Foolad F.C.

Foolad F.C.

Foolad Khuzestan Football Club (Persian: باشگاه فوتبال فولاد خوزستان‎) is an Iranian football club, based in Ahvaz, Khuzestan. It was named Foolad partially because it is funded by the industry in Khuzestan. The club contributed the highest number (six) of players to the national team during the Asian Cup 2004 in China, in particular during the quarter-final clash with South Korea, which ended 4-3 (in normal time) in favor of the then underdogs, Iran. In the 2004-05 season, Foolad became the champion of the fourth Iran Pro League (IPL), gaining a total of 64 points over 30 league matches. After several successful seasons and what at one point seemed to be the emergence of a new pole in Iranian football, Foolad lost many of its key players through transfers and internal problems and also displayed a poor performance in the ACL 2006. The club was subsequently relegated to the 2nd highest division in Iran, the Azadegan League in 2007. Fortunately however, Foolad was able to return to the IPL starting the 2008-2009 season and has been turning out relatively well in the current standings.