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Al-Zawraa SC

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 124.217.188.160 (talk) at 14:47, 8 July 2021 (→Performance in AFC competitions). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article is about the football club. For the television channel, see Al-Zawraa TV.

Al-Zawraa SC
File:Al-Zawraa Club Logo.png
Full nameAl-Zawraa Sports Club
Nickname(s)Al-Nawaris (The Gulls)
Founded29 June 1969 as Al-Muwasalat
GroundAl-Zawraa Stadium[1]
Capacity15,443
OwnerMinistry of Transport
PresidentFalah Hassan
ManagerRadhi Shenaishil
LeagueIraqi Premier League
2018–19Iraqi Premier League, 3rd
Current season

Al-Zawraa Sports Club (Template:Lang-ar) is an Iraqi sports club based in Utayfia, Karkh District, West Districts of the Tigris River, Baghdad. Their football team compete in the Iraqi Premier League, the top-flight of Iraqi football. Al-Zawraa are the most decorated club in Iraq having won 14 league titles, more than any other Iraqi team, and having never been relegated. They won their most recent trophy in the 2018–19 season by claiming their 16th Iraq FA Cup title, also a national record.

They have won the league unbeaten on a record four occasions and also hold the joint-record for the most Iraqi Elite Cups with three, as well as the record for the most Iraqi Super Cups with four. They are one of only two teams to have won all four of the aforementioned trophies in the same season (the 1999–2000 season), and they hold the joint-record for the most consecutive league matches undefeated in Iraq, going 39 games without a loss from 1993 to 1994.

Al-Zawraa's best continental achievements include finishing fourth at the 1996–97 Asian Club Championship and finishing as runners-up of the 1999–2000 Asian Cup Winners' Cup where they lost the final to Japanese club Shimizu S-Pulse. Since the AFC Champions League was formed in 2002, Al-Zawraa have not advanced past the group stages of the tournament, although they have reached the knockout rounds of the AFC Cup three times and the round of 16 at the Arab Club Champions Cup twice. The team's home colour is white, thus the nickname Al-Nawaris, which means The Gulls.

History

1969–1974: Three promotions in five years

Al-Zawraa were founded on 29 June 1969 as Al-Muwasalat, which means 'Transportation'. Al-Muwasalat participated in the Iraq Central FA Fourth Division in the 1969–70 season. In the 1970–71 season, they won the fourth division and were promoted to the third division. The 1971–72 season saw the establishment of 'Al-Muwasalat B' (the club's B team) by the merging of Al-Bareed B and Al-Matar Al-Midani, and they joined the fourth division. In their first season, Al-Muwasalat B won the fourth division under coach Rasheed Radhi and were promoted to the third division, beating Al-Shabab 2–1 on 1 June 1972 at Al-Kashafa Stadium. On 16 November 1972, the club was renamed to Al-Zawraa. The 1972–73 season saw both Al-Zawraa and Al-Zawraa B competing in the third division, and in the 1973–74 season, Al-Zawraa B won the third division title, securing promotion to the second division. As they were the club's B team, the A and B teams merged back together, and the club competed in the newly-founded Iraqi Second Division in the 1974–75 season. Al-Zawraa won the second division title that season under Rasheed Radhi's leadership, being promoted into the Iraqi National League for the first time in their history for the 1975–76 season.

1974–1980: First league and cup titles

A club named Al-Naqil (meaning 'Transport') were the runners-up of the 1974–75 Iraqi National League, but after the season they had no administration and financial backing so Al-Naqil folded. Al-Naqil's players, who were just one point away from winning the 1974–75 Iraqi National League, thus joined fellow Ministry of Transport team and newly promoted side Al-Zawraa. This meant that Al-Zawraa became one of the strongest clubs in Iraq right from their first season in the top-flight of Iraqi football, which was the 1975–76 season. Al-Zawraa managed to win the league title in their very first season, finishing five points ahead from runners-up Al-Tayaran (now called Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya), who would soon become Al-Zawraa's biggest rivals. They also won the Iraq FA Cup that season, thrashing Al-Baladiyat 5–0 in the final, to secure the double.

In the 1976–77 Iraqi National League, Al-Zawraa managed to retain their title, winning the league undefeated with a record of nine wins and two draws. The 1977–78 season saw Al-Zawraa finish as runners-up in the league for the first time, ending up two points behind champions Al-Mina'a, meanwhile in the 1977–78 Iraq FA Cup, Al-Zawraa were knocked out in the quarter-final meaning they had their first trophyless season since their promotion to the top-flight. The 1978–79 Iraqi National League saw Al-Zawraa win the league undefeated again, winning seven and drawing five, and they also won the Iraq FA Cup with a 3–1 win against Al-Jaish to secure their second double. Al-Zawraa were very close to winning the league in the 1979–80 season as well; if they had defeated Al-Shabab in their last league game, they would have won the league, but they drew 1–1 and handed the title to Baghdad rivals Al-Shorta, finishing behind them on goal difference. They also failed to win the Iraq FA Cup that season, losing the semi-final to Al-Talaba.

1980–1990: League struggles but cup success

The 1980s was the worst decade in the history of Al-Zawraa as they failed to win a single league title. The decade started with the 1980–81 Iraqi National League where Al-Zawraa finished in a lowly seventh, however they did win their third Iraq FA Cup by beating Al-Talaba 1–0 in the final. They finished fifth in 1981–82 but once again won the Iraq FA Cup, beating Al-Talaba 2–1 this time. In 1982–83, Al-Zawraa finished seventh again, and they ended up fifth in 1983–84, although they managed to win the Victory Championship that season and also reached the final of the Al-Qadisiya Championship, losing to Al-Jaish after Saad Abdul-Hamid missed a penalty. The 1984–85 season was cancelled with Al-Zawraa in eighth position, and the 1985–86 season was one of the worst in Al-Zawraa's history as they finished in ninth, just one point away from the relegation playoff, although they did win their second Victory Championship. They finished in seventh in 1986–87 and fifth in 1987–88, and lost the 1987–88 Iraq FA Cup final on penalties to Al-Rasheed; they were also runners-up in the Uday Saddam Hussein Cup that season. Al-Zawraa improved in the 1988–89 season as they finished fourth in the league and won the Iraq FA Cup for the fifth time, and they also participated in, and won, the first ever ACC Club Championship (organised by the Arab Cooperation Council). They did exactly the same in the following season finishing fourth again, winning the Iraq FA Cup again and winning the ACC Club Championship again. Their cup win qualified them to the 1990 Arab Club Champions Cup but the tournament eventually got abandoned; Al-Zawraa played two games in the preliminary round of the tournament, drawing the first and winning the second.

1990–2003: Domination of Iraqi football

The 1990s was a much better decade for Al-Zawraa. They were crowned champions of Iraq for the fourth time in 1990–91 and also won yet another Iraq FA Cup to secure another double. Al-Zawraa finished as runners-up in the 1991–92 Iraqi National League and were knocked out of the 1991–92 Iraq FA Cup at the round of 32 stage, but they did win the first ever edition of the Iraqi Elite Cup that season by defeating rivals Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya in the final. The 1992–93 Iraqi National League saw Al-Zawraa finish as runners-up again, but they won another Iraq FA Cup by beating Al-Talaba.

The next three seasons were three of the best in Al-Zawraa's history; they won three consecutive doubles in 1993–94, 1994–95 and 1995–96. They also participated in their first ever AFC tournaments, being knocked out in the first round of the 1993–94 Asian Cup Winners' Cup and the second round of the 1995 Asian Club Championship. Al-Zawraa did not win any trophies in the 1996–97 season as their rivals Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya won all four domestic trophies. However, they did reach the furthest they ever reached in the Asian Club Championship in 1996–97 as they reached the semi-finals. They lost the semi-final and also lost the third place match to finish in fourth in Asia's main tournament. In 1997–98, Al-Zawraa were in with a chance of winning the league on the final day but ended up finishing third after drawing their final match to Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 1–1. However, they did manage to win the Iraq FA Cup again (which saw manager Anwar Jassam win his record fifth FA Cup), and followed that up by winning their first Iraqi Super Cup with a 1–0 win over league champions Al-Shorta. In the 1997–98 Asian Club Championship, Al-Zawraa reached the second round before being knocked out.

The following two seasons (1998–99 and 1999–2000) brought even more success to Al-Zawraa as they continued their domination of Iraqi football. They won the double in both seasons, and also won the Iraqi Elite Cup, Iraqi Super Cup, Jerusalem International Championship and Al-Shaab Friendship Tournament across the two campaigns. They also reached the final of the 1999–2000 Asian Cup Winners' Cup, the furthest that they have ever reached in a major continental competition, but lost 1–0 to Shimizu S-Pulse, a club from Japan. As champions, Al-Zawraa qualified for the 2000–01 Asian Club Championship but were knocked out in the first round. Al-Zawraa won their third consecutive league title in 2000–01 and also won the Iraqi Super Cup, but they lost the 2000 Iraqi Elite Cup final 1–0 to Al-Shorta.

In the 2001–02 Iraqi Elite League, Al-Zawraa finished in a disappointing fourth place, and reached the second round of the 2001–02 Asian Club Championship as well as losing the final of the 2001 Baghdad Day Cup. They disappointed again in the following season by losing to Al-Sadd in 2002–03 AFC Champions League qualification.

2003–present: Ups and downs after the war

The 2003–04 Iraqi Premier League was not completed, but the Iraqi Elite Cup was, and Al-Zawraa won the tournament for the third and final time. In the 2003–04 Arab Champions League, Al-Zawraa were knocked out at the round of 16, but they did manage to win the 2004 Tishreen Tournament by beating Al-Talaba in the final. Al-Zawraa yet again finished in fourth position in the 2004–05 Iraqi Premier League and were knocked out at the group stage of the 2005 AFC Champions League as well as losing the final of the 2005 edition of the Damascus International Championship to Al-Talaba. In the 2005–06 season, Al-Zawraa secured their 11th league title by defeating Al-Najaf via a penalty shootout after a goalless draw, but in the 2005–06 Arab Champions League they were comfortably defeated over two legs by MC Algiers in the round of 16. The next four seasons (2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09 and 2009–10) saw Al-Zawraa finish in eighth, second, seventh and third respectively. Meanwhile, in this time period they also played in two AFC competitions: the 2007 AFC Champions League (knocked out in the group stage) and the 2009 AFC Cup (knocked out in the round of 16 by Erbil).

In 2010–11, they returned to the top of Iraqi football by winning their 12th league title after a penalty shootout win over Erbil. This qualified them to the 2012 AFC Cup but they were again knocked out in the round of 16. The 2011–12 Iraqi Elite League saw them make their worst defence of a title in their history as they finished in eighth position, behind Al-Shorta. The 2012–13 Iraqi Elite League saw them move up to fourth, and they were also knocked out of the 2012–13 Iraq FA Cup by Al-Talaba at the round of 32 stage. In 2013–14 they fell back down to sixth and they dropped back down to eighth in 2014–15, although they did win a friendly cup called the Tournament for the Armed Forces. They managed to recover from these disappointing seasons in the 2015–16 campaign and won the league title without losing a single league match, finishing ahead of runners-up Naft Al-Wasat in what was their 13th league title. They also reached the final of the 2015–16 Iraq FA Cup but were defeated 2–0 by fierce rivals Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, missing out on the chance to win their 15th Iraq FA Cup title. Their manager in this season, Basim Qasim, resigned from the club following the title-winning campaign and decided to manage Al-Zawraa's biggest rivals, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, in the 2016–17 season. Al-Zawraa finished fourth in the 2016–17 Iraqi Premier League, but won the 2016–17 Iraq FA Cup, extending their record to a staggering 15 cup titles. This qualified them for the Iraqi Super Cup, which they won by defeating league champions Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 3–0 on penalties after a 1–1 draw. They went on to couple that victory with the 2017–18 Iraqi Premier League title, extending their record to 14 league triumphs.

Al-Zawraa finished third in the 2018–19 Iraqi Premier League, but won the 2018–19 Iraq FA Cup, thus qualifying to the 2020 AFC Champions League.

Stadium

Al-Zawraa currently play at Al-Sha'ab Stadium. They formerly played at Al-Zawraa Stadium, which has been demolished to make way for a new stadium which is currently under construction. Al-Zawraa play all their derby matches against Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Al-Shorta and Al-Talaba at Al-Sha'ab Stadium in order to accommodate more spectators.

Supporters

Ultras The Kings is the name of the ultras group of Al-Zawraa fans. The group was founded in response to the foundations and successes of the Ultras Green Harp (Al-Shorta) and Ultras Blue Hawks (Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya) groups. The ultras group use flares, banners and flags in order to create a good atmosphere during matches.

Players

First-team squad

As of 22 October 2020

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
2 DF Iraq IRQ Mustafa Mohammed
3 DF Iraq IRQ Ahmed Maknzi
5 MF Iraq IRQ Muntadher Mohammed
6 MF Iraq IRQ Mohammed Ridha Jalil
7 MF Iraq IRQ Ahmad Fadhel
9 MF Iraq IRQ Hussein Ali
10 FW Iraq IRQ Alaa Abdul-Zahra (Captain)
11 DF Iraq IRQ Dhurgham Ismail
12 GK Iraq IRQ Jalal Hassan
13 MF Iraq IRQ Mohammed Basheer
14 DF Iraq IRQ Najm Shwan
15 DF Mauritania MTN Hassan Houbeib
16 MF Syria SYR Zaher Midani
17 FW Iraq IRQ Mustafa Mahmoud
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 MF Iraq IRQ Mahdi Kamel
20 GK Iraq IRQ Alaa Gatea
21 MF Iraq IRQ Mohammed Saleh
23 DF Iraq IRQ Husseini Abdul-Razzaq
25 MF Iraq IRQ Ali Raheem
27 DF Iraq IRQ Mohammed Abdul-Karim
29 DF Iraq IRQ Abbas Qasim
31 GK Iraq IRQ Ali Yasin
32 DF Iraq IRQ Alaa Raad
33 FW Iraq IRQ Mustafa Hassan
40 GK Iraq IRQ Ali Talib
77 FW Ivory Coast CIV Cheick Moukoro
88 FW Iraq IRQ Mohannad Abdul-Raheem
99 MF Iraq IRQ Maher Abdul-Hussein

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
21 DF Iraq IRQ Haider Ahmed (on loan at Naft Al-Wasat until the end of the 2020–21 season)

Notable players

For a list of all Al-Zawraa players, see List of Al-Zawraa players'

Rivalries

Main article: Baghdad Derbies

Al-Zawraa's main rivals are Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, with whom they contest the Iraqi El Clasico. They are also rivals with Al-Shorta and Al-Talaba.

Managers

Overview

Dates Name[2]
1969–1973 Iraq Abdul-Wahab Khalaf
1973–1974 Iraq Dawud Al-Azzawi
1974–1975 Iraq Rasheed Radhi
1975–1977 Iraq Saadi Salih
1977–1984 Iraq Anwar Jassam
1984–1985 Iraq Rasheed Radhi
1985–1986 Iraq Wathiq Naji
1986–1991 Iraq Falah Hassan
1991 Iraq Ali Kadhim
1991–1992 Iraq Ammo Baba
1992 Iraq Nawar Hussein
1992–1993 Iraq Anwar Jassam
1993 Iraq Abdul-Amir Naji
1993–1994 Iraq Ammo Baba
1994–1995 Iraq Kadhim Khalaf
1995 Iraq Kadhim Al-Rubaie
1985 Iraq Amer Jameel
1995 Iraq Hadi Mutanish
1995–1996 Iraq Adnan Hamad
1996–1997 Iraq Hadi Mutanish
1997 Iraq Ammo Baba
Dates Name
1997–1998 Iraq Anwar Jassam
1998 Iraq Adnan Hamad
1998–1999 Iraq Amer Jameel
1999–2001 Iraq Adnan Hamad
2001 Iraq Ibrahim Ali
2001 Iraq Sabah Abdul-Jalil
2001 Iraq Rasheed Radhi
2001–2002 Iraq Adnan Hamad
2002 Iraq Kadhim Khalaf
2002 Iraq Saad Abdul-Hameed
2002 Iraq Akram Salman
2002–2003 Iraq Ahmed Radhi
2003 Iraq Salam Hashim
2003–2004 Iraq Adnan Hamad
2004 Iraq Hadi Mutanish
2004–2005 Iraq Basim Qasim
2005 Iraq Mohammed Hussein Nasrallah
2005–2007 Iraq Salih Radhi
2007 Iraq Karim Saddam
2007–2008 Iraq Radhi Shenaishil
2008 Iraq Kadhim Khalaf
Dates Name
2008–2009 Iraq Yahya Alwan
2009–2010 Iraq Hazem Jassam
2009–2010 Iraq Essam Hamad
2010 Iraq Mohamed Jassim Mahdi
2010–2011 Iraq Radhi Shenaishil
2011 Iraq Karim Saddam
2011–2012 Iraq Yahya Alwan
2012–2014 Iraq Radhi Shenaishil
2014 Iraq Jamal Ali
2014–2015 Iraq Emad Mohammed
2015–2016 Iraq Basim Qasim
2016 Iraq Thair Ahmed
2016–2017 Iraq Essam Hamad
2017–2019 Iraq Ayoub Odisho
2019 Iraq Bassim Luaibi (caretaker)
2019 Iraq Hakim Shaker
2019–2020 Iraq Basim Qasim
2020–2021 Iraq Haidar Abdul-Amir (caretaker)
2021– Iraq Radhi Shenaishil

Current technical staff

Position Name Nationality
Manager: Radhi Shenaishil Iraq
Assistant manager: Hussam Fawzi Iraq
Assistant manager: Haidar Abdul-Amir Iraq
Goalkeeping coach: Salih Hameed Iraq
Fitness coach: Nasir Abdul Amir Iraq
Tactical Analyst: Abdul Amir Naji Iraq
Administrative director: Abdul Rahman Rashid Iraq
Age teams supervisor: Raed Khalil Iraq
Age teams supervisor: Abdul Amir Naji Iraq
Reserves coach: Khalid Ghani Iraq
U19 Manager: Abdul Mohsin Mohammed Iraq
U16 Manager: Amir Qasim Iraq
Women's futsal coach: Samir Saad Iraq
Women's futsal administrative d.: Haidar Sabah Iraq

Updated to match played December 2020
Source:[citation needed]

Kit suppliers

Period Kit manufacturer
2020– Adidas

Honours

Domestic

Type Competition Titles Winning years Runners-up
National Iraqi Premier League 14 1975–76, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1990–91, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2005–06, 2010–11, 2015–16, 2017–18 1977–78, 1979–80, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1996–97, 2007–08
Iraq Division One 1 1974–75 –
Iraq FA Cup 16 1975–76, 1978–79, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2016–17, 2018–19 1987–88, 2015–16
Iraqi Elite Cup 3S 1991, 1999, 2003 1996, 2000
Iraqi Super Cup 4 1998, 1999, 2000, 2017 1997, 2001, 2019
Regional Iraq Central FA Third Division 1 1973–74
Iraq Central FA Fourth Division 1 1970–71

International

Competition Titles Winning years Runners-up Third place Fourth place
AFC Champions League 0 – – – 1996–97
Asian Cup Winners' Cup 0 – 1999–2000 – –
  •   record
  • S shared record

Friendly

  • Arab Cooperation Council Championship
  • Victory Championship
    • Winners (2): 1984, 1986
  • Tournament for the Armed Forces
  • Tishreen Tournament
    • Winners (1): 2004
  • Al-Zawraa Championship
    • Winners (1): 2004
  • Jerusalem International Championship
    • Winners (1): 2000[5]
  • Al-Shaab Friendship Tournament
    • Winners (1): 1999[6]

Statistics

In domestic competitions

National

Year League Iraq Cup Super Cup Elite Cup
1974–75 Promoted (Div. 1) not held Started in
1986		 Started in
1991
1975–76 Winner Winner
1976–77 Winner not held
1977–78 Runner-up Quarter-final
1978–79 Winner Winner
1979–80 Runner-up Semi-final
1980–81 Seventh place Winner
1981–82 Fifth place Winner
1982–83 Seventh place Quarter-final
1983–84 Fifth place -
1984–85 not finished not finished
1985–86 Ninth place not held Did not qualify
1986–87 Seventh place - not held
1987–88 Fifth place Runner-up not held
1988–89 Fourth place Winner not held
1989–90 Fourth place Winner not held
1990–91 Winner Winner not held
1991–92 Runner-up Second round not held Winner
1992–93 Runner-up Winner not held Third place
1993–94 Winner Winner not held Third place
1994–95 Winner Winner not held Third place
1995–96 Winner Winner not held Third place
1996–97 Runner-up Semi-final Runner-up Runner-up
1997–98 Third place Winner Winner Third place
1998–99 Winner Winner not held Group stage
1999–2000 Winner Winner Winner Winner
2000–01 Winner not held Winner Runner-up
2001–02 Fourth place Quarter-final Runner-up Group stage
2002–03 not finished Round of 32 Did not qualify Third place
2003–04 not finished not held not held Winner
2004–05 Fourth place not held not held Abolished in
2004
2005–06 Winner not held not held
2006–07 Eighth place not held not held
2007–08 Runner-up not held not held
2008–09 Seventh place not held not held
2009–10 Third place not held not held
2010–11 Winner not held not held
2011–12 Eighth place not held not held
2012–13 Fourth place not finished not held
2013–14 Sixth place not held not held
2014–15 Eighth place not held not held
2015–16 Winner Runner-up not held
2016–17 Fourth place Winner not held
2017–18 Winner not held Winner
2018–19 Third place Winner not held
2019–20 not finished not finished Runner-up
2020–21 TBD TBD not held

In international competitions

As of 7 April 2021
Competition Record
G W D L Win %
AFC Champions League 43 19 9 15 044.19
Asian Cup Winners' Cup 8 5 1 2 062.50
AFC Cup 26 12 8 6 046.15
Arab Club Champions Cup 16 5 4 7 031.25
Total 93 41 20 32 044.09

Performance in AFC competitions

2003: Third qualifying round
2005: Group stage
2007: Group stage
2019: Group stage
2020: Second qualifying round
2021: Second qualifying round
2022:
1996: Second round
1997: Fourth place
1998: Second round
2001: First round
2002: Second round
1994: First round
2000: Runners-up
2009: Round of 16
2012: Round of 16
2017: Zonal semi-final
2018: Group stage

Individual honours

2009 FIFA Confederations Cup

The following players have played in the FIFA Confederations Cup whilst playing for Al-Zawraa:

See also

References

  1. ^ "Al Zawraa SC". Soccerway. Global Sports Media. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  2. ^ Al-Zawraa Coaches
  3. ^ 1989 results - NIIIIS.com
  4. ^ 1990 results - NIIIIS.com
  5. ^ Al-Quds International Championship - RSSSF.com
  6. ^ Third Al Sha'ab Friendship Tournament 1999 (Sharjah) - RSSSF.com

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