Tractor S.C. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Tractor Cultural Sports Club

Full name	Tractor Cultural Sports Club
Nickname(s)	The Tractor, The Red Wolves
Short name	Tractor
Founded	1970; 55 years ago (1970)
Stadium	Yadegar-e Emam Stadium
Stadium capacity	66,833
Owner	Mohammad Reza Zonuzi
Head coach	Dragan Skocic
League	Persian Gulf Pro League
2023–24	Persian Gulf Pro League, 4th
Home colours Away colours

Tractor Cultural Sports Economic Club, often called Tractor, is a professional football club from Tabriz, Iran. They play in the Persian Gulf Pro League, which is the top football league in Iran. The club started in 1970 and was created by the Iran Tractor Manufacturing Company.

Since the 1996–97 season, Tractor has played its home games at the Sahand Stadium. This stadium can hold 66,833 people, but even more fans can fit during big matches. Tractor holds a record for the highest average attendance for a team that was just promoted in Iranian football. About 57,000 fans came to their games during the 2009–10 season. Since 2018, a businessman named Mohammad Reza Zonuzi has owned and supported the club.

Tractor is one of the most successful clubs in Tabriz. They have won two Hazfi Cups and one Azadegan League title. The team's main color is red.

Club History

Early Years (Before 1979)

Tractor FC was founded in 1969 to represent the Iran Tractor Manufacturing Company in Tabriz. They played in the Pasargad League for five years. In the 1975–76 season, they won the Pasargard League and moved up to the Takht Jamshid Cup, which was the top league back then.

In their first season in the Takht Jamshid Cup, they did not play well and were sent back down to the Pasargard League after only one year. They also lost the final of the first ever Hazfi Cup to Malavan. After being relegated, Hossein Fekri stayed as the team's manager. He helped them return to the top league for the 1977–78 season, where they finished in 5th place. The 1978–79 season was stopped because of the Iranian Revolution. Tractor was in 8th place when the league ended. Their main rival at that time was Machine Sazi, another team from Tabriz.

After the Revolution (1980s)

In the 1980s, the national football league was paused because of the Iran–Iraq War. Because of this, Tractor had to play in local leagues in Tabriz for many years. In the 1986–87 Qods League, a team from East Azerbaijan Province, made up of players from both Tractor and Machine Sazi, reached the final. However, they lost to the Isfahan Provincial team.

The 1990s

A coach from Romania, Vasile Godja, worked with Tractor's youth teams starting in 1986. He also worked at the Iran Tractor Manufacturing Company. He was very good at finding young, talented players for the B team. Some of these players, like Karim Bargheri, Sirous Dinmohammadi, Alireza Nikmer, and Hossein Khatibi, later played for Iran's national team.

In 1990, Godja became the coach for the main team. He led the club to a third-place finish in the national league during the 1992–93 season. Esmail Halali was a star player for the team during this time. Under Godja's leadership in 1994, Tractor reached the Hazfi Cup final again, but they lost to Bahman. They also won the MILLS International Cup in India in 1995.

Godja left the team in 1997 after eight years. Then, Mohammad Hossein Ziaei became the player-coach. Around this time, many of Tractor's best players started moving to other clubs. From 1998 to 2001, the team usually finished in the middle of the league table.

The Iran Pro League Era

In 2001, the IRIFF created the Iran Pro League as the country's first professional league. In the very first 2001–02 season, with Reza Vatankhah and Mahmoud Yavari as managers, Tractor finished last and was sent down to the Azadegan League.

Back to the Azadegan League

Tractor played in the Azadegan League (Iran's second division) for seven seasons. They tried hard but could not get back into the Iran Pro League. In the 2006–07 season, Tractor made it to the promotion play-off but lost to Shirin Faraz 4–2.

Before the 2008–09 season, Faraz Kamalvand became the manager. Under his guidance, Tractor finally earned promotion back to the Iran Pro League after eight years!

Return to the Pro League

In the 2011–12 season, with Amir Ghalenoei as manager, Tractor finished second in the league. This earned them a spot in the 2013 AFC Champions League, which was their first time qualifying for this big Asian competition. They also qualified for the 2014 and 2015 tournaments.

In July 2012, Toni, a former coach for famous clubs like Benfica and Sevilla, became Tractor's manager. He led the club to finish second in the Iran Pro League.

AFC Champions League Journey

After some disagreements between Toni and the club chairman, Toni was let go. Majid Jalali took over for the 2013–14 season. But after a series of poor results, Jalali was fired, and Toni returned. He quickly led Tractor to win the Hazfi Cup Championship, which also gave them a spot in the 2015 AFC Champions League. They finished the league season in 6th place, after beating Esteghlal 3–1 in their last match.

Tractor was not able to get past the group stage of the AFC Champions League for the second year in a row, finishing 4th in their group in both the 2013 and 2014 seasons. In 2015, they were again knocked out in the group stage for the third time.

On May 15, 2015, the final match of the season was played between Tractor and Naft Tehran. The game was at Sahand Stadium in Tabriz. Due to communication problems at the stadium, Tractor's staff mistakenly thought that Sepahan was losing to Saipa. This would have meant Tractor would win the league if they drew their game. Tractor tied their game 3–3 with Naft, believing they had won the title. While they were celebrating with their fans, they found out that Sepahan had actually won their game 2–0, making Sepahan the league champions. Tractor finished as runners-up for the third time.

In the middle of the 2015–16 season, coach Toni was again replaced by Amir Ghalenoi. On February 24, 2016, Tractor won their first match of the 2016 AFC Champions League with a 4–0 victory against Emirati club Al Jazira. Tractor also won the second game 1–0 on March 2, 2016. After these two games, Tractor had earned more points than ever before in the AFC Champions League group stage. They made it to the knock-out stages of the Champions League for the first time on April 19, 2016, after beating Saudi club Al-Hilal 2–0. Tractor eventually lost in the Round of 16 to Emirati club Al Nasr.

In the 2016–17 season, Tractor beat Zob Ahan in the semi-final of the Hazfi Cup to reach the final against Naft Tehran. In January 2017, it was announced that FIFA had temporarily stopped Tractor from signing new players for two transfer windows. This was because the club still owed money to some former players. Because of this, the club had to cancel the contract of Sajjad Shahbazzadeh, whom they had just signed days earlier.

Fans

Official Anthem

Tractor has many popular songs, but 'Tiraxtur iftixarımız' ('Tractor is our pride') became the official anthem in 2012. Here are the lyrics:

• Songwriter: Ayyub Shahbazi
• Composer: Gholam Reza Mirzazadeh
• Arrangement: Mohammad Hossein Drablou
• Singer: Esfandiar Garabaghi

ظفر مارشین چالان بیزیک قهرمانلیق بیزیمکی دیر آذربایجان دیاریمیز ادب، شرف شوعاریمیز بیرلیک گۆجون اینانمیشیق چوخ مئیدانلار دوْلانمیشیق آذربایجان دیاریمیز ادب، شرف شوعاریمیز دونیا بوْیو قالان بیزیک ایرانا باش اوْلان بیزیک تیراختور ایفتیخاریمیز تیراختور ایفتیخاریمیز(۲) داغلار کیمی دایانمیشیق ایفتیخارلار قازانمیشیق تیراختور ایفتیخاریمیز تیراختور ایفتیخاریمیز(۲)

We are those who plays the victory march, We are those who are immortal, Heroism is ours, We're the head of Iran. Azerbaijan is our land, Tractor is our pride, Courtesy and honor is our slogan, Tractor is our pride. We have faith in the strength of the union, We have stood like the mountains, We have traveled many arenas, We have won many honors. Azerbaijan is our land, Tractor is our pride, Courtesy and honor is our slogan, Tractor is our pride.

Stadium Incidents

In some away games, there have been reports of damage to stadium property by some fans. For example, in 2018, there was damage at the Azadi Stadium. In 2017, damage was reported at Yadegar-e Emam Stadium in Qom.

Team Crest

Since it was founded, the team has used a red crest. The club's name and the year it started were written around the outside. The second crest was white until 2013, when the club changed its color to black.

Team Kit

The team was previously sponsored by Hamrah-e Aval (a mobile phone company). In July 2018, the club signed a deal with Merooj for their kits, starting from the 2017–18 Iran Pro League season.

Years Shirt sponsors 1970–2009 TMC 2007–2010 Bank Sepah 2009–2012 Hamrah-e Aval 2012–2014 Javanane Khayer Foundation 2013–2016 Aysan Tabriz 2014–2017 Hamrah-e Aval 2017–2018 Irancell 2018–2019 Kowsar Credit Institution 2019– ATA Airlines

Years Kit manufacturers 1990–1994 Umbro 1994–2005 Puma 2005–2010 Daei Sport 2010–2013 Uhlsport 2013–2014 Merooj 2014–2017 Kelme 2017–2018 Li-Ning 2018–2019 Merooj 2019–2021 Adidas 2021–present Start

Media Coverage

Tractor's official matches in the Iran Pro League, Hazfi Cup, and AFC Champions League are shown on Sahand TV (the club's local TV station), Varzesh, and Shoma channels. You can also watch games online on the club's official website and the websites of these TV channels. Important matches are also broadcast on IRIB TV3, Jame Jam, and SAHAR TV.

Club Ownership

The Iran Tractor Manufacturing Company owned the club from its start in 1970. Since 2011, the club has been owned by the Kowsar Foundation (51%), with 30% belonging to the East-Azerbaijan Province. The Iranian Mehr Institute is also connected to the Kowsar Foundation and other club supporters. Since 2018, Mohammad Reza Zonouzi, an Iranian businessman, has owned the club.

Rivalries

Tractor has big rivalries with two other major Iranian football clubs: Esteghlal and Persepolis.

Persepolis–Tractor Rivalry

The rivalry between Persepolis and Tractor began in 2009. This was when Tractor returned to the top Iranian football league after eight years, and their fans were very excited. Mustafa Denizli is one of Tractor's most popular coaches in this rivalry. In 2019, Tractor beat Persepolis for the first time in over five years, with Denizli as their coach.

Esteghlal–Tractor Rivalry

This rivalry also started in 2009. In past years, there have been some intense moments between the fans of both teams. On May 10, 2015, Tractor defeated Esteghlal with four goals. On November 1, 2019, Esteghlal beat Tractor 4–2 at Yadegar-e Emam Stadium.

Machine Sazi–Tractor Rivalry

Tractor has a friendly relationship with Machine Sazi, which is another football club from Tabriz. In the 1970s, Tractor and Machine Sazi often played against each other in the Takht Jamshid Cup, and both teams had some memorable wins. After the Azadegan League was created, Machine Sazi and Tractor played twice in the 1996–97 season.

When Machine Sazi was promoted to the Iran Pro League in 2016, fans were excited to see the first local derby games in seven years.

Affiliated Clubs

• Rubin Kazan

Players

Current Squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Alireza Beiranvand 2 DF Mehdi Shiri 3 DF Shojae Khalilzadeh (captain) 4 DF Aref Gholami 5 MF Pouya Pourali 6 MF Mehdi Hosseini 7 FW Mehdi Abdi 8 MF Igor Postonjski 9 FW Mehdi Torabi 10 MF Ricardo Alves 11 DF Danial Esmaeilifar 15 DF Alireza Arta

No. Position Player 17 DF Saeid KarimazarU23 19 FW Tomislav Štrkalj 20 FW Mehdi HashemnejadU23 21 GK Hossein Pour Hamidi 22 DF Mohammad Naderi 27 FW Amirali KhorramiU21 33 DF Aref Aghasi 37 FW Sokol Cikalleshi 44 DF Mohammad Aghajanpour 50 FW Mohammadmahdi Ghanbari 70 GK Erfan Najjari U21 90 FW Sajjad Ashouri 88 MF Amirreza Firouzbakht 99 MF Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh

• U21 = Under 21 year player. U23 = Under 23 year player. INJ = Out of main squad due to injury.

For recent transfers, see List of Iranian football transfers summer 2024.

Reserve Team Players

No. Position Player 14 DF Milad Kor U23 72 FW Amin EimeryU21 77 FW Arshia HatamiU21 93 MF Mahdi ShabaniU23

No. Position Player 95 DF Morteza JavaheriU23 96 DF Abolfazl RezaeiU21 98 FW Amirreza JeddiU21

Players Out on Loan

No. Position Player

Stadium Information

From 1979 to 1996, Tractor played their home matches at the 20,000-seat Bagh Shomal Stadium (also known as Takhti Stadium). This stadium was used for the 1976 AFC Asian Cup. After it was finished in January 1996, Sahand Stadium (Yadegar-e Emam Stadium) became the new home ground. It is the second-largest stadium in Iran with 66,833 seats. The stadium is also part of the Tabriz Olympic Complex.

While Sahand Stadium was being renovated from 2005 to 2006, Bakeri Stadium was used as the club's home for Azadegan League games. This stadium can hold 10,000 people.

Recent Seasons Performance

Season	Position	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Hazfi Cup	ACL	Top Scorers (Goals)		Manager(s)
2021–22 PGP	13th	30	7	10	14	26	32	-6	31	1/16 Final	–	M. Abbaszadeh(8)	P. Babaei(5)	F. Karimi	Z. Soldo	E. Sağlam
2020–21 PGP	4th	30	12	9	9	35	29	+6	45	1/8 Final	1/8 Final	M. Abbaszadeh(12)	P. Babaei(8)	A. Mansourian	M. Shojaei	R. Khatibi
2019–20 PGP	4th	30	14	8	8	31	21	+8	50	Champions	–	E. Hajsafi(6)	R. Asadi(5)	M. Denizli	S. Elhami	–
2018–19 PGP	5th	30	14	10	6	42	25	+17	52	1/16 Final	–	A. Stokes(11)	A. Dejagah(6)	J. Toshack	M. Taghavi	G. Leekens
2017–18 PGP	10th	30	8	10	12	28	33	−5	34	1/4 Finals	GS	E. Pahlevan(6)	M. Iranpourian(6)	Y. Golmohammadi	E. Sağlam	–
2016–17 PGP	3rd	30	15	11	4	38	24	+14	56	Runners-up	–	F. Hatami(7)	Edinho(7)	A. Ghalenoei	–	–
2015–16 PGP	4th	30	13	12	5	43	27	+16	51	Semi-final	1/8 Final	A. Nong(7)	M. Iranpourian(7)	Toni	A. Ghalenoei	–
2014–15 PGP	Runners-up	30	17	7	6	58	34	+24	58	1/16 Final	GS	Edinho(20)	S. Nariman Jahan(9)	R. Khatibi	Toni	–
2013–14 PGP	6th	30	11	13	6	39	33	+6	45	Champions	GS	K. Ansarifard(14)	S. Daghighi(5)	M. Jalali	Toni	–
2012–13 PGP	Runners-up	34	18	11	5	55	32	+23	65	1/8 Final	GS	M. Salehi(16)	Flavio Paixao(10)	Toni	–	–
2011–12 PGP	Runners-up	34	19	9	6	57	32	+25	66	1/16 Final	–	Flavio Paixao(10)	Tosi(8)	A. Ghalenoei	–	–
2010–11 PGP	5th	34	15	12	7	42	29	+13	57	1/8 Final	–	A. Alizadeh(8)	Karrar(8)	F. Kamalvand	–	–
2009–10 PGP	7th	34	11	14	9	43	42	+1	47	1/8 Final	–	M. Ebrahimi(10)	F. Kheirkhah(10)	F. Kamalvand	–	–

Season by Season Records

The table below shows Tractor's achievements in different competitions over the years.

Season	League	Position	Hazfi Cup	ACL	Notes
1971–72	Local League	4th	Not held	Not held	Region C
1972–73	2nd Division	4th			Group B
1973–74	2nd Division	2nd
1974–75	2nd Division	1st			Promoted
1975–76	Takht Jamshid Cup	16th	Final		Relegated
1976–77	2nd Division	2nd	1/8 Final		Promoted
1977–78	Takht Jamshid Cup	5th	Not held
1978–79	Takht Jamshid Cup	Did not finish
1980–81	Tabriz Football League	10th		Did not qualify	Relegated
1981–82	Tabriz Football League's 2nd Div.	1st			Promoted
1982–83	Tabriz Football League	6th
1983–84		5th
1984–85		1st
1985–86		2nd
1986–87		3rd
1987–88		2nd
1988–89		2nd
1989–90	Qods League	4th	Quarter-finals
1990–91	2nd Division	3rd	1/8 final		Promoted
1991–92	Azadegan League	10th	Not held
1992–93		3rd	Not held
1993–94		8th	Final
1994–95		9th	First round		Relegated
1995–96	2nd Division	2nd	Second Round		Promoted
1996–97	Azadegan League	11th	Second round
1997–98		9th	Not held
1998–99		11th	Second round
1999–00		6th	1/16 final
2000–01		12th	Second round
2001–02	Iran Pro League	14th	Third round		Relegated
2002–03	Azadegan League	3rd	Second round
2003–04		8th	Third round
2004–05		7th	Third round
2005–06		2nd	Second round
2006–07		1st	Second round		Promoted to Play Off
2007–08		4th	1/16 final
2008–09		1st	Quarter-finals		Promoted
2009–10	Persian Gulf Cup	7th	Second round
2010–11		5th	1/8 final
2011–12		2nd	1/16 final
2012–13		2nd	1/8 final	Group stage
2013–14		6th	Champion	Group stage
2014–15		2nd	1/16 final	Group stage
2015–16		4th	Semi-final	1/8 final
2016–17		3rd	Final	did not qualify
2017–18		10th	Quarter-finals	Group stage
2018–19		5th	Round of 32	did not qualify
2019–20		4th	Champion
2020–21		4th	1/8 final	1/8 final
2021–22		13th	1/16 final	Did not qualify
2022–23		4th	1/16 final	Did not qualify

Club Honours and Trophies

Official Titles

• Iran Pro League

• Runner up (3): 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15
• Third Place (2): 2016–17, 1992–93

• Hazfi Cup

• Winner (2): 2013–14, 2019–20
• Runner up (3): 1975–76, 1994–95, 2016–17

• Iranian Super Cup

• Runner up (1): 2020

• Azadegan League (2nd Tier)

• Winner (1): 2008–09

• 2nd Division

• Winner (1): 1974–75
• Runner up (2): 1976–77, 1995–96

• East Azerbaijan Super Cup

• Winner (1): 1992

• Tabriz Football League

• Winner (1): 1984–85

• Tabriz Football League's 2nd Division

• Winner (1): 1981–82

Unofficial Titles

• DCM Trophy

• Winner (1): 1995–96

• Sardaran Shahid International Cup

• Winner (2): 1995, 1996

• Shohada Cup

• Winner (2): 2014, 2017

Club Personnel

Current Coaching Staff

Position	Staff
Head coach	Dragan Skocic
Assistant coaches	Luna Eslava Mohammad Nosrati Joaquín Gil
Goalkeeper coach	Emilio Álvarez
Fitness coach	Julio Luis Muñoz
Technical manager	Hossein Khatibi
Team manager	Kazem Mahmoodi

Management Team

Position	Staff
Owner	Mohammad Reza Zonouzi
President	Saeid Mozaffarizadeh
Board chairman	Abbas Elyasi
Board members	Alireza Navin Mohammad Javad Dolfkar Ghafour Kargari Dara Ghaznavi Mohammad Ali Mojtahedi Saeed Abbasi
Fans club president	Esmaeil Ghilichkhani
Academy manager	Sadegh Pourhossein

Sports Statistics

• Updated to May 2017.

General Information

Details

Concept	Times
Seasons in Iran 1st Tier League	23
Seasons in Iran 2nd Tier League	12
Promotions to Iran 1st Tier League	4
Participations in the Hazfi Cup	27
Participations in Asian competitions	5
All-time best position in Iran Pro League	2nd

Asian Competition Record

Asian Club Championship / AFC Champions League

Accurate as of January 21, 2019

Competition	Played	Won	Drew	Lost	GF	GA	GD	Win%
AFC Champions League	&&&&&&&&&&&&&036.&&&&&036	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&09.&&&&&09	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&09.&&&&&09	&&&&&&&&&&&&&018.&&&&&018	&&&&&&&&&&&&&039.&&&&&039	&&&&&&&&&&&&&052.&&&&&052	−13	&&&&&&&&&&&&&025.&&&&&025.00

Legend: GF = Goals For. GA = Goals Against. GD = Goal Difference.

Asian Club Championship / AFC Champions League
Season	Round	Rival	Home	Away	Agg.
2013	Group stage (Group A)	Al-Jazira	3–1	0–2	–
		El Jaish	2–4	3–3
		Al-Shabab	0–1	0–1
2014	Group stage (Group C)	Al-Ittihad	1–0	0–2	–
		Lekhwiya	0–1	0–0
		Al-Ain	2–2	1–3
2015	Group stage (Group D)	Nasaf Qarshi	1–2	1–2	–
		Al-Ahli	1–0	2–3
		Al-Ahli	2–2	0–2
2016	Group stage (Group C)	Al-Jazira	4–0	1–0	–
		Pakhtakor	2–0	0–1
		Al-Hilal	1–2	2–0
	Round of 16	Al-Nasr	3–1	1–4	4–5
2018	Group stage (Group A)	Al-Jazira	1–1	0–0	–
		Al-Ahli	0–1	0–2
		Al-Gharafa	1–3	0–3
2021	Group stage (Group B)	Pakhtakor	0–0	3–3	–
		Sharjah	0–0	0–2
		Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	1–0	0–0
	Round of 16	Al-Nassr	0-1
2023-24	Play-off round	Sharjah	1–3		–
2024-25	Group stage (Group A)	Mohun Bagan SG			–
		Ravshan Kulob
		Al-Wakrah		3–0

Top Goal Scorers in AFC Champions League

Rank	Player	Goals	Seasons
1	Mohammad Abbaszadeh	4	1
	Farzad Hatami	4	2
2	Geílson Soares	3	1
	Bakhtiar Rahmani	3	1
3	Mehdi Seyed-Salehi	2	1
	Edinho	2	1
	Aloys Nong	2	1
	Augusto	2	1
	Farshad Ahmadzadeh	2	2
	Mohammad Iranpourian	2	4
4	Ashkan Dejagah	1	1
	Mehdi Tikdari	1	1
	Karim Ansarifard	1	1
	Saeed Daghighi	1	1
	Flávio Paixão	1	1
	Mehdi Sharifi	1	1
	Saeid Aghaei	1	1
	Shoja' Khalilzadeh	1	1
	Shahin Saghebi	1	2
	Javad Kazemian	1	2
	Masoud Ebrahimzadeh	1	2
	Milad Fakhreddini	1	3

Individual Player Records

Here are lists of the players with the most games played and top goal scorers for the club, as of June 3, 2019. Mohammad Ebrahimi is the club's all-time most capped player and top scorer with 31 goals in 180 games. This list includes goals from all official matches.

All-Time Top Scorers

#	Name	Nationality	Goals
1	Ahad Sheykhlari	Iran	111
2	Mohammad Ebrahimi	Iran	34
	Mohammad Abbaszadeh	Iran	34
4	Farzad Hatami	Iran	31
5	Edinho	Brazil	29
6	Mohammad Iranpourian	Iran	28
7	Flavio Lopes	Brazil	21
8	Mehdi Seyed-Salehi	Iran	19
9	Reza Asadi	Iran	18
10	Saman Nariman Jahan	Iran	17

All-Time Top Appearances

#	Name	Nationality	Apps
1	Ahad Sheykhlari	Iran	452
2	Mehdi Kiani	Iran	296
3	Mohammad Ebrahimi	Iran	216
4	Mohammad Reza Akhbari	Iran	174
5	Mohammad Iranpourian	Iran	165
6	Masoud Ebrahimzadeh	Iran	159
7	Morteza Asadi	Iran	142
8	Mohammad Nosrati	Iran	123
9	Ehsan Haji Safi	Iran	117
10	Farzad Hatami	Iran	113

Images for kids

• 

  Tractor's squad in 1974 before a Takht Jamshid Cup match

• 

  Tractor players in 2019–20 season.

• 

  Toni, who won the 2013–14 Hazfi Cup and ended up as runners up in 2012–13 and 2014–15 Pro League.

• 

  Celebration after a 2–0 win against Pakhtakor in 2016 AFC Champions League group stage match.

• 

  Fans before a Pro League match.

• 

  Sahand Stadium is the home ground of the club.

• 

  Tractor players celebrating winning Hazfi Cup in 2014

• 

  Mohammad Ebrahimi is leading all time goalscorer's list for the club.

See also

In Spanish: Tractor Sazi FC para niños