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Full name Malavan Bandar Anzali Football Club
Nickname(s) White Swans (Persian: قوی سپید)
Founded 1969
Ground Takhti Stadium
Bandar-e Anzali
Iran
(Capacity: 20,000)
Chairman Saeed Pourtahmasebi
Head Coach Mohammad Ahmadzadeh
Malavan Bandar Anzali Football Club (Persian: باشگاه فوتبال ملوان بندر انزلى) is an Iranian football club based in Bandar-e Anzali, Iran.
The team is known to have some of the most passionate and loyal fans in Iranian football, and is one of the most successful teams not based in Tehran. It is attached to the Iranian Navy, and is known to have one of the best youth football programs in the country. It currently plays in Iran's top football league, the IPL. Malavan is the football club of the multisport Malavan Sport and Cultural Club. Establishment
Bahman Salehnia created the team in 1969 along with some young athletes from the port city of Anzali. After some time, the Iranian Navy decided to become the team's main sponsor and owner. Salehnia can be called the team's founder; he took over as the team's manger in 1973, and until 1998 remained in the position. The team has only had two coaches other than Salehnia, in the years since (Mohammad Ahmadzadeh and Nosrat Irandoost). Success
Salehnia was last manager of the team when he helped the team climb out of the 1st division and back into the IPL. The club has never really had great success in the league but they were able to become the best non-Tehran based club and finishing third in the 1977 and 1989. Malavan has won the Hazfi Cup on three occasions, in 1976, 1986 and 1990. In 1988 Malavan participated in Asian Club Championship but after beating Saunders SC in first round they withdrew from tournament due to the Iran–Iraq War. |
