Ekbatan F.C.
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| Full name | Steel Azin Football Club |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 |
| Ground |
Shahid Dastgerdi Stadium Tehran |
| Capacity | 8,250 |
| Owner | Hossein Hedayati |
| Chairman | Amir Mehrizi |
| Manager | Human Afazeli |
| League | Iran Football's 3rd Division |
Steel Azin Football Club (Persian: باشگاه فوتبال استيل آذین) is an Iranian football club based in Tehran, Iran. The club is owned by Hossein Hedayati, owner of Steel Azin Iranian Holding Co.. Steel Azin club also had a volleyball team, sponsored by the same Company, which competed in the Iranian Volleyball Super League.
Ekbatan football club had been re-established by two of its former players, Rabti & Ghani, in the late 90's. Moving up the Iranian Soccer ladder year after year, the team reached the Azadegan League 1 in 2003. The team was able to avoid relegation for two consecutive years, but lack of financial resources made the club hot favorites for relegation. Following two dismal years, in the summer of 2005, the club was sold by Rabti & Ghani to an Iranian construction tycoon living abroad.
Following their takeover, the new ownership group of the club announced a new era, vowing to invest in youth. The first move was a shuffle on the bench. Rabti was replaced by his assistant coach, and was made Technical Director. Ghani remained Club manager in the new Club structure modeled after German teams- it included the owner as club chairman. The club's pre- season included a month-long stay in Dubai and matches against Sharjah Wanderers Club, Fabexi FC and Al Nasr SC. With the new investments, a trip to Dubai and a place to call home (Shahid Dastgerdi Stadium), Ekbatan was tipped as a possible promotion candidate. Once the season started though, it took only three weeks for the coach to be replaced and Rabti was re- installed as head coach. The club's dismal start to the season continued, which saw them at the bottom of the standings by mid season despite a remarkable 1:0 win over league leaders Pegah F.C. who suffered their first defeat of the season. The club continued a losing run and Rabti was sacked with 5 games left, though he would remain on the board until the end of the season. Team scout and Ekbatan legend Hadi Ahangaran was given the task of fighting relegation and keeping the club in the league. This proved a successful appointment, and the club narrowly beat the drop after beating Nozhan in the relegation play off match, played in Esfehan. In preparation for the next season, Ekbatan made some high profile changes to the backroom staff including Farhad Kazemi as "special advisor to the Board". Former Paykan FC assistant coach under Farhad Kazemi, Mohsen Garousi was named head coach and Ebrahim Vatanikia, one of the countries most renowned youth coaches, as head of the youth academy. Major changes in the team followed, with only 6 players remaining from the previous season, and this time, the club set their sights on a more modest mid table finish. The club's start to the season though was anything but, as Garousi was fired after losing all of the first seven games. His replacement Asghar Sharafi signed on a two-year deal and promised to keep the club in the Second division. Despite a five match winning streak, the team was not able to make up for their terrible start to the season, finishing in 9th place- only a four-point improvement from the previous season. Shortly after, speculation began on the club's future. While the senior team had not enjoyed much success during the past two seasons, the club had proven successful with its ambitious plans for the youth academy. Vatanikia also affirmed the support of the board by praising them in an interview after winning numerous titles with Ekbatan's academy.
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