From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match13 Nov 2027
A 1-0 win over Padideh, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad15 Nov 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Loan watch15 Nov 2027
“I did not go to Golden Arrows to sit and watch. I want to come back to Zob Ahan and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 14 matches say the rest.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match6 Nov 2027
12 matches without a win for Zob Ahan
The run now stands at 12, and the questions being asked around Zob Ahan are no longer polite ones.
Squad8 Nov 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Abolfazl Hosseinifar and Zob Ahan agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Loan watch8 Nov 2027
“I did not go to Al-Ittihad to sit and watch. I want to come back to Zob Ahan and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 17 matches say the rest.
Squad8 Nov 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad8 Nov 2027
Arash Ghaderi knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zob Ahan, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Loan watch8 Nov 2027
14 appearances at Malavan and the goals keep coming. Zob Ahan are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match30 Oct 2027
11 matches without a win for Zob Ahan
The run now stands at 11, and the questions being asked around Zob Ahan are no longer polite ones.
Squad1 Nov 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Abolfazl Hosseinifar commits to Zob Ahan for another 4 years.
Match30 Oct 2027
A bad afternoon for Zob Ahan against Saba
1-3 to Saba, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad1 Nov 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad1 Nov 2027
5 goals and a season average of 7.30. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Loan watch1 Nov 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Zob Ahan, and 2 appearances in 14 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad1 Nov 2027
Arash Ghaderi 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 terraces1 Nov 2027
Everybody has an opinion about Parsa Jafari
He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.
Loan watch1 Nov 2027
13 appearances away from home and 7 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match23 Oct 2027
10 matches without a win for Zob Ahan
The run now stands at 10, and the questions being asked around Zob Ahan are no longer polite ones.
Squad25 Oct 2027
A one-man rearguard from Parsa Jafari
There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Loan watch25 Oct 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Zob Ahan, and 3 appearances in 9 say he has earned the hearing.
Match23 Oct 2027
A 2-2 draw with Malavan leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad25 Oct 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad25 Oct 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zob Ahan, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match16 Oct 2027
9 matches without a win for Zob Ahan
The run now stands at 9, and the questions being asked around Zob Ahan are no longer polite ones.
Squad18 Oct 2027
Alireza Nazi: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Zob Ahan have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Match16 Oct 2027
1-2 to Sepahan, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad18 Oct 2027
“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.
Loan watch18 Oct 2027
“I did not go to Golden Arrows to sit and watch. I want to come back to Zob Ahan and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 10 matches say the rest.
Squad18 Oct 2027
Moussa N'Diaye 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match9 Oct 2027
8 matches without a win for Zob Ahan
The run now stands at 8, and the questions being asked around Zob Ahan are no longer polite ones.
Match9 Oct 2027
Still nobody has beaten Zob Ahan
The unbeaten run reaches 11. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Loan watch11 Oct 2027
“I did not go to Al-Ittihad to sit and watch. I want to come back to Zob Ahan and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 13 matches say the rest.
Squad11 Oct 2027
“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.
Match9 Oct 2027
A 1-1 draw with Foolad leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad11 Oct 2027
A season average of 7.23 with 4 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match2 Oct 2027
7 matches without a win for Zob Ahan
The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Zob Ahan are no longer polite ones.
Match2 Oct 2027
Still nobody has beaten Zob Ahan
The unbeaten run reaches 10. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Squad4 Oct 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Mahmoud Ghaedrahmati and Zob Ahan agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad4 Oct 2027
The manager makes an example of Omid Latifi
“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.
Match2 Oct 2027
It finished 1-1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad4 Oct 2027
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match25 Sep 2027
6 matches without a win for Zob Ahan
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Zob Ahan are no longer polite ones.
Match25 Sep 2027
Still nobody has beaten Zob Ahan
The unbeaten run reaches 9. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Squad27 Sep 2027
The manager makes an example of Moussa N'Diaye
“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.
Loan watch27 Sep 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Zob Ahan, and 2 appearances in 9 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad27 Sep 2027
Parsa Jafari 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.
Match25 Sep 2027
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Siah Jamegan defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad20 Sep 2027
There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Match18 Sep 2027
5 matches without a win for Zob Ahan
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Zob Ahan are no longer polite ones.
Match18 Sep 2027
Still nobody has beaten Zob Ahan
The unbeaten run reaches 8. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Squad20 Sep 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad20 Sep 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Alireza Nazi commits to Zob Ahan for another 3 years.
Loan watch20 Sep 2027
“I did not go to Golden Arrows to sit and watch. I want to come back to Zob Ahan and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 6 matches say the rest.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match11 Sep 2027
4 matches without a win for Zob Ahan
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Zob Ahan are no longer polite ones.
Match11 Sep 2027
Still nobody has beaten Zob Ahan
The unbeaten run reaches 7. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Loan watch13 Sep 2027
“I did not go to Al-Ittihad to sit and watch. I want to come back to Zob Ahan and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 9 matches say the rest.
Squad13 Sep 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match11 Sep 2027
1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad13 Sep 2027
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Squad13 Sep 2027
“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.
Squad13 Sep 2027
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Fernando Rodriguez keeps the shirt for now, at Zob Ahan's convenience rather than his own.
Loan watch13 Sep 2027
6 appearances away from home and 3 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad6 Sep 2027
Alireza Nazi is the hero from the spot
A shoot-out is remembered by its ending, and this one ends with Alireza Nazi: 2 kept out, and a set of supporters who will describe every one of them for the next twenty years.
Match1 Sep 2027
The cup run ends for Zob Ahan
0-0 against Naft Tehran, and the road stops here. Cup exits are quick deaths — no second leg, no next week, just the league from now until May.
Market6 Sep 2027
“I have ambitions, and I would like the club to share them.” Nobody has asked to leave and nobody has been shown the door — but a player chooses that sentence carefully, and a boardroom hears it exactly as it was meant.
Match4 Sep 2027
Still nobody has beaten Zob Ahan
The unbeaten run reaches 6. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Match4 Sep 2027
It finished 1-1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad6 Sep 2027
“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.
Squad6 Sep 2027
“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.
Market6 Sep 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zob Ahan know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Squad6 Sep 2027
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market30 Aug 2027
The fee is $4.3M, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. Saba drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.
Squad30 Aug 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad30 Aug 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Loan watch30 Aug 2027
“I did not go to Al-Ra'ed to sit and watch. I want to come back to Zob Ahan and fight for my place.” 1 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
Squad30 Aug 2027
Moussa N'Diaye knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zob Ahan, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Match28 Aug 2027
Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Tractor came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad23 Aug 2027
Luka Stojković: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Zob Ahan have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad23 Aug 2027
30 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad23 Aug 2027
The manager makes an example of Omid Latifi
“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.
Match21 Aug 2027
Three points for Zob Ahan, 1-0 the final word against Saipa in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad23 Aug 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zob Ahan, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Loan watch23 Aug 2027
3 appearances at Saba and the goals keep coming. Zob Ahan are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match14 Aug 2027
No end in sight to Zob Ahan's wait for a win
7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Zob Ahan has to find a result from somewhere.
Market16 Aug 2027
The fee is $2.3M, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. Esteghlal drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.
Squad16 Aug 2027
The manager makes an example of Sobhan Khaghani
“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.
Loan watch16 Aug 2027
“I did not go to Al-Ittihad to sit and watch. I want to come back to Zob Ahan and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
Market16 Aug 2027
Foolad are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Zob Ahan will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Match14 Aug 2027
It finished 1-1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad16 Aug 2027
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Squad16 Aug 2027
A new face in his position, and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Zob Ahan have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
Squad16 Aug 2027
Nader Mohammadi 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match7 Aug 2027
No end in sight to Zob Ahan's wait for a win
6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Zob Ahan has to find a result from somewhere.
Market9 Aug 2027
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Zob Ahan have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Squad9 Aug 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Omid Latifi commits to Zob Ahan for another 3 years.
Squad9 Aug 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad9 Aug 2027
Omid Latifi knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zob Ahan, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Match7 Aug 2027
Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Esteghlal Khuzestan came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market2 Aug 2027
The deal that would have taken Aria Hosseinifard to Ismaily has collapsed at the last stage, and he reports back to Zob Ahan with a summer to forget and a season still to play. Nobody is saying which side walked away.
Market2 Aug 2027
The shirt still fits. Alireza Noorafkan is back at Zob Ahan, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Market2 Aug 2027
The shirt still fits. Omid Moharrami is back at Zob Ahan, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Market2 Aug 2027
The shirt still fits. Morteza Rezaeian is back at Zob Ahan, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Squad2 Aug 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Ehsan Pahlevan commits to Zob Ahan for another 2 years.
Squad2 Aug 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market26 Jul 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad26 Jul 2027
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad26 Jul 2027
64 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market19 Jul 2027
Saipa come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Zob Ahan did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Market19 Jul 2027
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Zob Ahan have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Market19 Jul 2027
He is 20, and nobody at Zob Ahan signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Squad19 Jul 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad19 Jul 2027
Rahman Jafari has company in his position
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Rahman Jafari keeps the shirt for now, at Zob Ahan's convenience rather than his own.
Squad19 Jul 2027
Hadi Baghban 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad12 Jul 2027
Nader Mohammadi: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Zob Ahan have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market12 Jul 2027
Ismaily are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Zob Ahan will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad12 Jul 2027
“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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market5 Jul 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Boardroom5 Jul 2027
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Zob Ahan
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market5 Jul 2027
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Zob Ahan have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Market5 Jul 2027
Al-Ittihad are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Zob Ahan will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad5 Jul 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market5 Jul 2027
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market28 Jun 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market28 Jun 2027
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Zob Ahan they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market28 Jun 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market21 Jun 2027
The bid was some way short and Zob Ahan did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Market21 Jun 2027
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Zob Ahan will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad21 Jun 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market21 Jun 2027
A season-long audition: Al Nasr still own him, but the shirt and the minutes are Zob Ahan's to give. A loan is a bet both clubs believe they are winning.
Squad21 Jun 2027
A new face in his position, and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Zob Ahan have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
Market21 Jun 2027
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Facundo González may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market14 Jun 2027
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Zob Ahan have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Squad14 Jun 2027
“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.
Market14 Jun 2027
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Zob Ahan has been clear about where Pedram Ghazipour stands, which is more than many ever get.
Squad14 Jun 2027
A window away with the national side, and a shirt at Zob Ahan that briefly doubles as an advertisement. A call-up flatters the player and the club that built him in the same breath.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Arash Ghaderi joins up with his country. Zob Ahan lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.
Squad14 Jun 2027
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Hasan Shoushtari keeps the shirt for now, at Zob Ahan's convenience rather than his own.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market7 Jun 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market7 Jun 2027
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Zob Ahan have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Squad7 Jun 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Ali Eslami commits to Zob Ahan for another 3 years.
Market7 Jun 2027
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Zob Ahan has been clear about where Facundo González stands, which is more than many ever get.
Squad7 Jun 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market7 Jun 2027
Nobody at Zob Ahan has picked up the phone to Ali Eslami
36 months to run and not a word offered. A club that lets the calendar negotiate for it usually ends up losing to the calendar.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market31 May 2027
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Zob Ahan they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad31 May 2027
126 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad31 May 2027
“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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad24 May 2027
Ehsan Pahlevan 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.
Market24 May 2027
1 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Zob Ahan could get for him.
Market24 May 2027
The name of Reza Sharifi Basir keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zob Ahan say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad17 May 2027
At 21, Matheus Gonçalves is already the best thing here
An average of 7.20 in a first team he is several years too young for. Zob Ahan have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad17 May 2027
“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.
Squad17 May 2027
The language is coming and there is somebody to talk to in the dressing room. A footballer who feels at home plays like one, and it never shows up in a scouting report.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Loan watch10 May 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Zob Ahan, and 2 appearances in 14 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad10 May 2027
Nader Mohammadi 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.
Squad10 May 2027
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Seyed Mohammad Hosseini has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market3 May 2027
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Zob Ahan they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad3 May 2027
The captaincy has been taken off Mohammad Javad Mohammadi. Zob Ahan will call it a decision about the team; a dressing room reads it as a verdict on a man.
Squad3 May 2027
It is a strip of cloth and it decides nothing on a Saturday. It still tells the dressing room exactly whose opinion the manager values, which is the whole point of it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad26 Apr 2027
The manager makes an example of Pedro Santos
“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.
Squad26 Apr 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zob Ahan, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market26 Apr 2027
2 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Zob Ahan money.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad19 Apr 2027
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad19 Apr 2027
A season average of 7.20 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Zob Ahan know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Squad19 Apr 2027
The manager makes an example of Shayan Mosleh
“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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad12 Apr 2027
Ehsan Pahlevan: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Zob Ahan have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Loan watch12 Apr 2027
“I did not go to Saba to sit and watch. I want to come back to Zob Ahan and fight for my place.” 2 appearances in 10 matches say the rest.
Squad12 Apr 2027
The manager makes an example of Nader Mohammadi
“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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market5 Apr 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zob Ahan is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad5 Apr 2027
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Zob Ahan have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad29 Mar 2027
“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.
Market29 Mar 2027
3 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Zob Ahan money.
Market29 Mar 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zob Ahan know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad22 Mar 2027
A season average of 7.20 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Zob Ahan know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Squad22 Mar 2027
“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.
Squad22 Mar 2027
A window away with the national side, and a shirt at Zob Ahan that briefly doubles as an advertisement. A call-up flatters the player and the club that built him in the same breath.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad15 Mar 2027
The medical room confirms 25 days on the sidelines for Amir Hossein Jeddi, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Loan watch15 Mar 2027
“I did not go to Saba to sit and watch. I want to come back to Zob Ahan and fight for my place.” 2 appearances in 6 matches say the rest.
Squad15 Mar 2027
The manager makes an example of Nader Mohammadi
“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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad8 Mar 2027
Sobhan Khaghani: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Zob Ahan have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market8 Mar 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zob Ahan is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad8 Mar 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Mahmoud Ghaedrahmati commits to Zob Ahan for another 2 years.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad1 Mar 2027
The manager makes an example of Pouya Mokhtari
“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.
Squad1 Mar 2027
“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.
Market1 Mar 2027
4 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Zob Ahan could get for him.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match20 Feb 2027
0-3 to Padideh, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Squad22 Feb 2027
There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Match20 Feb 2027
No end in sight to Zob Ahan's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Zob Ahan has to find a result from somewhere.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad15 Feb 2027
54 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Match13 Feb 2027
No end in sight to Zob Ahan's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Zob Ahan has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad15 Feb 2027
“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.
Match13 Feb 2027
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Esteghlal will be the happier side with the point.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Ehsan Pahlevan knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zob Ahan, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Asked to play a role that is not his, or taken off before the hour once too often — Jalalaldin Alimohammadi has let it be known that he does not like the way Zob Ahan are using him. Managers hear this long before the press does.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market8 Feb 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zob Ahan is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad8 Feb 2027
The award is a small thing with a heavy meaning: for four weeks nobody in this division did his job better. Zob Ahan have the trophy on a shelf and the player in the side.
Squad8 Feb 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match6 Feb 2027
Zob Ahan and Saba take a point apiece
It finished 1-1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad8 Feb 2027
Somebody is after Parsa Jafari’s shirt
A new face in his position, and Parsa Jafari suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Zob Ahan have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
Market8 Feb 2027
A season-long audition: Boca Juniors still own him, but the shirt and the minutes are Zob Ahan's to give. A loan is a bet both clubs believe they are winning.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad1 Feb 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match30 Jan 2027
Malavan left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Asked to play a role that is not his, or taken off before the hour once too often — Mohammad Javad Mohammadi has let it be known that he does not like the way Zob Ahan are using him. Managers hear this long before the press does.
Market1 Feb 2027
The window shut and Shahin Taherkhani is still in the building
Zob Ahan spent a month trying to move him and nobody rang back. He trains with a squad that has told him where he stands, and both sides start counting down to the next one.
Market1 Feb 2027
5 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Zob Ahan money.
Market1 Feb 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zob Ahan know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market25 Jan 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zob Ahan can pretend not to have heard.
Squad25 Jan 2027
A season average of 7.22 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Zob Ahan know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Boardroom25 Jan 2027
91% of the income goes out in wages at Zob Ahan
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Squad25 Jan 2027
The manager makes an example of Shayan Mosleh
“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.
Match23 Jan 2027
1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Market25 Jan 2027
Zob Ahan have made Nader Mohammadi available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad18 Jan 2027
A one-man rearguard from Parsa Jafari
There were 10 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Match16 Jan 2027
Three points for Zob Ahan, 2-0 the final word against Foolad in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad18 Jan 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
The terraces18 Jan 2027
Everybody has an opinion about Parsa Jafari
He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Sobhan Khaghani 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market11 Jan 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zob Ahan is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Market11 Jan 2027
Esteghlal pay $51.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.
Squad11 Jan 2027
The manager makes an example of Sobhan Khaghani
“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.
Match9 Jan 2027
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Gostaresh Foulad will be the happier side with the point.
Market11 Jan 2027
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
Squad11 Jan 2027
A new face in his position, and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Zob Ahan have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Loan watch4 Jan 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Zob Ahan, and 4 appearances in 21 say he has earned the hearing.
Match2 Jan 2027
Three points for Zob Ahan, 1-0 the final word against Siah Jamegan in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Market4 Jan 2027
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Jalalaldin Alimohammadi has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Zob Ahan.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Ehsan Pahlevan knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zob Ahan, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad4 Jan 2027
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Seyed Mohammad Hosseini keeps the shirt for now, at Zob Ahan's convenience rather than his own.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Hasan Shoushtari has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. Zob Ahan know, and have known for weeks.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad28 Dec 2026
At 21, Matheus Gonçalves is already the best thing here
An average of 7.07 in a first team he is several years too young for. Zob Ahan have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Match26 Dec 2026
1-2 to Persepolis, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Boardroom28 Dec 2026
207% of the income goes out in wages at Zob Ahan
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad21 Dec 2026
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Match19 Dec 2026
Beaten 1-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad21 Dec 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad14 Dec 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match12 Dec 2026
0-1 to Esteghlal Ahvaz, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Boardroom14 Dec 2026
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad7 Dec 2026
Nader Mohammadi: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Zob Ahan have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Match5 Dec 2026
A 1-0 win over Tractor, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad7 Dec 2026
At 29 he has made the position his own, and the man he took it from has to find something to say about it. Zob Ahan have a decision that made itself.
Market7 Dec 2026
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zob Ahan know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market7 Dec 2026
7 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Zob Ahan money.
The terraces7 Dec 2026
Column inches are not points, but a footballer whose name keeps appearing for the right reasons is a footballer whose price has just gone up.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad30 Nov 2026
At 21, Matheus Gonçalves is already the best thing here
An average of 7.01 in a first team he is several years too young for. Zob Ahan have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Boardroom30 Nov 2026
262% of the income goes out in wages at Zob Ahan
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
The terraces30 Nov 2026
The spotlight tightens on Parsa Jafari
Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match21 Nov 2026
A 1-0 win over Naft Tehran, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad23 Nov 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad23 Nov 2026
Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Hasan Shoushtari has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. Zob Ahan know, and have known for weeks.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match14 Nov 2026
A 2-1 win over Esteghlal Khuzestan, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad16 Nov 2026
“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.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Ehsan Pahlevan 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.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Somebody is after Omid Latifi’s shirt
A new face in his position, and Omid Latifi suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Zob Ahan have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
The terraces16 Nov 2026
The press cannot get enough of Rahman Jafari
Praise is not points and never has been. It is, however, the fastest way for a valuation to move, and everybody in the game reads the same pages.
Loan watch16 Nov 2026
10 starts and an average of 6.79. He went there to play and he is playing, which is the only thing a loan was ever for.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match7 Nov 2026
2-2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad9 Nov 2026
“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.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Ehsan Pahlevan knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zob Ahan, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad2 Nov 2026
A one-man rearguard from Parsa Jafari
There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Match31 Oct 2026
1-2 to Esteghlal, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Boardroom2 Nov 2026
262% of the income goes out in wages at Zob Ahan
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad26 Oct 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Match24 Oct 2026
A bad afternoon for Zob Ahan against Saba
0-1 to Saba, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad26 Oct 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match19 Oct 2026
Zob Ahan are in among the leaders
Position 3 and 20 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Match17 Oct 2026
Three points for Zob Ahan, 1-0 the final word against Malavan in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad19 Oct 2026
The manager makes an example of Shayan Mosleh
“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.
Squad19 Oct 2026
“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.
Market19 Oct 2026
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zob Ahan know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Squad19 Oct 2026
A rating of 6.87 was enough for the selectors, and nobody who watched the match is going to argue with them.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad12 Oct 2026
A one-man rearguard from Parsa Jafari
There were 9 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad12 Oct 2026
The manager makes an example of Pouya Mokhtari
“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.
Match10 Oct 2026
1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match3 Oct 2026
A bad afternoon for Zob Ahan against Foolad
1-3 to Foolad, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Boardroom5 Oct 2026
474% of the income goes out in wages at Zob Ahan
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Squad5 Oct 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad28 Sep 2026
“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.
Match26 Sep 2026
Gostaresh Foulad made Zob Ahan work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Omid Latifi finally opens his account
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Zob Ahan have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match19 Sep 2026
4 matches without a win for Zob Ahan
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Zob Ahan are no longer polite ones.
Squad21 Sep 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Loan watch21 Sep 2026
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Zob Ahan, and 2 appearances in 6 say he has earned the hearing.
Match19 Sep 2026
A 1-1 draw with Siah Jamegan leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Hasan Shoushtari 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.
Squad21 Sep 2026
At 31 he has made the position his own, and the man he took it from has to find something to say about it. Zob Ahan have a decision that made itself.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad14 Sep 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match12 Sep 2026
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Persepolis will be the happier side with the point.
Squad14 Sep 2026
Asked to play a role that is not his, or taken off before the hour once too often — Abolfazl Hosseinifar has let it be known that he does not like the way Zob Ahan are using him. Managers hear this long before the press does.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match5 Sep 2026
The cup run ends for Zob Ahan
0-1 against Rah Ahan, and the road stops here. Cup exits are quick deaths — no second leg, no next week, just the league from now until May.
Squad7 Sep 2026
A one-man rearguard from Parsa Jafari
There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Market7 Sep 2026
Nima Entezari hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zob Ahan can pretend not to have heard.
Market7 Sep 2026
Everything was agreed until it was not, and Davoud Noushi Soufiani reports back to Zob Ahan with a summer to forget. Neither club is saying who walked away from the table.
Market7 Sep 2026
The paperwork is done: Alireza Nazi joins from Foolad in a deal worth $360.0K. Now comes the harder part.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
370% of the income goes out in wages at Zob Ahan
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Squad7 Sep 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad7 Sep 2026
“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.
Squad7 Sep 2026
A first senior shirt for Hesam Nafari
Every debut is a small story about the future: Hesam Nafari, 20 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad31 Aug 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Market31 Aug 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match29 Aug 2026
Esteghlal Ahvaz made Zob Ahan work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad31 Aug 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad31 Aug 2026
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zob Ahan, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad31 Aug 2026
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market24 Aug 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad24 Aug 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match22 Aug 2026
It finished 1-1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market17 Aug 2026
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Match15 Aug 2026
Three points for Zob Ahan, 2-1 the final word against Saipa in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Parsa Jafari lets one through his hands
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
Squad17 Aug 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad17 Aug 2026
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Zob Ahan have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Every debut is a small story about the future: Matheus Gonçalves, 21 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market10 Aug 2026
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Zob Ahan have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Match8 Aug 2026
Three points for Zob Ahan, 2-1 the final word against Naft Tehran in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad10 Aug 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market10 Aug 2026
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
Market10 Aug 2026
48 months to run and not a word offered. A club that lets the calendar negotiate for it usually ends up losing to the calendar.
Market10 Aug 2026
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Zob Ahan has been clear about where Shahin Taherkhani stands, which is more than many ever get.
Squad10 Aug 2026
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Hasan Shoushtari has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. Zob Ahan know, and have known for weeks.
Squad10 Aug 2026
“I watch sessions differently now. I catch myself thinking about why we are doing the drill.” At 34 that is how nearly every man in a dugout started.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market3 Aug 2026
Al-Fateh come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Zob Ahan did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad3 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Rahman Jafari and Zob Ahan agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market3 Aug 2026
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Zob Ahan have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Omid Latifi gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market3 Aug 2026
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
Market3 Aug 2026
36 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.