The 2017–18 Persian Gulf Pro League (formerly known as Iran Pro League) was the 35th season of Iran's Football League and 17th as Persian Gulf Pro League since its establishment in 2001. Persepolis were the defending champions. The season featured 14 teams from the 2016–17 Persian Gulf Pro League and two new teams promoted from the 2016–17 Azadegan League: Pars Jonoubi Jam as champions and Sepidrood. The league started on 27 July 2017 and ended on 27 April 2018. Persepolis won the Pro League title for the fourth time in their history, a total 11th Iranian title.
Teams
Stadia and locations
Team Location Stadium Capacity Esteghlal Tehran Azadi78,116 Esteghlal Khuzestan Ahvaz Ghadir38,900 Foolad Ahvaz Ghadir38,900 Gostaresh Tabriz Bonyan Diesel12,000 Naft Tehran Tehran Takhti Tehran30,122 Padideh Mashhad Samen Imam Reza35,000 25,000 Pars Jonoubi Jam Jam Takhti Jam15,000 Paykan Shahr-e Qods Shohada Shahr-e Qods25,000 Persepolis Tehran Azadi78,116 Saipa Tehran Shahid Dastgerdi8,250 Sanat Naft Abadan Takhti Abadan10,000 Sepahan Isfahan Naghsh-e-Jahan75,000 Sepidrood Rasht Dr. Azodi Sardar Jangal11,000 15,000 Siah Jamegan Mashhad Samen Imam Reza35,000 25,000 Tractor Sazi Tabriz Sahand66,833 Zob Ahan Fuladshahr Foolad Shahr15,000
Personnel and kits
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Team Manager CaptainKit manufacturerEsteghlal Winfried Schäfer Mehdi Rahmati Li-NingEst. Khuzestan Abdollah Veisi Meysam Doraghi StartFoolad Sirous Pourmousavi Ayoub Vali UhlsportGostaresh Firouz Karimi Andranik Teymourian MeroojNaft Talaieh Human Afazeli Alireza Ezzati UhlsportPadideh Mohammad Reza Mohajeri Reza Nasehi FitcomPars Jonoubi Jam Mehdi Tartar Meysam Naghizadeh MeroojPaykan Majid Jalali Rahman Ahmadi Yousef JamePersepolis Branko Ivanković Jalal Hosseini JomaSaipa Ali Daei Roozbeh Shahalidoost StartSanat Naft Faraz Kamalvand Hossein Baghlani MeroojSepahan Mansour Ebrahimzadeh Hossein Papi PeakSepidrood Ali Karimi Hossein Kaebi Yousef JameSiah Jamegan Davoud Mahabadi Hossein Badamaki StartTractor Sazi Ertuğrul Sağlam Mehdi Kiani Li-NingZob Ahan Amir Ghalenoei Mehdi Rajabzadeh Merooj
Managerial changes TeamOutgoing head coachManner of departureDate of vacancyPosition in tableIncoming head coachDate of appointment Gostaresh Faraz KamalvandContract expired Pre-season Luka Bonačić Sanat Naft Firouz Karimi Faraz Kamalvand Saipa Hossein Faraki Ali Daei Tractor Sazi Amir Ghalenoei Yahya Golmohammadi Zob Ahan Mojtaba Hosseini Amir Ghalenoei Esteghlal Khuzestan Sirous Pourmousavi Abdollah Veisi Foolad Naeim Saadavi Sirous Pourmousavi Naft Tehran Ali Daei Signed by Saipa Hamid Derakhshan Esteghlal Alireza Mansourian Resigned 16th Winfried Schäfer Gostaresh Luka Bonačić Sacked 16th Firouz Karimi Siah Jamegan Akbar MisaghianSacked 14th Alireza Marzban Siah Jamegan Alireza Marzban Resigned 16th Reza Enayati Sepidrood Ali Nazarmohammadi Sacked 15th Ali Karimi Naft Tehran Hamid Derakhshan Resigned 14th Human Afazeli Tractor Sazi Yahya Golmohammadi Resigned 11th Ertuğrul Sağlam Sepahan Zlatko KranjčarMutual Consent 12th Mansour Ebrahimzadeh27 January 2018Siah Jamegan Reza EnayatiSacked18 February 201816th Davoud Mahabadi20 February 0218
Foreign players
The number of foreign players is restricted to four per Persian Gulf Pro League team, including a slot for a player from AFC countries. A team can use four foreign players on the field in each game, including at least one player from the AFC country. In bold: Players that have been capped for their national team. Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Asian Player Former Players Esteghlal Leandro Padovani Bojan Najdenov Mame Baba Thiam Server Djeparov Esteghlal Khuzestan Claudir Moussa Coulibaly Saba Tavadze Foolad Gostaresh Fernando Jesus Edson Henrique Dragan Žarković Naft Talaieh Padideh Pars Jonoubi Jam Aloys Nong Michael Umaña Paykan Kenneth Ikechukwu Arfang Daffé Ezekiel Bassey Persepolis Božidar Radošević Godwin Mensha Bashar Resan Saipa Aloys Nong Samuel Sarfo Sanat Naft Augusto César Luciano Pereira Magno Batista Karrar Jassim Sepahan Edon Hasani Ibrahim Alma Marwan Hussein Lee Oliveira Jairo Rodrigues Rafael Crivellaro Sepidrood Siah Jamegan Goran Jerković Jure Čolak Tractor Sazi Sulejman Krpić Jordi Almeida Šime Gregov Zob Ahan Kiros Stanlley Giorgi Gvelesiani Rabih Ataya
League table
Results
Positions by round
Season statistics
Top scorers
RankPlayerClubGoals1 Ali Alipour Persepolis192 Morteza Tabrizi Zob Ahan133 Luciano Pereira Sanat Naft124 Sasan Ansari Sepahan11 Mohammad Ghazi Padideh6 Mehdi Torabi Saipa107 Kiros Stanlley Zob Ahan98 Issa Alekasir Naft Tehran8 Reza Khaleghifar Goustaresh Foulad10 Jalaleddin Alimohammadi Sepahan7 Ali Ghorbani Esteghlal Karrar JassimSanat Naft Rahim Zahivi Foolad
Hat-tricks
PlayerClubAgainstResultDate Morteza Tabrizi Zob Ahan Esteghlal Khuzestan 6–0 (H) Saman Nariman Jahan Gostaresh Foulad Saipa 3–1 (H) Mohsen Karimi Esteghlal Sanat Naft 4–0 (H)
Clean sheets
RankPlayerClubClean sheets1 Alireza Beiranvand Persepolis172 Mohammad Rashid Mazaheri Zob Ahan123 Hossein Hosseini Esteghlal10 Fernando Jesus Gostaresh Foulad5 Mohsen Forouzan Pars Jonoubi9 Payam Niazmand Paykan7 Hamed Fallahzadeh Saipa8 Saeid Jalali Rad Padideh Vahid Sheikhveisi Est. Khuzestan
Attendances
Average home attendances
Attendances by round Team/Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930AverageEsteghlalA26,00061,000A18,000A22,000A30,000A18,000ANCA25,00015,000AA33,000A24,000A15,000A100,000A15,000A10,000A29,429Esteghlal Khuzestan200A500A700A200A15,000A200A500A2,000A20,000A500A500A3,000A300A100A1,000A2,980FooladA500A2,000A1,000A1,000A2,000A3,000A3,000A25,000A3,000A3,000A4,000A10,000ANCA500A1,0004,214Gostaresh150A200A2,102AA2,200A300A300A300AA100A350A410250A300A150A5,000A150817Naft Tehran1,500A23,000AA500A280A100A200A200AA500A1,500100A100A500A15,000A200A2002,925PadidehA1,800A2,200A2,200AA5,000A8,000A1,000A3,0001,000A2,000A35,000A12,0001,000A2,500A30,000A5,000A7,447Pars Jonoubi JamA8,000A12,000A16,000A8,000AA10,000A15,000A4,0005,000A3,000A5,000A2,000A5,0003,000A7,000A2,000A7,000Paykan500A500A500A800A3002,000A200A10,000AA257A1,000A15,000A200AA1,000A1,000A5002,250Persepolis30,000AA42,000A32,000A17,000A85,000A18,000A30,000AA70,000NCA25,000A50,000A15,000A60,000A15,000A68,00039,786SaipaA600A27,0002,350A900A2,300A11,000A150A300600A200AA300A200A150A200A200A3,097Sanat Naft10,000A5,000A5,000A6,000A5,000A6,000A8,0007,000AA8,000A8,000A6,000A13,000A2,500A2,500AA5,0006,467Sepahan12,000A12,000A8,000A38,000A6,000A3,000NCA10,000AA7,500A15,000A7,500A2,000A10,000AA7,000A35,00012,357SepidroodA3,000A6,000A2,700A6,000A7,000A5,000AA15,0005,000A10,000A10,000A15,000A7,000A10,000A15,00010,000A8,447Siah Jamegan1,000A3,000A1,650A600750A10,000A30,000A2,000AA3,000A35,000A12,000AA8,000A1,100A100A1007,220Tractor SaziA45,000A14,000A15,10014,000A10,000A5,000A1,500A3,1002,000A38,000A1,500AA3,000A7,000A5,000A1,000A11,013Zob AhanA500A4,500A600A300A2,000AA500A700900A300A1,000A15,000A300A1,5002,000A12,000A2,807Total55,35085,400105,200109,70038,30270,10082,50018,53073,600108,40061,20056,70026,65062,50053,10054,500109,35756,50094,35080,60065,71098,35037,40046,100125,45088,75061,80043,80041,200109,9502,138,049Average6,91910,67513,15013,7134,7888,76310,3132,6479,20013,5507,6508,1003,8077,8136,6386,81313,6708,07111,79410,0758,21412,2944,6755,76315,68112,6797,7255,4755,15013,7449,060
Notes:Updated to games played on 27 April 2018. Source: Iranleague.ir Matches with spectator bans are not included in average attendances Gostaresh played their match against Pars Jonoubi Jam at Sahand Saipa played their matches against Esteghlal and Persepolis at Takhti Tehran Zob Ahan played their matches against Foolad, Naft Tehran, Pars Jonoubi Jam, Paykan, Sanat Naft and Siah Jamegan at Naghsh-e Jahan
Highest attendances Rank Home team Score Away team Attendance Date Week Stadium1 Esteghlal 1–0Persepolis 100,000 25 Azadi2 Persepolis 1–0Esteghlal 85,000 10 Azadi3 Persepolis 2–0Tractor Sazi 70,000 17 Azadi4 Persepolis 3–0Sepidrood 68,000 30 Azadi5 Esteghlal 1–0Tractor Sazi 61,000 3 Azadi6 Persepolis 1–2Saipa 60,000 26 Azadi7 Persepolis 2–0Sepahan 50,000 22 Azadi8 Tractor Sazi 1–2Persepolis 45,000 2 Sahand9 Persepolis 1–1Siah Jamegan 42,000 4 Azadi10Sepahan 2–2Persepolis 38,000 7 Naghsh-e Jahan Notes:Updated to games played on 27 April 2018. Source: Iranleague.ir
Awards IFLO Seasonal awards RecipientBest Player Vahid Amiri (Persepolis)Best Young Player Ali Gholizadeh (Saipa)Fair Player Mehdi Shiri (Paykan)Best Goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand (Persepolis)Best Defender Jalal Hosseini (Persepolis)Best Midfielder Omid Ebrahimi (Esteghlal)Best Passor Server Djeparov (Esteghlal)Best Goalscorer Ali Alipour (Persepolis)Best Coach Branko Ivanković (Persepolis)Best Football Club Persepolis
Navad Monthly awards MonthManager of the MonthPlayer of the MonthReferencesManagerClubPlayerClubMordad Mehdi TartarPars Jonoubi Jam Mehdi KianiTractor SaziShahrivar Majid JalaliPaykan Ali AlipourPersepolisMehrAban Branko IvankovićPersepolis Jalal HosseiniPersepolisAzarDey Amir GhalenoeiZob Ahan Hossein HosseiniEsteghlalBahman Winfried SchäferEsteghlal Vouria GhafouriEsteghlalEsfandFarvardin Amir GhalenoeiZob Ahan Mehdi TorabiSaipaOrdibehesht
See also 2017–18 Azadegan League 2016–17 League 2 2016–17 League 3 2017–18 Hazfi Cup 2017 Iranian Super Cup
References