Ario Eslamshahr

In the summer of 2023 a football club from Isfahan found itself arguing, in effect, against its own sale. Van Pars Naghsh Jahan had just earned promotion to the Azadegan League when its licence was put up for transfer, and Isfahan's sports authorities tried to keep it in the province. Van Pars itself objected — not to the sale, but to the local bidder, issuing a statement that questioned the buyer's qualifications and asking that the licence go instead to a company from Eslamshahr called Ario. The authorities relented, and Ario Eslamshahr took Van Pars's place in the top division.

Mihan, which owns the Ario brand, built a side from nothing in 2020 and bought its way into the football pyramid the following year, taking over the licence of a Qom club to enter the third division.