The Esteghlal Ahvaz Courier
Squad16 Nov 2026
A falling-out at Esteghlal Ahvaz
Mojtaba Moghtadaei and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Hossein Saki falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The dugout16 Nov 2026
The manager makes an example of Ali Hassani
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
The dugout16 Nov 2026
The manager has not finished forgetting Hesam Nafari's mistake
Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.
The dugout16 Nov 2026
Ali Kamali asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
The dugout16 Nov 2026
Saeid Dejagah has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Esteghlal Ahvaz will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
Looking ahead16 Nov 2026
A reunion for Masoud Vafaei
He used to wear the other shirt. On Saturday he plays against Siah Jamegan in this one, and whatever he says this week about it being just another game will be untrue.
Market16 Nov 2026
The shop window has Rasoul Barichi in it
Esteghlal Ahvaz have let the market know Rasoul Barichi can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Arash Akbarzadeh finally belongs at Esteghlal Ahvaz
The language has come, the shrug has gone, and he argues in training like a man who expects to be here next year. None of it shows up on a fee and all of it shows up on the pitch.
In brief
- Looking ahead An away day at Siah Jamegan next for Esteghlal Ahvaz
- Squad The selectors could not leave Ashkan Rashedi out