Sanat Naft FC
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| Full name | Sanat Naft Abadan Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Iran's Brazil (Persian: برزیل ایران) |
| Founded | 2 October 1972; 44 years ago |
| Ground |
Takhti Stadium Abadan |
| Capacity | 8,000 |
| Owner | N.I.O.C |
| Chairman | Ali Issazade |
| Head Coach | Faraz Kamalvand |
| League | Persian Gulf Pro League |
| 2016–17 | Persian Gulf Pro League, 12th |
| Website | Club home page |
Sanat Naft Abadan Football Club (Persian: باشگاه فوتبال صنعت نفت آبادان) is an Iranian football club based in Abadan, Iran. They currently play in the Persian Gulf Pro League after being promoted from the Azadegan League in the 2015–2016 season. The team is sponsored by Iran's national petroleum industry and is part of the sports club Sanat Naft Athletic Club. Sanat Naft has a reserve team, Sanat Naft Novin who currently compete in the 2nd Division.
Despite their lack of success in past years, they are still heavily supported by the people of Abadan, and have cemented a place in Iran's football history.
Prior to the establishment of the Takhte Jamshid League in 1972, The people of Abadan mostly followed two clubs, Kargar FC and Jam FC. Kargar had been established by workers from Abadan's oil refinery. Ten years later, Parviz Dehdari along with some of his class mates at Razi School established Jam FC. These teams had a large number of fans until 1972. When the Takhte Jamshid League was established, the city of Abadan was given one spot. The club was to be managed by Iran's oil industry. Fans were immediately drawn to the team, as it would be competing in Iran's top football league. Many of the better players from Kargar and Jam moved to Sanat Naft. The club's original kit colors were white, blue and black. The city of Abadan and the Khūzestān Province had very technical players and the club adapted a style of play similar to the Brazil of the 1970s after Parviz Dehdari became the chairman of the club. To emphasize their admiration for Brazilian football, the club changed its team colors to yellow, blue and white, similar to that of the Brazilian national team. The clubs nickname, Iran's Brazil, soon appeared.
Football was extremely popular in Abadan, and the number of fans was growing everyday, but everything stopped when the Iranian Revolution took place in 1978. Football was no longer a priority, and it was shoved even farther out of the limelight when the Iran–Iraq War began in 1980. Abadan and Khuzestan were heavily hit during the war. Abadan's massive refinery was shut down, and hundreds of thousands left the city. From 1980 to 1988 the club was based in Shiraz. Once in Shiraz, the club had to start from Iran's third division, but was able to make it back to the top flight with the help of its players. Since many natives of Abadan had left the city during the war for other cities, fan support for the club was always good no matter where the team was playing.
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