Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: Ahead of the 85th Tehran derby between Islamic Republic of Iran giants Esteghlal and Persepolis, the-AFC.com takes a look at the history of one of the fiercest and most iconic rivalries in Asian football.
The two teams will face off on Thursday, when the city of Tehran will see itself divided in two as high-flying Persepolis meet an Esteghlal side struggling in the Iran Pro League’s lower reaches in front of what will be an expectant and vibrant Azadi Stadium.
History
The establishing of the two clubs couldn’t be further apart. Esteghlal were founded in 1945 as Docharkhe Savaran – ‘The Cyclists’ – and was initially solely a cycling club, before other sports, among them football, were later introduced.
Blue was already the official colour by the time Esteghlal were bought in 1949 by an army general, whose first action was to change its name to Taj – ‘Crown’ – before the current name, which translates as ‘Independence’, was adopted in 1979.
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