Saipa F.C. facts for kids
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| Full name | Saipa Football Club | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Carmakers The Foxes Oranges |
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| Founded | 1 February 1989 | |||
| Ground | Shahid Dastgerdi Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 8,250 | |||
| Owner | SAIPA | |||
| Chairman | Rasoul Khatibi | |||
| Manager | Ebrahim Sadeghi | |||
| League | Azadegan League | |||
| 2023-24 | Azadegan League, 5th | |||
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Saipa Football Club (Persian: باشگاه فوتبال سايپا, Bashgah-e Futbal-e Saipa) is a professional football team from Tehran, Iran. The club is owned by SAIPA, a big Iranian car company. Saipa FC is part of a larger sports group called Saipa Cultural and Athletic Corporation.
Even though they are a strong team, Saipa has never had a huge number of fans. In the 2006–07 season, a famous player and coach named Ali Daei led them to win their only Persian Gulf Cup title. Saipa has also won the Azadegan League twice and the Hazfi Cup once.
Contents
History of Saipa Football Club
How Saipa FC Started
In 1989, the SAIPA car company decided to create its own football team. They bought a team that was playing in the 4th division of Tehran's city league. They renamed it Saipa F.C.
The team quickly moved up through the leagues. By 1991, the club, which was based in Karaj at the time, was playing in the 2nd division. That same year, they joined the 1st division of Tehran's local league. They won the Tehran city championship and the Tehran Super Cup. This allowed them to play in Iran's top league, the Azadegan League.
Winning in the Azadegan League
In their very first year in the Azadegan League, Saipa won the championship. They also won the Hazfi Cup that year. They won the league championship again in 1994.
In 1995, the team moved down to the second division. But they quickly got promoted back to the top league the very next year. Since then, the club has usually stayed in the middle of the league table.
Playing in the Persian Gulf Pro League
The Ali Daei Years
By 2001, Saipa usually finished in the middle of the league. In 2006, the club signed Ali Daei, a famous Iranian football star, from another team. Saipa had finished third the season before. With a new coach, Werner Lorant, the team hoped to win the title.
However, Lorant was fired early in the season. Ali Daei then became both a player and the coach. Daei scored the winning goal in the game that secured the title for Saipa. He then became the full-time coach. He also coached the national team but stayed with Saipa until the end of the season.
Moving Back to Tehran
After winning the title, Saipa played in the AFC Champions League. But then they went back to finishing in the middle of the league table. Before the 2015–16 Persian Gulf Pro League season, Saipa announced they had moved their home city from Karaj to nearby Tehran.
Club Achievements
Saipa Football Club has won several important titles:
- Iran Pro League/First Division
- Champions: 1993–94*, 1994–95, 2006–07
- Hazfi Cup
- Winners: 1993–94*
- Tehran Super Cup
- Champions: 1993
- Tehran Province League
- Champions: 1992-1993
- * Won League title and Hazfi Cup (double)
Players
Current Squad
Here are the players currently on the Saipa team:
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Players on Loan
These players are currently playing for other teams:
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Player Records
Most Appearances
These players have played the most games for Saipa:
| # | Name | Nationality | Games Played |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ebrahim Sadeghi |  Iran |
452 |
| 2 | Majid Ayoubi | Iran |
338 |
| 3 | Roozbeh Shahalidoost | Iran |
254 |
| 4 | Hamed Shiri | Iran |
166 |
| 5 | Mohsen Khalili | Iran |
156 |
| 6 | Ali Zeinali | Iran |
150 |
| 7 | Omid Sharifinasab | Iran |
149 |
| 8 | Javad Ashtiani | Iran |
143 |
| 9 | Hamed Fallahzadeh | Iran |
138 |
| 10 | Ebrahim Shakouri | Iran |
133 |
Top Scorers
These players have scored the most goals for Saipa:
| # | Name | Nationality | Goals Scored |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mohsen Khalili | Iran |
62 |
| 2 | Karim Ansarifard | Iran |
56 |
| 3 | Ebrahim Sadeghi | Iran |
41 |
| 4 | Amin Manouchehri | Iran |
25 |
| 5 | Hamed Shiri | Iran |
22 |
| 6 | Sajjad Shahbazzadeh | Iran |
21 |
| 7 | Mehdi Torabi | Iran |
20 |
| 8 | Javad Kazemian | Iran |
16 |
| 9 | Arman Ramezani | Iran |
15 |
| 10 | Omid Sharifinasab | Iran |
14 |
Club Management
Coaching Staff
Here are the people who help manage and coach the Saipa team:
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Faraz Kamalvand |
| First team coach | Asghar Maziar |
| Assistant coach | Mehdi Zarei Kazem Borjlou |
| Goalkeeping coach | Farshad Bakhtiarizadeh |
| Fitness coach | Ali Asghar GhorbanaliPour |
| Doctor | Mahyar Mortazavi |
| Analyzer | Mohammad Palizvan |
| Technical Manager | Asghar Hajiloo |
| B team Manager | Kianoush Rahmati |
Past Managers
Many different managers have led Saipa since 1993:
| Name | Time Period | Trophies Won |
|---|---|---|
| Bijan Zolfagharnasab |
1993–97 | 2 Azadegan League, Hazfi Cup |
| Nasrollah Abdollahi |
1997–00 | |
| Behtash Fariba |
2000–01 | |
| Hamid Alidoosti |
2001–02 | |
 Giovanni Mei |
2002–03 | |
| Mohammad Mayeli Kohan |
2003–04 | |
| Bijan Zolfagharnasab |
2004–06 | |
 Werner Lorant |
2006 | |
| Ali Daei |
2006–08 | 1 Persian Gulf Cup |
| Pierre Littbarski |
2008 | |
| Mohammad Mayeli Kohan |
2008–11 | |
| Majid Saleh |
2011–12 | |
| Mojtaba Taghavi |
2012–13 | |
 Engin Firat |
2013–14 | |
| Majid Jalali |
2014–16 | |
| Hossein Faraki |
2016–17 | |
| Ali Daei |
2017–19 | |
| Ebrahim Sadeghi |
2019–21 | |
| Faraz Kamalvand |
2021 |
See also
In Spanish: Saipa FC para niños
