2/25/2007
Afshin Afshar, lastkick.com

An appeals court ruling has provided Iranian club Sepahan with a much needed boost by cutting their points deduction from five to three – a decision that puts them on top of the league.

After a firecracker throwing incident during a Sepahan and Perspolis match had caused severe facial injuries to a security personnel at Foolad Shahr stadium, title-chasing Sepahan were hit with a heavy fine, banned from playing at home for three months, and deducted five points.

The appeals court ruling reduced the fine by 50%, permitted Sepahan to play at home although in front of empty seats, and reduced the point deduction to three.

As a result Sepahan now leads the league with 39, followed by Saba Battery with 38, and Perspolis of Tehran (also appealing a six-point deduction) by 36 points.

This is arguably the first piece of good news the Isfahan club has received since their losses to Urawa Reds of Japan in AFC Champions League Final and then in the World Club Cup 2007.

Those setbacks were followed by the departure of Croatian coach Luka Bonacic and his assistant Mansour Ebrahimzadeh, and a series of poor results.

Sepahan has been one of Iran’s most successful clubs in recent years, and this break is sure to boost their chances of winning their second league title since 2002-03 season.

Sepahan has also won three Hazfi (Elimination) Cups during the same period.