Soccer, Petroleum Industry in Oil-Rich Areas

Farshid Khodadadian
University Professor and Petroleum Industry Researcher
Daily newspaper Iran, in its November 2, 2017 issue, published an article titled "Soccer, Alternative to War" in which it provided valuable information about the history of football in Iran and London's 1908 Olympics.
The following note provides complementary information to that article, including some amendments:

London was hosting the 1908 Olympics at a time when a group of British oil explorers, led by George Reynolds, had already embarked on their campaign to discover oil in Iran under the William Knox D'Arcy Concession.
In the final months leading to the Olympics, the oil explorers mounted drilling rigs in mountainsides in southwest Iran. Their efforts came to fruition in late May that year. The first oil well in the Middle East gushed petroleum. The location of this well was later named Masjid-i-Soleyman (MIS). After the extraction of oil and establishment of industrial and civil facilities there, MIS became the birthplace of many firsts in Iran. Football was one of them.
Iranians knew football in MIS which is located today in Khuzestan Province. The first soccer stadium in that city was built by British engineers there. The first Iranian footballer who played soccer there was Karim Zandi. From 1908 to 1918, Zandi was playing in matches held between Britain and Iran.
Soccer and Petroleum
The Britons taught Iranians living in oil-rich areas how to play football, but they could not beat the Iranians every time!
After the first oil well in the Middle East started production in 1908, the British staff stationed in MIS might be willing to play soccer in their leisure time. In those years, they were following up on news of Olympics in London. Telegrams and parcels that were mailed to them sometimes contained news of matches in London. But in London, exploration of oil in Iran and Persian king Muzaffaruddin Shah Qajar's awarding of concession to D'Arcy were overshadowed by the Olympics and results of matches.
According to memories of British civil commissioner Sir Arnold Wilson, who was in Iran to lead a group of Bengal Lancers to guard the British consulate in Ahvaz and to protect the work of the D’Arcy Oil Company, news of oil discovery in Iran had reached London with delay.

The British explorers, who were accompanied by Canadian workers, reproduced many symbols of industrial and modern life at their workplace. Some of these symbols were golf, football and horse-riding. MIS, Hafkal, Abadan and other recently born petrocities in southwest Iran were home to football and other new sports.
Soccer first started in Iran in MIS, which is now in Khuzestan Province. The first football stadium was built in this city by British engineers.
The introduction of football by the British to oil-rich areas marked the start of a popular match in Iran. Football first emerged in Britain in 1866 and gradually won hearts and minds all across the globe.
In 1904 (four years before soccer match in southwest Iran), the football governing body FIFA was established. In 1906 FIFA organized the first round of football matches. Nonetheless, football owes its promotion to the 1908 Olympics in London, which coincided with the discovery of oil in Persia.
Therefore, football and petroleum industry emerged in Iran at the same time. At a time when many parts of Iran and the entire Middle East knew nothing about football, oil service workers in MIS spent their time on playing football and other modern sports.
Later on, football found its supporters in the capital and other parts of Iran. In 1929, the first official match was held between Iran and then Soviet Union. Later on, in 1933 and 1934 significant changes transpired soccer matches in Iran. The National Association of Physical Education and Scouting was established. In 1937 Hossein Sadeqi moved to promote football in Iran after he returned from Europe. In 1938 and 1939 Iran's national football team took shape. Its first match was with Afghanistan.

The emergence of football in Iran coincided with the birth of petroleum industry. Not only this attractive sport, but also many other manifestations of modern art and architecture as well as social and urban issues spread thanks to petroleum industry in Iran.
Amjadieh Stadium was established in those years and finally in 1946 Iran's football federation was set up and joined FIFA one year later.
Therefore, it has to be noted that football emerged in oil-rich areas of Iran some 38 years before the establishment of Iran's football federation.
After different sport clubs were built by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC), matches were being held between them. That was the starting point of club matches in Iran.
Most of these clubs had their own soccer pitch, swimming pool, sport hall, movie hall and other cultural and athletic facilities. Many of these buildings still exist in MIS despite their conversion; Naftoun Club, Naftak Club, Iran Club, Markazi Club, Tombi Club, Kaveh Cheshmeh Ali Club, Bibian Club, Indians Club, Armenians Club.
Now more than a century old, football in oil-rich areas symbolizes the beauty and delicacy of underprivileged people and Brazilian slaves rather than classic football of London.
It has to be noted that introduction of cultural and sport clubs in oil-rich areas is nearly a century old. Each club had its own sport disciplines and had won national and international awards.
The emergence of soccer in Iran coincided with the discovery of oil in Iran. Not only this attractive and recreational sport, but also many other manifestations of modern art and architecture as well as social and urban issues were promoted across Iran on account of the petroleum industry in the country.
Some football stadiums built in oil-rich areas in Iran are as old as the stadiums built for the 1908 Olympics of London.
However, now more than a century old, football in oil-rich areas symbolizes the beauty and delicacy of underprivileged people and Brazilian slaves rather than classic football of London.
The beauty of foot dance and cry of colonized nations against colonial powers just like when Karim Zeidi jumped in the air to celebrate the goal he scored against Britain in MIS. It was similar to Pele's jump after scoring a goal.
The Britons taught Iranians in oil-rich areas how to play football, but they could not always beat Iran.