before 2023, when Riyadh and Jeddah sides started spending big, Iranian clubs were unable to compete. Years of international sanctions have had huge economic effects and football \u2013 closely connected to the state \u2013 has not escaped. Salaries have stagnated, facilities are often neglected and training camps and overseas friendlies are harder to arrange here than in most other countries.<\/p>\n

But it is not only Iran. No one in Asia can come close to matching the $200m plus paid by Al-Hilal in the summer for Ollie Watkins, Gabriel Martinelli and Crysencio Summerville. Saudi Arabia (which unbelievably has hosted the Champions League from the quarter-finals onwards for the past two editions, an arrangement that was recently extended to 2029) and Japan have five representatives each in the 32-team tournament. Iran, a leading Asian power, has two.<\/p>\n

The Champions League is not a level playing field in many ways, but Bakhtiarizadeh is hopeful his team, Asian champions in 1970 and 1991, can compete. \u201cIt is impossible for any team in Asia to match the Saudi spending power,\u201d the former Iran defender says.<\/p>\n

\u201cNevertheless, I still believe that football is a game in which, over 90 minutes, you may be able to overcome this financial gap through effort, determination and teamwork. Competing against Asian teams is certainly difficult, especially since we have entered the competition without having participated in the summer transfer market but Esteghlal\u2019s history compels us to try.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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