The Persepolis Courier
Market10 Aug 2026
Danial Eiri turns Al Shaab down
“It was not right for me. I am not going to explain why to anybody except the people I owe an explanation to.” A deal agreed between two clubs, and a player who declined to be part of it.
Squad10 Aug 2026
8 saves: Payam Niazmand was the team
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 8 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
A brace, and Dániel Gera takes the afternoon — 8.42
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Dániel Gera provided it, and the 8.42 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
Transfer targets10 Aug 2026
Persepolis agree $1.7M for Saman Fallah
The clubs have shaken hands with Esteghlal; the player has not yet. Personal terms are next, and personal terms are where more deals die than anybody prints.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Mohammad Mohebi gets the move he always wanted
Footballers are asked about their boyhood club so often that nobody listens to the answer. Mohammad Mohebi has just signed for Persepolis, and for once the answer mattered.
Transfer targets10 Aug 2026
No deal for Mehdi Hajsafi at that price
Persepolis offered $7.8M; Padideh said it was not close. The manager will be told the money is still there for the right player, which is what managers are told.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
A defender's goal wins it for Persepolis — 7.96
1 for Marko Bakić, marked 7.96, and a centre-half's name in the part of the report he normally only reaches by mistake. He will not be allowed to forget it in the dressing room for a month.
Boardroom10 Aug 2026
Persepolis go back to the board over Saman Fallah
The number the board signed off was not enough. It has been asked again and raised its own offer to $1.9M — a club that wants Saman Fallah enough to be asked twice.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Tempers go at Persepolis
Hossein Kanaani was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
In brief
- Match Dániel Gera sends Persepolis past Gostaresh Foulad
- Match 7 goals as Persepolis and Gostaresh Foulad go for it
- Squad Mohammad Khodabandelou stays put