F.C. Ararat Tehran

Iranian football club

This article is about the Armenian football club FC Ararat based in Tehran. For the similarly named football club in Yerevan, see FC Ararat Yerevan.

Football club

Ararat

Full name| Football Club Ararat Tehran
Founded| 1944; 73 years ago
Ground| Ararat Stadium
Tehran
Iran
Capacity| 15,000
Owner| Ararat Cultural Organization
Chairman| Khachik Babayans
Manager| Mehdi Dinvarzadeh
League| Tehran Province League
2019| Tehran Provincial League, 5th
Website| http://www.araratfc.com

Home colours

Away colours

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FC Ararat (Persian: آرارات تهران, Ârarat Tehran) is an Armenian diaspora football team based in Tehran, Iran who play in the Tehran Province League. Ararat football club is the football club of the multisport Ararat Club in Iran.

Ararat has a policy of signing only players who have an Armenian heritage.

## Club history

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### Establishment

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The club was established in 1944 by a group of Armenian-Iranians. They named the club after the famous mountain of the same name. The club was run by an Armenian athletic organization and was one of few clubs in Iranian football to have its own private stadium and training facilities. The club has never had spectacular results, but has always provided talented players for Iranian football. It was heavily supported by the Armenian minority in Iran.

### Drop to the lower leagues

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The last time the club played in the top level of Iranian football was the 1995–96 season of the Azadegan League (current IPL). Due to the poor decisions of the club management, Ararat FC has spent most of the past few years playing in the 1st Division and 2nd Division of Iran's football leagues. Until recently the club had a policy of only employing Armenian staff and players, but with the team's poor form in the past few years, this decision has been overturned and non-Armenians have coached the team. The players though are all Armenian-Iranians. In the 2005–06 season the club came very close to promotion into the Azadegan League, but fell short in the last few weeks of the season.

In 2007–08 season they took the last place in their group and relegated to 3rd division but in July 2008, Iran Football Federation increased number of 2nd Division teams to 28 and Ararat still remained in 2nd Division.

A major changes heralded for Ararat in 2008, as the terrible state of the club's finances was revealed, they were unable to pay wages and had major debts. The club's owner, Armenian-Iranians, were able to raise some more money, but even this soon proved to be insufficient resources to sustain the club. They finished last in the 2nd Division (group A) standings of the 2008–09 season. Thus, being relegated to 3rd Division. After the club's relegation, Arrarat was dissolved by its owners.

### Refounding

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Arrarat was reopened on 9 October 2014 after a five years of absence. They also played a friendly match at the same day with Esteghlal XI. The club was placed in the Tehran Provincial League Division 1 and lost their first match 2–1. In 2015 the club was promoted to the Tehran Provincial League.

## Season-by-season

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The table below chronicles the achievements of Ararat in various competitions since 1965.

Season  | League  | Hazfi Cup | Notes  | Leagues Top goalscorer  | Manager

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Division  | P  | W  | D  | L  | F  | A  | Pts  | Pos  | Name  | Goals
1965–66  | TFL | 12  | 3  | 2  | 7  | 14  | 28  | 8  | 9th  |  |  |  |  | Mansour Amirasefi
1966–67  | TFL | 11  | 4  | 3  | 4  | 13  | 8  | 12  | 7th  |  |  |  |  | Mansour Amirasefi
1967–68  | TFL |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | Mansour Amirasefi
1968–69  | TFL |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | Mansour Amirasefi
1969–70  | TFL | 15  | 8  | 1  | 6  | 18  | 22  | 17  | 5th  |  |  |  |  | Garnik Mehrabian
1970–71  | TFL |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | Garnik Mehrabian
1971–72  | TFL | 14  | 8  | 0  | 6  | 18  | 18  | 16  | 6th  |  |  |  |  | Garnik Mehrabian
1972–73  | TFL | 15  | 3  | 6  | 6  | 10  | 14  | 12  | 11th  |  |  |  |  | Garnik Mehrabian
1973–74  | TFL | 11  | 5  | 5  | 1  | 11  | 5  | 15  | 3rd  |  |  |  |  | Garnik Mehrabian
1974–75  | TFL | 13  | 8  | 2  | 3  | 17  | 9  | 18  | 2nd |  |  |  |  | Mansour Amirasefi
1975–76  | TJC | 30  | 8  | 10  | 12  | 23  | 31  | 26  | 12th  |  |  |  |  | Mansour Amirasefi
1976–77  | TJC | 30  | 6  | 13  | 11  | 23  | 32  | 25  | 12th  |  |  |  |  | Mansour Amirasefi /Thomas Certish
1977–78  | Div 2 | 22  | 9  | 10  | 13  | 21  | 9  | 28  | 3rd  | Not held |  |  |  | Hamlet Asefi
1978–79  | Div 2 | Not Completed Due to Iranian Revolution | Not held |  |  |  |
1979-8  | SEC |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |

Not held

|  |  |  | Arshavil Maleki
1981–82  | TFL | 13  | 3  | 8  | 2  | 10  | 8  | 14  | 7th  |  |  |  | Arshavil Maleki
1982–83  | TFL | 17  | 4  | 8  | 5  | 13  | 20  | 16  | 12th  |  |  |  | Mansour Amirasefi
1983–84  | TFL | 17  | 5  | 8  | 4  | 19  | 12  | 18  | 6th  |  |  |  | Mansour Amirasefi
1984–85  | TFL | Did not finish |  |  |  | Mansour Amirasefi
1985–86  | TFL | 9  | 1  | 3  | 5  | 7  | 13  | 5  | 10th  |  |  |  | Mansour Amirasefi
1986–87  | TFL2 | 10  | 4  | 2  | 4  | 12  | 9  | 10  | 5th  |  |  |  |  | Hassan Habibi
1987–88  | TFL2 | 17  | 4  | 9  | 4  | 13  | 12  | 17  | 9th  |  |  |  |  | Hassan Habibi
1988–89  | TFL2 | 17  | 9  | 6  | 2  | 18  | 7  | 33  | 3rd  |  |  |  |  | Hassan Habibi
1989–90  | TFL2 | 14  | 9  | 5  | 0  | 30  | 8  | 23  | 2nd | Not held |  |  |  | Hassan Habibi
1990–91  | TFL | 17  | 6  | 6  | 5  | 11  | 10  | 18  | 7th  |  |  |  |  | Hassan Habibi
1991–92  | TFL | 15  | 6  | 6  | 3  | 11  | 8  | 18  | 5th  |  |  |  |  | Hassan Habibi
1992–93  | TFL | 26  | 8  | 10  | 8  | 22  | 20  | 26  | 7th  | Not held |  |  |  | Hassan Habibi
1993–94  | TFL | 18  | 12  | 4  | 2  | 28  | 13  | 28  | 2nd |  |  |  |  | Hassan Habibi
1994–95  | Div 1 | 22  | 8  | 9  | 5  | 31  | 19  | 25  | 5th  |  |  |  |  | Hassan Habibi
1995–96  | Div 1 | 30  | 8  | 7  | 15  | 27  | 39  | 31  | 12th  |  |  |  |  | Vazgen Safarian
1996–97  | Div 2 | 30  | 8  | 9  | 13  | 32  | 42  | 33  | 14th  |  |  |  |  |
1997–98  | Div 2 | 18  | 6  | 9  | 3  | 18  | 14  | 27  | 4th  | Not held |  |  |  |
1998–99  | Div 2 | 16  | 6  | 4  | 6  | 25  | 17  | 22  | 6th  |  |  |  |  |
1999-00  | Div 2 | 16  | 7  | 2  | 7  | 23  | 25  | 23  | 5th  |  |  |  |  |
2000–01  | Div 2 | 16  | 2  | 2  | 12  | 16  | 34  | 8  | 9th  |  |  |  |  |
2001–02  | Div 1 | 20  | 5  | 7  | 8  | 12  | 18  | 22  | 9th  |  |  |  |  |
2002–03  | Div 2 | 10  | 2  | 5  | 3  | 11  | 10  | 11  | 4th  |  |  |  |  |
2003–04  | Div 2 | 22  | 6  | 6  | 10  | 22  | 24  | 24  | 9th  |  |  |  |  |
2004–05  | Div 2 | 18  | 10  | 5  | 3  | 25  | 11  | 35  | 2nd  |  |  |  |  |
2005–06  | Div 2 | 22  | 11  | 5  | 6  | 31  | 24  | 38  | 3rd  |  |  |  |  |
2006–07  | Div 2 | 26  | 11  | 5  | 10  | 32  | 37  | 38  | 7th  |  |  |  |  |
2007–08  | Div 2 | 26  | 4  | 2  | 20  | 16  | 51  | 14  | 14th  |  |  |  |  |
2008–09  | Div 2 | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 9th  |  |  |  |  |
2009–10  | Div 3 | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 12th  |  |  |  |  |
2010–11  | TPL | Absence |  |  |  |  |
2011–12  | TPL.Div 1 | Absence |  |  |  |  |
2012–13  | TPL.Div 1 | Absence |  |  |  |  |
2013–14  | TPL.Div 1 | Absence |  |  |  |  |
2014–15  | TPL.Div 1 | 10  | 8  | 1  | 1  | 22  | 5  | 25  | 1st | Did not qualify  |  |  |  |
2016–17  | TPL.Div 1  | 26  | 14  | 7  | 5  | 52  | 38  | 49  | 5th  |  |  |  |  |

### Key

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* P = Played
* W = Games won
* D = Games drawn
* L = Games lost
* F = Goals for
* A = Goals against
* Pts = Points
* Pos = Final position

* TJC = Takht Jamshid Cup
* TFL = Tehran Football League
* SEC = Shahid Espandi Cup
* TFL2 = Tehran Football League's 2nd Div.
* Div 1 = Azadegan League
* Div 2 = 2nd Division
* Div 3 = 3rd Division
* TPL = Tehran Province league
* TPL.Div 1 = Tehran Province league's 1st Div.

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Champions | Runners-up

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## Current Management Team

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Position  | Name

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Head coach |  Mehdi Dinvarzadeh
Assistant coach |  Robert Margosi
Assistant coach |  Vazgen Safarian
Technical manager |  Mais Minasian
Team Manager |  Vazgen Safarian

## Head coaches

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* Garnik Mehrabian (1963–1973)
* Mansour Amirasefi (c.1980s)
* Hassan Habibi (c.1980s)
* Mehdi Dinvarzade (c.2015s)

[1]

## References

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1. ^ "عکسی خاطره انگیز از آرارات دهه ۶۰". Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2012-07-28.

## External links

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### Official

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* (in Armenian) Official sports section of the Ararat Armenian Cultural Organization of Iran (archived)

### Fan site

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* (in Persian) Ararat FC Fan Blog

### official instagram

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* (in Persian) blog