Iran Football Federation Hazfi Cup Competition Regulations - 2019 edition
| Adoption | 2019 — Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran |
| Status | Repealed — superseded by the 2023 edition of the regulations |
Table of articles (15 articles)
- 1
- 2
- 3Format of the knockout competition
- 4Draw and composition of the competition bracket
- 5Conditions for participation in the knockout competition
- 6Documents required for club registration
- 7Players' equipment
- 8Player list and player cards
- 9Disciplinary provisions
- 10Stadium preparation and allocation of spectators
- 11The Hazfi Cup final
- 12Financial provisions
- 13Fair play, medals, certificates and advertising
- 14Unforeseen matters and interpretation of the regulations
- 15
Preamble: Sport has today become an instrument in the world that unites people and brings them to know one another, establishing a bond of brotherhood between them, which is the foremost aim and duty of sport. It creates friendship between athletes who, though rivals on the field of play, are companions to one another off it. It is therefore necessary that all sporting disciplines attend to this matter and place on their agenda quantitative and qualitative development and sound coaching for the age groups of the discipline. Given the appeal of football, the development of this discipline within the field of coaching — resting on the foundations of education and training, the attainment of scientific and systematic principles, and attention to grassroots football (under-13, under-16, under-19 and under-23) — has been the concern of the country's football, so that, alongside the creation of a talent base, the conditions necessary for strengthening human resources and their activity within clubs are provided.
Heidar Baharvand, President of the Football League Organisation
#Article 1
Purpose. This competition is held in order to develop the sport of football and to secure wider participation of clubs throughout the country, as well as to create fair competition, to raise the qualitative level of football in all provinces, to strengthen football clubs, and to determine the champion team.
#Article 2
Naming. This competition is held to commemorate the memory of the valour of the brave men who created the epic of the operation to liberate Khorramshahr, and is held under the title of the Khorramshahr Liberation Cup.
#Article 3Format of the knockout competition
1.The national knockout competition shall be held between the champion teams of the provincial clubs' knockout competitions, the champion of the Tehran districts, the champion of Kish, the representative of Khorramshahr, the clubs of the national Second Division League, the teams competing in the national First Division League and the teams competing in the Premier League, as set out below.
2.The first round of the competition shall be held with the participation of the provincial champion teams on a single-match knockout basis until the teams advancing to the next round are determined.
3.The second round of the competition shall be held with the participation of the teams advancing from the first round and the Second Division League teams on a single-match knockout basis until the teams advancing from this round to the next round are determined.
4.The third round of the competition shall be held with the participation of the teams advancing from the second round and the First Division League teams on a single-match knockout basis until the teams advancing to the next round are determined.
5.The fourth round of the competition shall be held with the participation of the 16 teams advancing from the third round and the 16 Premier League teams on a single-match knockout basis until the champion team is determined.
6.The competition shall be held in all rounds on a single-match knockout basis, with the home and away teams determined in accordance with the provisions of these regulations, and the final of this competition shall likewise be held as a single match; the champion of the national clubs' Hazfi Cup, if it meets the requisite conditions, shall be nominated to the AFC Champions League as one of the quotas of Iranian clubs.
7.Hazfi Cup matches shall be held only in stadiums in the host city that meet the requisite standards, and where no qualifying stadium exists, one of the qualifying stadiums of that province or of a neighbouring province shall be used, as selected by the League Organisation.
8.The final match between the two teams advancing from the previous rounds to determine the champion team shall be held as a single match.
9.The champion team of the provincial clubs' knockout competitions, the champion of the Tehran districts, the champion of Kish and the representative of Khorramshahr must pay the sum of IRR 100,000,000 in cash into the account of the Football League Organisation as a deposit securing performance of obligations until the end of the national knockout competition, deliver the relevant payment slip to the finance department of the League Organisation, and submit a copy of the relevant receipt together with the other required documents to the Competitions Committee, in order to be included in the draw. Teams that fail to comply with this paragraph shall evidently not be admitted to the knockout competition.
10.Premier League, First Division League and Second Division League teams must treat the payment of membership fees and of the performance guarantee as governed by the relevant regulations.
11.Premier League, First Division and Second Division clubs taking part in the national Hazfi Cup must obtain the requisite clearance certificate from the Federation's Disciplinary Committee and the League Organisation's finance department and submit it to the Competitions Committee.
12.Under the regulations, clubs belonging to the Premier League and the First Division League are obliged to take part in the Hazfi Cup, and defaulting teams shall be dealt with under the disciplinary provisions, with the damage caused taken into account.
13.At the end of the competition, the champion team of the national Hazfi Cup, if it meets the requisite conditions, shall be nominated to the AFC as the national knockout competition's quota for participation in the AFC Champions League.
14.The competition shall be held in all rounds on a single-match knockout basis.
15.Teams that win in the single-match knockout matches advance to the next round.
16.If the result of a single-match knockout match is level at the end of the match, two periods of fifteen minutes shall be added to the playing time.
17.If the scores are level at the end of extra time, the winning team shall be determined by kicks from the penalty mark.
18.Providing accommodation and meals for the referees and inspectors assigned to the match is the responsibility of the host club, in coordination with the football board of the host province. 19- In the competition, the cost of transport, accommodation and meals for each team is the responsibility of the club concerned.
#Article 4Draw and composition of the competition bracket
1.The draw ceremony shall be held in the presence of the managers of the clubs concerned or their fully authorised representatives holding a letter of introduction, as well as other relevant officials.
2.From the first round of the competition to the semi-final round, the draw shall be conducted openly and separately for each round.
3.The home and away teams in the matches are determined on the basis of the draw conducted, and in the following round the teams that were the away team in the previous match are designated as the home team and the home teams as the away team.
4.Where both teams were the home team or the away team in the previous round, the home or away team for that match shall be determined by lot.
5.Where a team has been the home team or the away team in two consecutive rounds, the third match requires no draw, and the team with the greater number of consecutive home matches shall be the away team, and vice versa.
6.Where a team has been the home team or the away team in three consecutive rounds, the following match requires no draw, and the team with the greater number of consecutive home matches becomes the away team, and vice versa.
7.Where a team's opponents fail to appear in two consecutive fixtures and the match is cancelled (irrespective of whether that team was the home or the away team in those fixtures), it shall be the away team in the following fixture (irrespective of whether the opposing team is the away or the home team).
#Article 5Conditions for participation in the knockout competition
1.This competition is conducted, in technical terms, on the basis of the regulations of the international federation, FIFA, and, in operational and disciplinary terms, on the basis of the regulations and rules of the Football Federation and the Iranian Football League Organisation.
2.Each team must deliver the required documents to the Iranian Football League Organisation within the lawful deadline set by the League Organisation; failing this, it shall be treated as having withdrawn from the competition and shall not be included in the draw, and a decision shall be taken in respect of it by the Federation's Disciplinary Committee in accordance with the regulations.
3.All matters concerning the transfer of players and of technical and administrative staff are governed by the provisions of the transfer regulations.
4.Each club may use in the knockout competition all of its senior, under-23 and youth players who have been registered and granted a licence to play in accordance with the relevant regulations.
5.If a team withdraws from the competition after the draw, it shall not be permitted to take part in the knockout competition in the following season.
#Article 6Documents required for club registration
The documents to be submitted by the knockout champion clubs of each province in this edition of the competition are as follows.
1.The list of players' names, approved by the club and by the football board of the province concerned.
2.The card for participation in the provincial competition, approved by the football board of the city and by the football board of the province concerned.
3.A letter from the football board of the province concerned confirming the list of players' names and the card for participation in the competition.
4.Completion of the undertaking form by the club and confirmation by the provincial football board, for submission to the Iranian Football League Organisation.
5.The payment slip for the sum of IRR 100,000,000 as the competition deposit.
6.Responsibility for the formalities of establishing the authenticity of the documents of the party contracting with the club rests with the officials of the club concerned.
Note: Teams competing in the national Premier League, First Division League and Second Division League which have previously submitted their documents from the past season to the League Organisation may attend the draw ceremony on the strength of those same documents.
#Article 7Players' equipment
1.Players' kit is governed by Law 4 of the Laws of the Game.
2.Each team must select and declare at least two colours for its playing kit, comprising shirt, shorts and socks (contrasting colours), as well as two sets of non-matching, numbered bibs.
3.The colour of the goalkeeper's shirt must be distinguishable from that of the other players (a complete sample of these two sets of kit must be delivered to the Iranian Football League Organisation up to two weeks before the start of the competition).
#Article 8Player list and player cards
1.Each club is obliged to submit to the Football League Organisation, at the latest one week before the start of the competition season, the list of players together with their shirt numbers, approved by the football board of the province concerned.
2.The team manager is obliged to carry at all matches the identity cards of the players and of the team staff, issued by the provincial football board and the Football League Organisation, and to submit them to the League Organisation's representative one and a half hours before the start of each fixture; the use in matches of persons without a card is not permitted.
#Article 9Disciplinary provisions
1.Responsibility for giving effect to the cautions and sending-off of players and accompanying staff rests with the clubs and the managers of the participating teams.
2.Any player or member of the technical staff who receives two yellow cards in total shall be suspended from the following match.
3.All cautions and sending-off in the Hazfi Cup competition are counted only in the knockout competition and do not extend to other leagues, save for sanctions announced by the Disciplinary Committee, which must be given effect.
3.Where players and members of the technical staff who have been sent off belong to teams that are eliminated from the competition, their suspension shall be given effect in the first competition season following the Hazfi Cup; however, a disciplinary suspension arising in the knockout competition is carried over to the competition of the same season.
#Article 10Stadium preparation and allocation of spectators
1.Preparation of the stadium is the responsibility of the host club, in cooperation with the football board of the host province.
2.Where the host club has a dedicated ground approved by the Iranian Football League Organisation, the match shall be held at the host team's dedicated ground; failing this, the host club is obliged, in cooperation with the provincial football board, to declare a standard and suitable ground, having regard to the AFC's requirements, for the staging of its matches.
3.As regards the allocation of the capacity of the stadium's stands between the two teams, given that the competition is on a single-match knockout basis, 90% of the stadium's capacity is for the home team and 10% for the away team; and where a team is unable to fill the capacity allocated to it, the opposing team's spectators may use it.
4.Changing the venue, day and time of a match falls solely within the powers of the League Organisation, and is not otherwise possible.
#Article 11The Hazfi Cup final
1.The final fixture is a single match
2.The venue of the final fixture shall be selected by lot at the draw ceremony for the fourth round from among the following stadiums: Azadi in Tehran — Naghsh-e Jahan in Isfahan — Yadegar-e Emam in Tabriz — Ghadir in Ahvaz — Emam Reza in Mashhad — Pars in Shiraz. Note: where a stadium is selected, the name of that stadium is not entered into the draw in the following season.
3.The number of spectators of the finalist teams is 50% of the stadium's capacity.
4.Where the number of a team's spectators is less than 50% of the stadium's capacity, the opposing team's spectators may use it.
#Article 12Financial provisions
1.Payment of the costs of staging the matches is the responsibility of the host club, in coordination with the football board of the host province, and payment of the fees of the referees, the representative and the match inspector shall be the responsibility of the Football Federation and the League Organisation.
2.Ticket sales and perimeter advertising at the matches are governed by the League Organisation's ticket-sales regulations and financial provisions.
#Article 13Fair play, medals, certificates and advertising
1.In each of the aforementioned competitions the host is obliged to display the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the flag of the Football Federation, the flag of the League Organisation and the fair play (FAIR PLAY) flag.
2.The League Organisation shall present the championship trophy to the champion team of the Hazfi Cup, and the relevant certificates and medals shall be presented to the managers, players and other accompanying staff of the champion team.
3.Perimeter advertising at the stadium is at the disposal of the League Organisation.
#Article 14Unforeseen matters and interpretation of the regulations
1.Where these regulations are silent and matters arise that are not provided for in them, reference shall first be made to the Premier League competition regulations, given their similarity, and those shall be relied upon; and where the matter is absent from those regulations, the matter shall be raised by the League Organisation before the Board of Directors of the League Organisation and decided on the basis of the laws and regulations, and that decision is final and conclusive and shall not be subject to challenge. 2- Interpretation of these regulations rests with the League Organisation.
#Article 15
Adoption and entry into force of the regulations. These regulations comprise 15 articles and, on the proposal of the Competitions Committee, were raised before the Board of Directors of the League Organisation and were adopted on 4 August 2019 by the Board of Directors of the Football Federation, and are binding from that date.