History of Iran’s Football

Football in Iran
Sport as a science is a modern knowledge, but in various recent decades, sport has a special position with scientific method, in such a manner that no sport fields can be found that is independent to the modern scientific principles and its relevant technical fields. 
Today football is not a sport and it is changed to an industry, therefore, not only the athletes, but also various jobs depend on it and this creates some repulsions and attractions in green land. Politics, economics and some other sensible factors affect football. But in past the purpose of this sport was amusing people, playing and health, just like the other sports. 
Football can be analyzed in three aspects: as "game", as "sport" and as a "social phenomena". There are various scientific and cultural dimensions for each aspect, too. 
Maybe few people has imagined that football penetrates in youth society after coming into Iran and familiarity of younger generation and becomes institutionalized in society in such a manner that it becomes effective in macro sport and amusement policies of the country and plays the essential role in codified planning for the young generation. The attention of the youths to football is so remarkable. The most sport budget is spent for football. The amount of advertisements, the number of viewers coming to stadiums and or watching games through TV, the number of sport-amusement programs showed in television, and number of sport clubs allocated to football, is more than other sports. 
There are some characteristics in football making it pandemic and popular. Football is a team game with the least available and useful facilities and the responsibilities are divided in it. It can be followed up such as a sport. It has some particulars that all people in the world are familiar with. 
Today Iranian football has a good position in the region and Asia. National football team of Iran is considered as a strong team in Asia. Moreover some famous players of football, futsal and beach soccer draw attention of the world to Iranian football. In the field of futsal and beach soccer, Iran is a famous country in the world. 

Football Birthday in Iran 
the exact time people play football is not clear yet. Some believe that football come with English sailors coming in South ports of Iran and some other say that this play comes to this country by English workers residing in Masjed Soleiman for extraction of petroleum. Even some people think it comes to Shiraz by European businessmen. 
Since 1918 and after establishment of German schools and Daralfonoun School, football was played in Iran in the present style. From the end of Ahmad Shah Qajar's reign, a bill was sent to the parliament by which the sport became compulsory in Iranian schools.  A place named Daralmoalemin Verzesh was established for teaching sport in Daralfonun School which was the most famous and the biggest school in Iran and it was called physical education after that. The founder of this center was Mir Mehdi Khan Varzandeh. He was called the father of new sport in Iran. 
In 1921, football promotion association was established by Mir Bagher Khan Azimi and Abolfazl Sadri to promote football. This association was active for 11 years under management of Azimi and later under management of Seyed Mohammad Tadayon, chairman of the National Parliament of that time and eventually it was dissolved in 1932. In 1934, a new organization was established for country sport named National Physical Education and Pioneer Association by Ali Asghar Hekmat, the minister of culture for that time and the instructor of Daralmoalemin. 
The first football field in Tehran was Lenj which was constructed by an English transportation company near college. But the first legal football field was Dowlat Street field in the present Tarbiat Moalem University (elementary college was located in the present Mofateh Street).
Sport was the name of the first football team in Iran which was formed by Baradar Khan Sardar. After that Tehran football team was formed between 1921 and 1925 and they had the first travel abroad e.g. Badkoubeh (Turkey) in 1926. 
Hossein Sedghian was the first Iranian players in foreign teams. He became the member of Fanarbaghche team in Turkey and after that played for Radoping of Austria. He assumed responsibility for training football team of our country. In 1939, the first football championship competitions were held in our country for the first time based on the efforts of Abolfazl Sadri Akbar Heidari, Baradaran Khan Sardar and Ali Meftah were among the famous players of that time. 
In 1946, football federation of the country was established. The first chief was Dr. Ali Kani, Professor of University of Tehran. This federation became a member of International Football Federation, FIFA, in Feb. 20, 1948. 

The First Travel of Football Players to Abroad 
In Oct. 23, 1926, based on invitation of Sport Higher Council of Azerbaijan and Caucasus's football payers, the preparations for dispatching Tehran football players to Badkoubeh (Baku) was made.  The required credit for travel of a 15-person boardto Badkoubeh amounting to 400 Tomans was supplied by the cabinet and Ahmad Atabaki was its administrator. On Nov. 24 of the same year, a celebration was held in Daralmoalemin Varzesh for this travel and Soltan Mir Mehdi Khani Varzandeh who was the scrim teacher of military schools was dispatched to Badkoubeh along with the football players as superior of the team. In 1929, a request was presented by Embassy of Russia for dispatching the football players of Russia in Iran. The cabinet approved 1500 Tomans for supplying it credit and on Nov. 13 of the same year the football players and coaches of Daralmoalemin Varzesh went to Rasht for welcoming the guests. During the competitions, 150 Tomans was paid to Iranian goalkeeper e.g. Khan Khanan Sardari by the cabinet as the best player. 
In 1923, the first sport club named Ejtemaiun Sport Club was established in Tehran by Shamseddin and up to 1926, it absorbed 328 members in various sports including football. The similar clubs with sport-cultural activities were established in Mashhad in 1924 and 1930. 
Therefore, football which was entered to this country by English people based on some persons, became popular in Iran and in a short time it had a special position among the athletes and the interested persons. After a short time, Iranian football players went to Azerbaijan for participation in competitions out of country and that football time was invented for a friendly competition in Iran. In Tehran, the first football team named Sport, was formed in 1921 and Mashhad team started his activity in 1930, too. After that football developed all over Iran by increasing number of its lovers. 

Iranian Football and Asian Countries Cup 
Every four years some competitions were held in an Asian country as Asian Countries Cup. These games merely include football and it is imitated from European Countries Cup which is only for football and held each four years in a European country.
As Asian Countries Cup is only in the field of football and against Asian Games or Asian Olympic is not held in all fields, its importance and validity is more that football competitions in Asian Games. Therefore, our country spends more investments and makes more effort for victory in Asian Countries Cup in comparison with Football games in Asian Games. 
Iran has special position and credit in Asian football by achieving 3 championship titles in 1968, 1972 and 1976.

Iranian Football and Football World Cup 
Football world cup is the most important sport event among the football competitions in the world. These games are held each four years once. All continents of the world have a special share in these games and the least share is for Asia. Whereas only 24 team of the world can participate in these games, some competitions are held before holding world cup in various continents including Asia for selection of the best world teams. These selective competitions are named world cup and Iranian people has permanently participated in it from 1974. 
Due to the importance and the attractiveness of football world cup, its selective competitions are very important for our country. Even the credit and value of these games is more than the credit and value of Asian Games and Asian Countries Cup and participation in World Cup is considered as honor for countries and teams. Iran succeeded to participate in Football World Cup four times in 1978, 1998, 2006 and 2014.

Iran Men's National Football Team 
Iran Men's national football team is an international football team which participated in competition representing the country of Iran. This team works under supervision of Football Federation of Islamic Republic of Iran.
The best goaler of Iran was Ali Daei who was the world national football team goaler with 109 goals. 
International federation history and statistics introduce Naser Hejazi as the second best goalkeeper of the 20th century in Asia. 
Four Iranian players succeed to receive the prize for the best player of Asia in 1996, 1999, 2003 and 2004. Khodad Azizi, Ali Daei, Mehdi Mahdavikia, and Ali Karimi are four players selected as the best Asian players. The head-coach of Iran National team is Carlos Queiroz at the present time.