2011–12 Persian Gulf Cup
The 2011–12 Persian Gulf Cup was the 29th season of Iran's Football League and 11th as Iran Pro League since its establishment in 2001. Sepahan were the defending champions. The season featured 15 teams from the 2010–11 Persian Gulf Cup and three new teams promoted from the 2010–11 Azadegan League: Damash as champions, Mes Sarcheshmeh and Fajr Sepasi. The league started on 2 August 2011 and ended on 11 May 2012. Sepahan won the Pro League title for the fourth time in their history.
Teams
Stadia and locations
| Team | City | Venue | Capacity |
| Damash Gilan | Rasht | Dr. Azodi | 11,000 |
| Esteghlal | Tehran | Azadi | 95,225 |
| Fajr Sepasi | Shiraz | Hafezieh | 22,000 |
| Foolad | Ahvaz | Takhti Ahvaz | 12,000 |
| Malavan | Anzali | Takhti Anzali | 8,000 |
| Mes Kerman | Kerman | Shahid Bahonar | 12,000 |
| Mes Sarcheshmeh | Sarcheshmeh | Shahid Bahonar | 12,000 |
| Naft Tehran | Tehran | Dastgerdi | 8,250 |
| Persepolis | Tehran | Azadi | 95,225 |
| Rah Ahan | Shahr-e-Rey | Rah Ahan | 12,000 |
| Saba Qom | Qom | Yadegar Emam Qom | 10,610 |
| Saipa | Karaj | Enghelab Karaj | 14,000 |
| Sanat Naft | Abadan | Takhti Abadan | 25,000 |
| Sepahan | Esfahan | Foolad Shahr | 15,000 |
| Shahin | Bushehr | Shahid Beheshti | 14,000 |
| Shahrdari Tabriz | Tabriz | Yadegar Emam Tabriz | 66,833 |
| Tractor Sazi | Tabriz | Yadegar Emam Tabriz | 80,451 |
| Zob Ahan | Esfahan | Foolad Shahr | 15,000 |
Personnel and kits
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | Past Season |
| Damash |  Mehdi Tartar |  Reza Mahdavi | Adidas | Damash Shahr Baran | Promoted |
| Esteghlal | Parviz Mazloomi | Mojtaba Jabbari | Uhlsport | 2nd | |
| Fajr Sepasi | Mahmoud Yavari | Mehdi Rajabzadeh | Majid | Promoted | |
| Foolad | Majid Jalali | Jalal Kameli Mofrad | Uhlsport | 6th | |
| Malavan | Farhad Pourgholami | Babak Pourgholami | Majid | Iran Navy | 8th |
| Mes Kerman | Ebrahim Ghasempour | Farzad Hosseinkhani | Uhlsport | 7th | |
| Mes Sarcheshmeh | Asghar Sharafi | Ali Samereh | Uhlsport | - | Promoted |
| Naft Tehran | Hossein Faraki | Hamid Reza Fathi | Uhlsport | National Iranian Oil Company | 13th |
| Persepolis |  Mustafa Denizli | Ali Karimi | Uhlsport | Opel | 4th |
| Rah Ahan | Ali Daei | Hossein Pashaei | Daei | Refah Bank | 15th |
| Saba Qom | Abdollah Veisi | Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh | Majid | 10th | |
| Saipa | Mojtaba Taghavi | Ebrahim Sadeghi | Uhlsport | SAIPA | 11th |
| Sanat Naft |  José Alberto Costa | Abbas Merdasi | Majid | National Iranian Oil Company | 9th |
| Sepahan |  Zlatko Kranjčar | Moharram Navidkia | Lotto | Foolad Mobarakeh Complex | Champion |
| Shahin | Hamid Derakhshan | Vahid Talebloo | Uhlsport | Post Bank | 14th |
| Shahrdari Tabriz | Ali Asghar Modir Roosta | Ebrahim Mirzapour | Majid | 12th | |
| Tractor Sazi | Amir Ghalenoei | Morteza Assadi | Uhlsport | Hamrah-e-Avval | 5th |
| Zob Ahan | Mansour Ebrahimzadeh | Mohammad Salsali | Uhlsport | 3rd |
Managerial changes
Before the start of the season
| Team | Outgoing head coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming head coach | Date of appointment |
| Saipa | Mayeli Kohan | Contract expired | 21 05 2011 | 11th ' | Majid Saleh | 06 06 2011 |
| Sepahan | Amir Ghalenoei | Contract expired | 05 06 2011 | 1st ' |  Luka Bonačić | 22 06 2011 |
| Tractor Sazi | Faraz Kamalvand | Contract expired | 13 06 2011 | 5th ' | Amir Ghalenoei | 22 06 2011 |
| Persepolis | Ali Daei | Contract expired | 14 06 2011 | 4th ' | Hamid Estili | 21 06 2011 |
| Shahrdari | Hamid Derakhshan | Sacked | 18 06 2011 | 12th ' |  Miodrag Ješić | 18 06 2011 |
| Shahin Bushehr | Akbar Misaghian | Sacked | 19 06 2011 | 14th ' | Hamid Derakhshan | 26 06 2011 |
| Rah Ahan | Mehdi Tartar | Sacked | 14 07 2011 | 15th | Ali Daei | 14 07 2011 |
In season
League table
Positions by round
Results
Clubs season-progress
Statistics
Top Goalscorers
1 Siamak Kouroshi from Naft Tehran 2 owne goals.Last updated: 16 May 2012
Source:
Top Assistants
| Position | Player | Club | Assists |
| 1 | Ehsan Hajsafi | Tractor Sazi | 11 |
| 2 |  Milad Gharibi | Saipa | 9 |
| 3 | Saeed Daghighi | Shahrdari Tabriz | 8 |
| 3 | Mojtaba Jabbari | Esteghlal | 8 |
| 3 | Ali Karimi | Persepolis | 8 |
| 6 | Abbas Pourkhosravani | Shahin Bushehr | 7 |
| 6 | Farhad Majidi | Esteghlal | 7 |
| 6 | Alireza Ramezani | Malavan | 7 |
| 6 | Gholamreza Rezaei | Persepolis | 7 |
Last updated: 16 May 2012
Source:
Cards
Last updated: 16 May 2012Source:
Matches played
Last updated: 16 May 2012Source:
Hat-tricks
Fastest hat-trick of the season
Scoring
- First goal of the season: Hossein Kazemi own goal for Zob Ahan against Rah Ahan
- Fastest goal of the season: 10 seconds – Pejman Shahpari for Saba against Foolad
- Widest winning margin: 5 goals
- *Saipa 5–0 Fajr Sepasi
- Highest scoring game: 7 goals
- *Malavan 3–4 Sepahan
- *Persepolis 3–4 Rah Ahan
- Most goals scored in a match by a single team: 5 goals
- *Tractor Sazi 5–1 Shahrdari Tabriz
- *Saipa 5–0 Fajr Sepasi
- Most goals scored in a match by a losing team: 3 goals
- *Malavan 3–4 Sepahan
- *Persepolis 3–4 Rah Ahan
Awards
Monthly awards
Annual awards
Team of the Tournament
Goalkeeper: Rahman AhmadiDefence: Ehsan Hajsafi, Pejman Montazeri, Jalal Hosseini, Hossein Mahini
Midfield: Ali Karimi, Omid Ebrahimi, Mojtaba Jabbari, Flávio Paixão
Attack: Founéké Sy, Karim Ansarifard
Player of the Tournament
Goal.com selected Farhad Majidi as the best player of the first half of the season and Ali Karimi as the best player of the second half. Karim Ansarifard and Omid Alishah also won the best young players of the tournament.Attendances
Average home attendances
Highest attendances
Notes:Updated to games played on 11 May 2012. Source: