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Malavan
ملوان
MALAVAN.png
Full name Malavan Bandar Anzali Football Club
Nickname(s) Ghou-ye Sepid (The White Swan)
Malavānān (The Sailors)
Short name Malavan
Founded 1969; 55 years ago (1969)
Ground Ghayeghran Stadium
Ground Capacity 9,000
Chairman Arash Fahmide
Manager Maziar Zare
League Persian Gulf Pro League
2023–24 6th of 16

Malavan Bandar Anzali Football Club (Persian: باشگاه فوتبال ملوان بندر انزلى, Bashgah-e Futbal-e Milâvan Bendâr Anzeli) is an Iranian football club based in Bandar-e Anzali, Iran. It currently won Iran's second football league, the Azadegan League and came back to Persian Gulf Pro League after they were relegated in the 2015–16 season. The team is known to have some of the most passionate fans in Iranian football, and is one of the successful teams that is not based in Tehran. This team is one of the most successful Iranian teams in the Hazfi Cup. Malavan has reached the Hazfi Cup final 7 times and won 3 titles.

The club forms the football part of the multisport Malavan Sport and Cultural Club. Malavan was previously owned by the Iranian Navy.

History

Establishment

Bahman Salehnia created the team in 1968 along with some young athletes from the port city of Anzali. After some time, the Iranian Navy decided to become the team's main sponsor and owner.

Early years

The club never really had great success in the league but they were able to become the best non-Tehran based club and finishing third in the 1977 and 1989. Malavan has won the Hazfi Cup on 3 occasions. In 1986 Malavan participated in Asian Club Championship but after beating Saunders SC in first round they withdrew from tournament due to the Iran–Iraq War.

Iran Pro League

In 2003 Malavan was relegated to the Azadegan League, they only stayed one year in the lower league as they were immediately promoted back to the Iran Pro League. Since then, they have been one of the most stable teams of the league in recent years where they only had few coaches during their history and always finished in mid table and challenge the big teams. They finished 12th in the 2008–09 and 2009–10 season. In 2010–11 season they finished 8th and reached the final of Hazfi Cup but lost to Persepolis. In the 2013–14 Iran Pro League season Malavan achieved a surprising 7th-place finish in the league, their highest ever.

Relegation

In July 2015 Malavan hired famous Iranian coach Amir Ghalenoi who had won several league titles with Esteghlal and Sepahan. Player such as Arash Afshin, Hossein Mahini and Shahab Karami joined the squad to serve their conscription period. In Ghalenoi's first game in charge, Malavan defeated the Hazfi Cup holders, Zob Ahan 1–0. After only three games Ghalenoi left the club and was replaced by former Persepolis manager Hamid Estili.

On 13 May 2016 after a 2–0 loss to Siah Jamegan, who were behind Malavan before the match started, the clubs was relegated to the Azadegan League for the second time in their history.

Before the start of the 2016–17 season it was announced that controversial manager Mohammad Mayeli Kohan had been named Malavan's manager. Despite achieving good results and being in or near a promotion spot the entire season, Mayeli Kohan was involved in several confrontations with the supporters, which led to many supporters boycotting the team's games.

Return to Pro League with Zare

2020-2021 season marked the return of two retired homegrown players, Maziar Zare and Pejman Nouri, the former as the new head coach and the latter as the general manager of the club. In his first season, Zare lead the team to the semi-final of the domestic cup, despite failing to win promotion. In the 2021-2022 season, Zare led the team back to the Pro League by winning the Azadegan League with record points, marking the return of Malavan to the top flight after six years.

El Gilano

The match between Malavan and Damash or Sepidrood is known as the Gilan Derby or El Gilano. This match is one of Iran's most important and heated derby's. Malavan hold the record for most wins in the derby with four since the start of the Iran Pro League in 2001. Malavan also holds the largest margin of victory when they defeated Damash 3–0 in 2005 and again in 2013. The derby is also known for its fan violence.

Malavan & Esteghlal semi-final in 2010–11 Hazfi Cup
Fans of Malavan in play of Malavan & Esteghlal semi-final in 2010–11 Hazfi Cup

Season-by-season

The table below chronicles the achievements of Malavan in various competitions since the beginning of Iranian Pro league in 2001.

Year Division Position Hazfi Cup
2001–02 Pro League 12th Quarter-finals
2002–03 Pro League 14th Relegated to the Azadegan League Round of 16
2003–04 Azadegan League 2nd Promoted to the Iran Pro League Quarter-finals
2004–05 Pro League 7th Quarter-finals
2005–06 Pro League 11th Quarter-finals
2006–07 Pro League 14th Quarter-finals
2007–08 Pro League 16th Round of 16
2008–09 Pro League 12th Quarter-finals
2009–10 Pro League 12th Quarter-finals
2010–11 Pro League 8th Final
2011–12 Pro League 15th Fourth Round
2012–13 Pro League 13th Round of 16
2013–14 Pro League 7th Quarter-finals
2014–15 Pro League 13th Round of 16
2015–16 Pro League 14thRelegated to the Azadegan League Quarter-finals
2016–17 Azadegan League 4th Quarter-finals
2017–18 Azadegan League 6th Quarter-finals
2018–19 Azadegan League 11th Fourth Round
2019–20 Azadegan League 15th Third Round
2020–21 Azadegan League 11th Semi-finals
2021–22 Azadegan League 1st Promoted to the Iran Pro League Third Round
2022–23 Pro League 12th Round of 16

For details on seasons, see List of Malavan F.C. seasons

Honours

National titles

  • Azadegan League
    • Winners (1): 2021–22
    • Runner-up (1): 2003–04
  • Hazfi Cup
    • Winners (3): 1975–76, 1986–87, 1990–91
    • Runner-up (4): 1987–88, 1988–89, 1991–92, 2010–11

Minor titles

  • Iran Vahdat Cup
    • Third place (1): 1982
  • Pakistan RCD Cup
    • Runner-up (1): 1974

Club officials

Presidents

Sources:

Name Years
Rashid Sazmand 1996–06
Saadollah Pourtahmasbi 2006–09
Ardeshir Pournemat 2009–11
Bahman Salehnia 2011–12
Sadegh Deroudgar 2012–14
Hossein Gholami 2014–15
Ahmad Donyamali 2015–17
Mehran Nasiri 2017–18
Pejman Nouri 2019–23
Arash Fahmide 2023–present

Current coaching staff

Source:

Position Name
Head coach Iran Mehdi Tartar
Assistant coach Portugal Eurico Pinhal
Goalkeeping coach Iran Mohammad Ali Hassani Sefat
Doctor Iran Babak Sayyad
Technical director Iran Ghafour Jahani
Team manager Iran Hossein Gholami

Head coaches

Below is a list of Malavan coaches from 1968 until the present day. Firouz Karimi carries the honor of being the first Iranian head coach to assume the title without rising from the Malavan football school.

Name Nationality Years
Bahman Salehnia IranIran 20 May 1968 – 5 February 1997
Nosrat Irandoost Iran 5 February 1997 – 15 December 2000
Mohammad Ahmadzadeh Iran 15 Dec 2000 – 2 July 2002
Bahman Salehnia Iran 15 May 2002 – 2 July 2004
Nosrat Irandoost Iran 2 July 2004 – 5 July 2006
Mohammad Ahmadzadeh Iran 5 July 2006 – 1 January 2010
Farhad Pourgholami Iran 1 January 2010 – 29 September 2012
Mohammad Ahmadzadeh Iran 29 September 2012 – 28 May 2013
Dragan Skočić Croatia 28 May 2013 – 1 June 2014
Nosrat Irandoost Iran 1 June 2014 – 8 October 2014
Stevan Mojsilović Serbia 8 October 2014 – 5 December 2014
Firouz Karimi Iran 6 December 2014 – 1 June 2015
Hamid Estili Iran 10 August 2015 – 20 February 2016
Mohammad Ahmadzadeh Iran 1 March 2016 – 15 July 2016
Mohammad Mayeli Kohan Iran 22 July 2016 – 27 May 2017
Nader Dastneshan Iran 28 May 2017 – 1 June 2018
Farhad Pourgholami Iran 1 June 2018 – 28 October 2018
Mohammad Ahmadzadeh Iran 31 October 2018 – 7 June 2020
Akbar Misaghian Iran 7 June 2020 – 1 September 2020
Maziar Zare Iran 1 September 2020 – 18 May 2023
Mehdi Tartar Iran 26 June 2023 – present

Players

First-team squad

No. Position Player
1 Iran GK Alireza Jafarpour
2 Iran DF Saman Touranian (on loan from Esteghlal)
3 Iran DF Abolfazi Alizadeh
4 Iran DF Amir Reza Afsordeh
5 Iran DF Saeed Karimi
6 Iran MF Omid Noorafkan (on loan from Sepahan) (captain)
7 Iran FW Soheil Fadakar
8 Iran MF Reza Mirzaei
10 Iran MF Mohammad Omri (on loan from Persepolis)
11 Iran FW Reza Jafari
12 Iran GK Afshar Sedaghat
14 Iran DF Milad Bagheri
16 Iran MF Farhan Jafari
17 Iran FW Reza Ghandipour
18 Iran FW Mohsen Alafi
19 Iran DF Jalal Maddahi
20 Iran DF Mohammadreza Rezaei
21 Iran DF Younes Akbarpour
No. Position Player
23 Iran MF Parham Movaghari
27 Iran DF Mahan Taghipour
28 Iran MF Nima Entezari
30 Iran FW Ali Ramezani
33 Iran GK Habib Far Abbasi (on loan from Zob Ahan)
35 Iran MF Mahan Sadeghi
40 Iran MF Sajad Mosayebzadeh
44 Iran DF Parham Javadi
45 Iran MF Sina Saadatmand
47 Iran FW Sajjad Bazgir
55 Iran MF Mohammad Hossein Khosravi
77 Iran MF Abouzar Safarzadeh
80 Iran FW Ilya Imani
81 Iran GK Parham Ghanad
82 Iran MF Mohammadreza Khosrsvi
88 Iran MF Ghaem Eslamikhah
90 Iran MF Hossein Sadeghi

Loan list

No. Position Player

For recent transfers, see List of Iranian football transfers summer 2022.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Malavan FC para niños

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