# 2008–09 Persian Gulf Cup

The 2008–09 Persian Gulf Cup (also known as Iran Pro League) was the 26th season of Iran's Football League and eighth season of Iran Pro League since its establishment in 2001. Persepolis were the defending champions. The season featured 15 teams from the 2007–08 Persian Gulf Cup and two new teams promoted from the 2007–08 Azadegan League: Payam Mashhad as champions and Foolad. Damash replaced Pegah. The league started on 4 August 2008 and ended on 26 April 2009. Esteghlal won the Pro League title for the second time in their history (total seventh Iranian title).

## Teams

| Team | City | Venue | Capacity | Head coach | Team captain | Past Season |
| Aboomoslem | Mashhad | Samen | 35,000 | Ali Hanteh | Saeed Khani | 4th |
| Bargh Shiraz | Shiraz | Hafezieh | 20,000 | Rasoul Korbekandi | Sattar Zare | 7th |
| Damash Gilan | Rasht | Sardar Jangal | 15,000 | Stanko Poklepović | Mohammad Reza Mahdavi | 15th |
| Est. Ahvaz | Ahvaz | Takhti Ahvaz | 30,000 | Khodadad Azizi | Afshin Komaei | 8th |
| Esteghlal | Tehran | Azadi | 90,000 | Amir Ghalenoei | Farhad Majidi | 13th |
| Foolad | Ahvaz | Takhti Ahvaz | 15,000 | Majid Jalali | Ali Badavi | Qualifier |
| Malavan | Anzali | Takhti Anzali | 8,000 | Mohammad Ahmadzadeh | Masoud Gholamalizad | 16th |
| Mes Kerman | Kerman | Shahid Bahonar | 15,000 | Parviz Mazloomi | Farzad Hosseinkhani | 10th |
| Moghavemat | Shiraz | Hafezieh | 20,000 | Gholam Hossein Peyrovani | Mostafa Sabri | 14th |
| Pas Hamedan | Hamedan | Ghods | 5,000 | Vinko Begovic | Omid Khouraj | 5th |
| Paykan | Qazvin | Shahid Rajaei | 5,000 | Ali Asghar Modir Roosta | Mohammad Reza Tahmasebi | 9th |
| Payam | Mashhad | Samen | 35,000 | Kazem Ghiyasiyan | Mehdi Hasheminasab | Qualifier |
| Persepolis | Tehran | Azadi | 90,000 | Nelo Vingada | Karim Bagheri | Champion |
| Rah Ahan | Rey, Iran | Rah Ahan | 15,000 | Mehdi Tartar | Ahmad Taghavi | 12th |
| Saba Qom | Qom | Yadegar Emam | 15,000 | Firouz Karimi | Yahya Golmohammadi | 3rd |
| Saipa | Karaj | Enghelab Karaj | 15,000 | Mohammad Mayeli Kohan | Ebrahim Sadeghi | 11th |
| Sepahan | Esfahan | Foolad Shahr | 25,000 | Farhad Kazemi | Moharram Navidkia | 2nd |
| Zob Ahan | Esfahan | Foolad Shahr | 25,000 | Mansour Ebrahimzadeh | Mohammad Salsali | 6th |
* In October 2008 Pegah Gilan terminated their sports activities due to financial problems. Damash Iranian (Damash Mineral Water Company) owned by Amir Abedini took over their license. New club named Damash Gilan.
Below is the list of coaches who left their teams after the start of the season.
| Team | Name |
| Aboomoslem | Hadi Bargizar |
| Damash Gilan | Bijan Zolfagharnasab |
| Rah Ahan | Davoud Mahabadi |
| Saipa | Pierre Littbarski |
| Sepahan | Engin Firat |
| Persepolis | Afshin Ghotbi |
| Payam | Khodadad Azizi |
| Aboomoslem | Amir Hossein Peyrovani |
| Sepahan | Hossein Charkhabi |
| Damash Gilan | Hossein Abdi |
| Bargh Shiraz | Mohammad Abbasi |
| Payam | Abbas Chamanyan |
| Persepolis | Afshin Peyrovani |
| Est. Ahvaz | Akbar Misaghian |
| Bargh Shiraz | Farshad Pious |
| Payam | Majid Hosseinipour |
| Rah Ahan | Mahmoud Yavari |
| Paykan | Ali Asghar Modir Roosta |
| Aboomoslem | Ali Hanteh |

## Foreign players

| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Player 4 | Former Players |
| Aboomoslem | Jean Black Ngody | Daniel Olerum | Abdou Moumouni | Franck Atsou | Jassim Ghulam Fuad Salihović |
| Bargh Shiraz | Alen Avdić | William Teixera | | | Martín Barlocco |
| Damash Gilan | Adriano Alves | Ivan Dragičević | | | |
| Esteghlal Ahvaz | Ahmed Kadhim | Mohammed Nasser | Marjan Belčev | | Haitham Khadim Taher |
| Esteghlal | Januário | Rinaldo Cruzado | | | Fabrício Ceará |
| Foolad | | | | | |
| Malavan | Alen Bašić | Felipe Alves | | | |
| Mes Kerman | Edinho | Paulo Zaltron | Sékou Fofana | | |
| Moghavemat | | | | | |
| PAS Hamedan | Shakhboz Erkinov | | | | Mario Garba |
| Paykan | Christian Carvalho | | | | |
| Payam | Diego | Shpejtim Arifi | | | |
| Persepolis | Wésley Brasilia | Ibrahima Touré | Ivan Petrović | | Paulão |
| Rah Ahan | Álvaro Pintos | | | | Hamlet Mkhitaryan César Pellegrín |
| Saba Qom | Almir Tolja | | | | |
| Saipa | Alou Traoré | Issa Traoré | | | |
| Sepahan | Jacques Elong Elong | Abdul-Wahab Abu Al-Hail | Emad Mohammed | Armando Sá | |
| Zob Ahan | Igor Castro | Iman Shirazi | Bajram Nebihi | Issa Ndoye | Haider Obeid |

## League standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Esteghlal (C) | 34 | 19 | 9 | 6 | 70 | 34 | +36 | 66 | Qualification for the 2010 AFC Champions League |
| 2 | Zob Ahan | 34 | 19 | 9 | 6 | 58 | 42 | +16 | 66 | Qualification for the 2010 AFC Champions League |
| 3 | Mes | 34 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 54 | 36 | +18 | 61 | Qualification for the 2010 AFC Champions League |
| 4 | Sepahan | 34 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 46 | 34 | +12 | 56 | Qualification for the 2010 AFC Champions League |
| 5 | Persepolis | 34 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 50 | 41 | +9 | 55 | |
| 6 | Saba | 34 | 12 | 17 | 5 | 49 | 36 | +13 | 53 | |
| 7 | Foolad | 34 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 50 | 41 | +9 | 50 | |
| 8 | Paykan | 34 | 13 | 8 | 13 | 43 | 42 | +1 | 47 | |
| 9 | Fajr | 34 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 33 | 37 | −4 | 44 | |
| 10 | Saipa | 34 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 43 | 50 | −7 | 42 | |
| 11 | Rah Ahan | 34 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 35 | 41 | −6 | 41 | |
| 12 | Pas Hamedan | 34 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 40 | 47 | −7 | 40 | |
| 13 | Malavan | 34 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 31 | 43 | −12 | 40 | |
| 14 | Est. Ahvaz | 34 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 37 | 54 | −17 | 39 | |
| 15 | Aboumoslem | 34 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 34 | 41 | −7 | 35 | |
| 16 | Payam (R) | 34 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 33 | 52 | −19 | 35 | Relegation to the 2009–10 Azadegan League |
| 17 | Damash (R) | 34 | 6 | 13 | 15 | 40 | 56 | −16 | 31 | Relegation to the 2009–10 Azadegan League |
| 18 | Bargh (R) | 34 | 5 | 9 | 20 | 35 | 54 | −19 | 24 | Relegation to the 2009–10 Azadegan League |
* Champions
* Esteghlal F.C.

## Results table

Last updated April 26, 2009
| Home \ Away | ABU | BGH | EST | ESA | MLV | MES | PAS | PAY | PYM | DMG | PRS | RAH | SAB | SAP | SEP | FOL | MVT | ZOB |
| Aboumoslem | | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 4–3 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 4–0 |
| Bargh Shiraz | 2–2 | | 1–4 | 0–3 | 3–0 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 |
| Esteghlal | 2–0 | 1–1 | | 6–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 5–0 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 5–2 | 2–0 |
| Est. Ahvaz | 1–3 | 1–0 | 0–3 | | 3–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| Malavan | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| Mes Kerman | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 1–0 | | 2–0 | 4–0 | 3–3 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 |
| PAS Hamedan | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–4 | 5–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–3 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 |
| Paykan | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 |
| Payam Mashhad | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–4 | 1–1 | | 3–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–3 |
| Damash | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 2–4 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| Persepolis | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 |
| Rah Ahan | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1–5 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–4 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| Saba Qom | 1–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 |
| Saipa | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–4 | | 1–1 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 1–0 |
| Sepahan | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–4 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| Foolad | 0–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 5–1 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | | 0–1 | 4–1 |
| Moghavemat | 0–0 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | | 0–2 |
| Zob Ahan | 0–3 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 6–3 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | |

## Player statistics
### Top scorers

| Position | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Arash Borhani | Esteghlal | 20 |
| 2 | Shpejtim Arifi | Payam | 18 |
| 3 | Igor Castro | Zob Ahan | 16 |
| 4 | Afshin Chavoshi | Damash Gilan | 15 |
| 5 | Fereydoon Fazli | Saba Qom | 14 |
| 5 | Emad Mohammed | Sepahan | 14 |
| 6 | Siavash Akbarpour | Esteghlal | 12 |
| 6 | Adriano Alvez | Damash Gilan | 12 |
| 6 | Davoud Haghi | Rah Ahan | 12 |
| 8 | Maysam Baou | Aboomoslem | 11 |
| 8 | Faraz Fatemi | Mes Kerman | 11 |
| 8 | Iman Haydari | Paykan | 11 |
| 8 | Jalal Rafkhaei | Malavan | 11 |
| 8 | Ibrahima Touré | Persepolis | 11 |
| 11 | Farid Abedi | Bargh Shiraz | 10 |
| 11 | Edinho | Mes Kerman | 10 |
| 11 | Mohammad Reza Khalatbari | Zob Ahan | 10 |
| 11 | Amin Motevaselzadeh | Moghavemat Sepasi | 10 |
| 11 | Issa Traoré | Saipa | 10 |
| 20 | 5 players | 5 players | 9 |
| 25 | 6 players | 6 players | 8 |
| 31 | 2 players | 2 players | 7 |
| 33 | 8 players | 8 players | 6 |
| 41 | 18 players | 18 players | 5 |
| 58 | 23 players | 23 players | 4 |
| 81 | 18 players | 18 players | 3 |
| 99 | 26 players | 26 players | 2 |
| 125 | 95 players | 95 players | 1 |
| Own goals | Own goals | Own goals | 0 |
| Total goals | Total goals | Total goals | 777 |
Last updated: 11 April 2009 Source: Iplstats.com

### Cards

| Player | | | | Team |
| Mohammad Matouri | 10 | 0 | 1 | Payam Mashhad |
| Mohammad Reza Khalatbari | 10 | 1 | 0 | Zob Ahan |
| Mohsen Arzani | 8 | 1 | 0 | Payam Mashhad |
| Alireza Jalili | 9 | 0 | 0 | Payam Mashhad |
| Morteza Bargizar | 9 | 0 | 0 | Payam Mashhad |
| Mohammad AghaMohammadi | 9 | 0 | 0 | Est. Ahvaz |
| Meysam Khosravi | 9 | 0 | 0 | Paykan |
| Adriano Alvez | 9 | 0 | 0 | Damash Gilan |
| Mohsen Bengar | 7 | 1 | 0 | Sepahan |
| Omid Khouraj | 5 | 1 | 2 | PAS Hamedan |
| Hanif Omranzadeh | 7 | 1 | 0 | PAS Hamedan |
| Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht | 7 | 0 | 1 | Persepolis |
| Maziar Zare | 8 | 0 | 0 | Persepolis |

### Matches played
#### 33

* Morteza Ebrahimi (Mes)
* Vahid Taleblou (Esteghlal)

## Sponsorship

* Referee's Sponsor: GERAD
* Referee's Supplier: Merooj
Team Shirt manufacturers
| Team | Kit Manufacturer |
| Esteghlal | Uhlsport |
| Persepolis | Uhlsport |
| Rah Ahan | Uhlsport |
| Sepahan | Uhlsport |
| Aboomoslem | Merooj |
| Esteghlal Ahvaz | Merooj |
| Foolad | Merooj |
| Mes Kerman | Merooj |
| Moghavemat | Merooj |
| Paykan | Merooj |
| Payam | Merooj |
| Damash Gilan | Merooj |
| Saba | Merooj |
| Zob Ahan | Merooj |
| Bargh | Daei SWE |
| Malavan | Daei SWE |
| PAS Hamedan | Nahangi |
| Saipa | Nahangi |

## Attendances
### Average home attendances

| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
| 1 | Persepolis | 651,000 | 90,000 | 0 | 40,688 | −32.2%$^†$ |
| 2 | Esteghlal | 615,000 | 90,000 | 10,000 | 36,176 | +4.2%$^†$ |
| 3 | Mes Kerman | 123,000 | 15,000 | 1,000 | 7,235 | −11.5%$^†$ |
| 4 | Malavan | 116,000 | 15,000 | 3,000 | 6,824 | −35.4%$^†$ |
| 5 | Bargh Shiraz | 115,000 | 20,000 | 1,000 | 6,765 | +29.2%$^†$ |
| 6 | Foolad | 109,000 | 20,000 | 2,000 | 6,412 | n/a$^†$ |
| 7 | Payam | 103,000 | 40,000 | 1,000 | 6,059 | n/a$^†$ |
| 8 | Sepahan | 98,000 | 15,000 | 2,000 | 5,765 | −8.1%$^†$ |
| 9 | Aboumoslem | 90,000 | 35,000 | 1,000 | 5,294 | −23.7%$^†$ |
| 10 | Saipa | 89,000 | 50,000 | 1,000 | 5,235 | −37.8%$^†$ |
| 11 | Moghavemat | 86,000 | 20,000 | 1,000 | 5,059 | +17.8%$^†$ |
| 12 | Est. Ahvaz | 85,000 | 20,000 | 1,000 | 5,000 | −37.0%$^†$ |
| 12 | Saba Qom | 85,000 | 15,000 | 1,000 | 5,000 | −32.5%$^†$ |
| 14 | Zob Ahan | 84,000 | 15,000 | 2,000 | 4,941 | +55.6%$^†$ |
| 14 | Rah Ahan | 84,000 | 40,000 | 1,000 | 4,941 | +86.7%$^†$ |
| 16 | Paykan | 68,000 | 12,000 | 1,000 | 4,000 | +6.2%$^†$ |
| 17 | Damash | 67,000 | 15,000 | 1,000 | 3,941 | n/a$^†$ |
| 18 | PAS Hamedan | 63,000 | 12,000 | 1,000 | 3,706 | −45.7%$^†$ |
| | League total | 2,731,000 | 90,000 | 0 | 8,954 | −20.3%$^†$ |
Updated to games played on 26 April 2009 Source: iplstats.com Notes: Matches with spectator bans are not included in average attendances Pegah, Sanat Naft and Shirin Faraz played last season in Azadegan League Paykan moved from Tehran to Qazvin Saba Battery moved from Tehran to Qom Damash replaced Pegah

### Highest attendances

| Rank | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | Date | Week | Stadium |
| 1 | Persepolis | 2–0 | Damash | 90,000 | 25 September 2008 (2008-09-25) | 8 | Azadi |
| 1 | Persepolis | 1–1 | Esteghlal | 90,000 | 3 October 2008 (2008-10-03) | 9 | Azadi |
| 1 | Esteghlal | 1–1 | Persepolis | 90,000 | 13 February 2009 (2009-02-13) | 26 | Azadi |
| 4 | Persepolis | 0–1 | Mes Kerman | 60,000 | 11 September 2008 (2008-09-11) | 6 | Azadi |
| 4 | Persepolis | 3–2 | Sepahan | 60,000 | 26 October 2008 (2008-10-26) | 12 | Azadi |
| 4 | Persepolis | 1–1 | Saipa | 60,000 | 9 December 2008 (2008-12-09) | 18 | Azadi |
| 4 | Esteghlal | 2–1 | Saba Qom | 60,000 | 23 January 2009 (2009-01-23) | 23 | Azadi |
| 8 | Persepolis | 3–1 | Bargh Shiraz | 55,000 | 22 October 2008 (2008-10-22) | 11 | Azadi |
| 9 | Saipa | 1–1 | Persepolis | 50,000 | 4 August 2008 (2008-08-04) | 1 | Azadi |
| 9 | Esteghlal | 2–1 | Rah Ahan | 50,000 | 27 September 2008 (2008-09-27) | 8 | Azadi |
Notes: Updated to games played on 26 April 2009. Source: iplstats.com