Shahin Tehran F.C.
Shahin Tehran Football Club ( meaning "Falcon"), also spelled Shaahin or Shaheen, from 1973 to 1979 known as Shahbaz (, meaning "Shahbaz"), is an Iranian football club based in Tehran, Iran. Shahin A.C. is located at East of Tehran in the Narmak neighborhood (Golestan Street). Shahin was the most popular clubs in Iran before the 1960s and it had a rivalry with Taj Tehran. Their match was the most important derby of Iran at the time. Shahin F.C. was dissolved in 1967 for political reasons. The club was revived again after the Iranian Revolution in 1979. Due to the  Iran–Iraq War, the national league was not held during the 1980s, however, Shahin was one of the strongest teams in the provincial league of Tehran. They currently compete in the Tehran provincial league. History. In June 1942, Dr. Abbas Ekrami opened the poetry book Divan-e Hafez and saw the following line about Shahin (Falcon), after which he named the club Shahin, Ekrami founded the club with help of some young students under the motto: Shahin became a prominent club in Iran and formed other teams for its sub-clubs Oghab FC, Shahbaz FC, Darius FC, Simorgh FC, Atom  FC, and Pirooz FC. The club also produced many famous Iranian players such as Masoud Boroumand, Homayoun Behzadi and Mehrab Shahrokhi. Shahin FC, without any doubt was the most popular football club in the history of Iranian football. Shahin produced many talented players like Parviz Dehdari, Masoud Boroumand, Homayoun Behzadi, Jafar Kashani, Hossein Kalani, Hamid Shirzadegan, and many more that played for Team Melli. These talents made Shahin popular in the 1960s but its very popularity was viewed as a threat by the Iran Football Federation and the "Keihan Varzeshi" newspaper (Iran's most important sports publication at the time ). The conflict between them became worse and on July 9, 1967, two days after Shahin's 3–0 win against Tehranjavan F.C., the Iran Sports Organization declared Shahin F.C. as dissolved. League attendance dropped and other clubs including Pas Tehran, Rah Ahan, and Oghab tried to sign Shahin players. Despite the efforts to sign and disperse Shahin players to various clubs, Parviz Dehdari, newly appointed manager of Persepolis F.C., and Masoud Boroumand persuaded most Shahin players to join Persepolis and granted the popularity of Shahin to Persepolis. Shahbaz Era. In 1973 Shahin F.C. decided to come back but returned with the  name of its former third team Shahbaz F.C. and participated in Takht Jamshid Cup professional soccer League. Shahbaz F.C. was leading the league in the 1978–1979 season which was unfinished due to Iranian Revolution in 1979. After the revolution, the club reverted to its original name, "Shahin", and was one of the top teams of in Iranian football during the 1980s. In 2009/10 Shahin was competing in the third ranked 2nd Division successfully until the last stage, when they failed to be promoted to the Azadegan 1st Division. In 2010/11 Shahin kept its place in the 3rd Division. In 2011/12  Shahin finished last in its group and therefore is relegated to the provincial league for 2012/13. Branches and affiliated clubs. Shahin F.C. had several attached teams and branches under the name and license of Shahin F.C. in different cities of Iran, including Shahin Bushehr F.C. (est. 1942), Shahin Ahvaz F.C. (est. 1948) and Shahin Isfahan F.C.(est. 1953). In 1967 due to the political problems that arose in the Shahin F.C. organization, the other teams were forced to cease operations as well. Some had to deactivate for a period of time, while other teams renamed and continued under different names. Persepolis  F.C. started the 1968 season with Parviz Dehdari as manager. Despite the efforts to sign and disperse Shahin players to various clubs, Parviz Dehdari and Masoud Boroumand transferred the popularity of Shahin to Persepolis F.C. by taking most Shahin Players to join Persepolis. Persepolis F.C. using four Shahin players, had a friendly match with "Jam Abadan", a respected team at the time. After the match the remainder of the Shahin players joined Persepolis. Although Shahin Tehran established in a new team under the name of Shahbaz, it was failed to get back its popularity again. Shahin Isfahan F.C. changed its  name to Sepahan F.C.. The club is one of the representatives of Isfahan Province in Takht Jamshid Cup national league. The team now plays under the name of Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan, and has been able to attain a respectable fan base in its hometown. Shahin Bushehr is one of the most popular clubs of Iran. After years of history and competing in different levels of the Iranian football league system, including a 1994–95 appearance in the top division and several years in the second level, Shahin Bushehr was renamed Shahin Pars Jonoubi Bushehr in 2007 and promoted to IPL in  2009. The club is now owned by "Pars Special Economic Energy Zone", based in Asalouyeh, Bushehr Province and currently competes in the 2nd Division after being relegated from Azadegan League in 2013. Shahin Ahvaz F.C. was founded in 1948 and was one of Shahin Tehran F.C. branches at the time. The golden years of Shahin Ahvaz F.C. were in the 1980s when the team won its very first "Hazfi cup" after defeating Persepolis Tehran in the semi-finals and then Malavan Anzali in the final game. This winning made them qualify to the Asian Club Championship. They currently compete in  the Provincial Leagues. Colours and crest. The usual home kit includes a white shirt, black shorts, and white socks. The away kit of the club is commonly with a black background. Current Exuctive Director:Alireza Kushanfar Season-by-season. The table below chronicles the achievements of Shahin in various competitions since 1965. World Cup players. 1978 FIFA World Cup