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Rah Ahan Sports Club (Persian: باشگاه ورزشی راهآهن, Bashgah-e Vârzeshi-ye Rahâhen), commonly known as Rah Ahan Football Club, is an Iranian professional football club based in Tehran. They currently play in the Azadegan League. Rah Ahan is one of the oldest Iranian football clubs.[citation needed]
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| Full name | Rah Ahan Sports Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2 January 1927 | ||
| Ground | Shahid Derakhshan Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 12,000 | ||
| League | Tehran Province league | ||
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Establishment
Rah Ahan was formed in 1927 in Tehran by Iran Railways but were bought by Mehr Afarin Holding. They are one of the oldest Iranian football clubs still in existence.
In 1939 Rah Ahan participated in the Tehran Local League for the first time. Their first official match was on 4 January 1940 against Bazargani F.C.; they won the game 11–0.
Rah Ahan is currently owned by Mehrafarin Holding.
1950s
During the World War in the 1940s Rah Ahan dissolved its football operations, and did not restart its team until the 1950s. After its re-establishment the club under the name of Pirouz played on the dirt pitches near the railway station. The players of the team were railway workers. In 1955 with the arrival of Rasoul Madadnavi from Tabriz, the club was again renamed to Rah Ahan and began to attract players from outside the railway company. After achieving good results in the 1958 season Rah Ahan was promoted to the 1st Division Tehran League. However, due to new restrictions regarding private clubs in the Tehran Local Leagues, the club was denied the right to compete and eventually ceased its operations.
Pre-Revolution
In 1963 Rah Ahan was again re-established and were placed in the 2nd Division Tehran Local League. In 1966 Rah Ahan was finally promoted to the top division of the Tehran Local Leagues. In 1973 the Takht Jamshid Cup, Iran's first national league, was founded. In their first two years in the Cup, Rah Ahan finished a respectable 7th and 9th. In 1976 they were relegated to the 2nd Division. In their only season in the 2nd Division, Rah Ahan finished 1st in the league and were again promoted to the Takht Jamshid Cup. In 1978 they were again relegated to the 2nd Division, but they could not finish the 2nd Division season because of the Iranian Revolution.
Iran Pro League
After the establishment of the Iran Pro League in 2001, Rah Ahan was placed in the second tier Azadegan League. In 2005 Rah Ahan was promoted to the Iran Pro League after a second-place finish in the Azadegan League. Since then they have mostly been an average team and have finished in the mid-table, but since the arrival of Ansarifard as the chairman they have looked more stable. They finished 11th in the 2008–09 season and avoided relegation in the season after the last week.
Ali Daei
In the 2012–13 season, under Ali Daei, the team got out to an early start, and were 4th in the Iran Pro League after the opening few weeks. After that the team had an average year, dropping to 8th by the season's end. In the same year they went on tour in Turkey, beating Galatasaray A2 4–1, and losing to Super Lig side Istanbul BB 3–2. At the end of the 2012–13 season Ali Daei left Rah Ahan to sign with Persepolis.
Trouble years
Mansour Ebrahimzadeh was announced as Rah Ahan's new manager for the 2013–14 season. With him in charge Rah Ahan finished an average 11th place. At the end of the season, Ebrahimzadeh announced that he was stepping down as Rah Ahan's manager. Former Persepolis manager Hamid Estili was named as his replacement. Rah Ahan encountered severe financial problems and under Estili the club performed poorly. Estili was soon fired and replaced with former Rah Ahan player Farhad Kazemi.
In the 2015–16 season, Rah Ahan ran into financial troubles, finished 15th in the Persian Gulf Pro League and were relegated. This was the first time Rah Ahan would play in the Azadegan League in 12 years.
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The table below chronicles the achievements of Rah Ahan F.C. every season, from 1968 to the present day.
| Season | Div. | League | Position | Hazfi Cup | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968–69 | 1 | Tehran League | 10th | Not held | |
| 1969–70 | 1 | Tehran League | 8th | ||
| 1970–71 | 1 | Tehran League | 10th | ||
| 1973–74 | 1 | Takht Jamshid Cup | 7th | ||
| 1974–75 | 1 | Takht Jamshid Cup | 9th | ||
| 1975–76 | 1 | Takht Jamshid Cup | 15th | Quarterfinal | Relegated |
| 1976–77 | 2 | 2nd Division | 1st | 1/16 Final | Promoted |
| 1977–78 | 1 | Takht Jamshid Cup | 16th | Not held | Relegated |
| 1978–79 | 2 | 2nd Division | N/A | League not finished | |
| 1979–80 | 1 | Tehran League | Not held | ||
| 1980–81 | 1 | Tehran League | Not held | ||
| 1981–82 | 1 | Tehran League | 5th | ||
| 1982–83 | 1 | Tehran League | 9th | ||
| 1983–84 | 1 | Tehran League | 10th | ||
| 1984–85 | 1 | Tehran League | N/A | League not finished | |
| 1985–86 | 1 | Tehran League | 8th | ||
| 1986–87 | 1 | Tehran League | 6th | ||
| 1987–88 | 1 | Tehran League | 6th | ||
| 1988–89 | 1 | Tehran League | 12th | ||
| 1989–90 | 1 | Tehran League | 9th | Not held | |
| 1990–91 | 1 | Tehran League | 17th | Relegated | |
| 1991–92 | 4 | Tehran 2nd Division | 5th | ||
| 1992–93 | 4 | Tehran 2nd Division | 2nd | Not held | Promoted |
| 1993–94 | 3 | Tehran League | 7th | ||
| 1994–95 | 3 | Tehran League | 2nd | Promoted | |
| 1995–96 | 2 | 2nd Division | 5th | ||
| 1996–97 | 2 | 2nd Division | 6th | ||
| 1997–98 | 2 | 2nd Division | 6th | Not held | |
| 1998–99 | 2 | 2nd Division | 4th | ||
| 1999–00 | 2 | 2nd Division | 6th | ||
| 2000–01 | 2 | 2nd Division | 4th | ||
| 2001–02 | 2 | Azadegan League | 8th | ||
| 2002–03 | 2 | Azadegan League | 11th | ||
| 2003–04 | 2 | Azadegan League | 11th | ||
| 2004–05 | 2 | Azadegan League | 2nd | Promoted | |
| 2005–06 | 1 | Pro League | 13th | ||
| 2006–07 | 1 | Pro League | 16th | 1/16 Final | |
| 2007–08 | 1 | Pro League | 12th | Quarterfinal | |
| 2008–09 | 1 | Pro League | 11th | Final | |
| 2009–10 | 1 | Pro League | 14th | 1/16 Final | |
| 2010–11 | 1 | Pro League | 15th | 1/16 Final | |
| 2011–12 | 1 | Pro League | 11th | 1/16 Final | |
| 2012–13 | 1 | Pro League | 8th | 1/8 Final | |
| 2013–14 | 1 | Pro League | 11th | 1/4 Final | |
| 2014–15 | 1 | Iran Pro League | 12th | 1/8 Final | |
| 2015–16 | 1 | Iran Pro League | 15th | 1/16 Final | Relegated |
| 2016–17 | 2 | Azadegan League | 15th | 1/32 Final | |
| 2017–18 | 2 | Azadegan League | 18th | 1/32 Final | Relegated |
| 2018–19 | 3 | 2nd Division | Did Not Participate | Did Not Participate | Relegated |
Reserves
The table below shows the achievements of the club's reserve team in various competitions.
| Season | League | Position | Hazfi Cup |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | 3rd Division | 9th/Group 2 | Did not qualify |
| 2011–12 | Tehran Provincial League | 7th/Group 1 | Did not qualify |
| 2012–13 | Tehran Provincial League | 7th/Group 1 | Did not qualify |
| 2013–14 | Tehran Provincial League | 1st/Group 1 | Did not qualify |
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IPL managers
- As of 23 October 2017
| Name | Nat | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firouz Karimi |  |
June 2004 | February 2006 |
| Abbas Razavi | |
February 2006 | November 2006 |
| Akbar Misaghian | |
December 2006 | February 2008 |
| Davoud Mahabadi | |
February 2008 | October 2008 |
| Mahmoud Yavari | |
October 2008 | April 2009 |
| Mehdi Tartar | |
April 2009 | June 2009 |
| Ernie Brandts |  |
July 2009 | December 2009 |
| Mehdi Tartar | |
December 2009 | June 2010 |
| Rasoul Korbekandi | |
June 2010 | September 2010 |
| Mehdi Tartar | |
September 2010 | July 2011 |
| Ali Daei | |
July 2011 | May 2013 |
| Mansour Ebrahimzadeh | |
July 2013 | June 2014 |
| Hamid Estili | |
June 2014 | February 2015 |
| Ali Latifi (Interim) | |
February 2015 | February 2015 |
| Farhad Kazemi | |
February 2015 | September 2015 |
| Mehdi Tartar | |
September 2015 | February 2016 |
| Ioannis Topalidis |  |
February 2016 | May 2016 |
| Mehdi Pashazadeh | |
July 2016 | January 2017 |
| Sirous Dinmohammadi | |
January 2017 | October 2017 |
| Mohsen Bayatinia | |
October 2017 | present |
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Mohsen Bayatinia |
| Goalkeeping Coach |  Niko Sternberg |
| Athletic Coach | Dominic Palmer |
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