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Al-Arabi SC (Qatar)

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This article is about the Qatari football club based in Doha. For other clubs, see Al-Arabi.

Al-Arabi
Full nameAl-Arabi Sports Club
(Arabic: النادي العربي الرياضي)
Nickname(s)Fareeg Al-Ahlam (The Dream Team)
Century Club in Qatar
Short nameARB
Founded1 April 1952 (72 years ago) (1952-04-01)
GroundAl Thumama Stadium
Capacity44,400
PresidentSheikh Tamim Bin Fahad Al Thani
Head coachAnthony Hudson
LeagueQatar Stars League
2023–24Qatar Stars League, 5th of 12
Websitehttp://alarabi.qa
Al Arabi's active sections

Football
Basketball
Handball

Volleyball
Futsal
Reserves

Al-Arabi Sports Club (Arabic: النادي العربي الرياضي) is a Qatari sports club based in the capital city Doha. Founded in 1952, the most prominent team of the club is the football team that competes in the Qatar Stars League.[1] The club's home ground is the 44,400-seat Al Thumama Stadium, where they have played since 2023.

Al-Arabi had their first major success in 1978, winning the Emir of Qatar Cup, followed by various titles during the 1980s and 1990s. The club enjoyed their greatest period of success in those two decades, winning 17 major trophies. Domestically, Al-Arabi have won seven league titles, eight Emir of Qatar Cups, one Qatar Crown Prince Cup and six Qatar Sheikh Jassem Cups.

Al-Arabi's regular kit colours are red shirts and shorts with red socks. The club's crest has been changed several times in attempts to re-brand the club and modernise its image. The current crest, featuring a ceremonial falcon, is a modification of the one introduced in the early 1950s. They are known as having the largest fan base in Qatar. The AFC conducted a survey on their official website to determine the most prominent fan base in Qatar, revealing that Al-Arabi secured the top position with 41% of the votes, closely followed by Al-Rayyan in second place. In terms of championships won, they are the second most successful club domestically after Al-Sadd. Al-Arabi is known by various nicknames including "Dream Team", "The Red Devils", and "Century Club".

History

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Foundation (1952–1990)

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The club was founded in 1952 under the name "Al-Tahrir", making them the second oldest team in Qatar. In 1957, the club merged with Al-Wehda, a club founded in the same year under the leadership of Mohamed Ali Ahmed Al-Ansari, after playing a friendly. They merged under the name of Al-Wehda. Al-Wehda did not play outside of Qatar nor host any foreign clubs due to its limited budget. In 1972, the club rebranded under their current name, Al-Arabi.[2] The first president of the club was Ahmed Ali Ahmed Al-Ansari.

Al-Arabi was known for having one of the largest fan bases in all of Qatar, as well as in other Gulf states, and was well-known overseas. Their popularity outside the Middle East was bolstered by their achievements and national team players, until 2003 when it reached its peak with the signing of Argentine legend Gabriel Batistuta.[3]

It placed 14th in the International Federation of Football History & Statistics's 1901–2000 Asian Club of the Century poll.

Founders

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Golden era (1990–2000)

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The 1990s marked the start of a long streak of success for Al-Arabi. The dream team had come to fruition with the likes of Marco Antônio and Richard Owebukeri, who were the top scorers in the league at one point. Perhaps the most significant player was Mubarak Mustafa, who is considered one of the best Qatari footballers in history. The team, impressing many with its versatile squad, took the Qatari league by storm, winning it 5 times out of 10. Not satisfied merely with local success, the team achieved runners-up position in the AFC Champions League in 1995.[4]

They won their first Heir Apparent cup in 1997.[5]

Decline (2000–2011)

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The new century saw a significant slump in Al-Arabi's performance. Factors which impacted this may include the departure of Mubarak Mustafa and the increase of competitiveness from local clubs. In the 2002 season, Al-Arabi finished in 7th place, the lowest position since its debut in the Qatar Stars League.

The arrival of Gabriel Batistuta in 2003 saw a glimpse of hope for Al-Arabi as they finished significantly higher in the league than the 2 previous seasons, however they ended up finishing 9th in the league at the end of the 2007 season, a new low. They did not win a single domestic title during this period, and had limited success in international competitions. Furthermore, they suffered their largest-ever defeat against Al-Sadd that season when they were beaten 7–0, which resulted in the sacking of their coach Cabralzinho.[6]

In 2006, due to popular dissent accosting the club president Sheikh Falah bin Jassim, there was an administrative change which resulted in Sheikh Faisal bin Mubarak being elected as president.

Management crisis (2011–present)

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Al Arabi headquarters in 2015

The beginning of the 2011–12 season looked bright for Al-Arabi, with the club winning its first domestic silverware in 13 years after defeating Umm Salal SC in the final of the 2011 Sheikh Jassem Cup. However, a string of bad results in the league resulted in the sacking of their coach, Paulo Silas.

They also qualified for the 2012 AFC Champions League, wherein they were the first team to be eliminated. During this period, the club had appointed 3 coaches in a span of 3 months. They infamously made history by being the first team since 2007 to lose every match of the group stage, as well as the first Qatari team to witness such failure.[7] As a result, the club's director of football, Mubarak Mustafa, announced his departure from the club.[8] Furthermore, Dr. Abdullah al-Mal, president of the club, announced his retirement from sports.[9] He was replaced by Hitme bin Ali Al-Hitmi. The fiscal budget of the club was reduced from 15 million riyals to 9 million riyals.[10]

Al-Arabi Fans Club

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The Al-Arabi Fans Club was established on 21 October 2015 to help fans think of innovative ways to support the club's different sports teams throughout the season.[11] On the day the fan club was established, the club's management withdrew the number 1 jersey from the first team and awarded it to the club's fans as a symbolic gesture to acknowledge their fans' importance to the club. This was done after Captain Masoud Zeraei waived his right to the number. The move was motivated by the fact that the club enjoys the largest fanbase in Qatar.

Stadium

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Main article: Grand Hamad Stadium

Grand Hamad Stadium (Arabic: استاد حمد الكبير), also known as the Al-Arabi Sports Club Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Doha, Qatar. It is currently used mostly for football matches. It was the home ground of football club Al-Arabi SC. The stadium can accommodate 13,000 people. The stadium was used extensively during the 2006 Asian Games, and was a venue for several different sports, including football, table tennis, rugby sevens and fencing. The Iraq national football team played its 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) games at the ground. The stadium was also used as a home venue for the Qatar national football team during its 2014 FIFA World qualification (AFC) campaign, but in 2023 the team moved to Al Thumama Stadium due to its larger capacity of 44,400.

Rivalries

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Al-Rayyan

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Al-Rayyan and Al-Arabi are often considered the clubs with the most passionate sets of fans in Qatar. For this, their clash is known as the "Fans Derby".

Head-to-head

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From 1994 to 2017.

Head-to-head
Competition P W D L GF GA GD
Qatar Stars League 49 11 17 21 63 88 −25
Sheikh Jassem Cup 4 3 1 0 8 2 6
Emir Cup 6 2 1 3 9 10 −1
Crown Prince Cup 7 1 1 5 6 16 −10
Reserve League 5 1 1 3 12 15 −3
Qatar Stars Cup 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2
Total 72 18 21 33 98 133 −35

Al-Sadd

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Al-Arabi's clashes with Al-Sadd are considered the season's biggest as they are contested by Qatar's two most successful teams. For some fans, winning this derby is more noteworthy than winning the league itself. The derby is an important component of the country's culture.[12]

Al-Arabi always regarded itself as the club of Qatar's working class, in contrast to the more upper-class support base of Al-Sadd. The social-class divide between the two fanbases eventually diminished.[12]

Memorable matches

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Bold indicates a win.

Season Result Competition Notes
1981–82 0–1 Emir Cup
1985–86 1–0 Emir Cup
1992–93 2–0 Emir Cup
1995–96 0–0 Qatar Stars League Al Arabi crowned champions.
2009–10 3–3 Qatar Stars League Al Sadd come back from 3–0 down to deny Al Arabi an ACL spot.

Head-to-head

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From 1996 to 2017.

Head-to-head
Competition P W D L GF GA GD
Qatar Stars League 49 13 12 24 54 91 −37
Sheikh Jassem Cup 6 1 0 5 8 13 −5
Emir Cup 11 3 2 6 11 17 −6
Crown Prince Cup 2 1 0 1 3 3 0
Reserve League 6 2 2 2 11 11 0
Qatar Stars Cup 4 1 2 1 8 12 −4
Total 78 21 18 39 95 147 −52

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

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Period Kit manufacture Shirt main sponsor Shirt sub sponsor
2000–2001 Thailand Grand Sport

Doha Bank

None
2001–2002 Germany Adidas None
2002–2003" None
2003–2004 Italy Erreà None
2004–2005" Thailand Grand Sport None None
2005–2006 None None
2006–2007 Germany Adidas

Doha Bank

None
2007–2008 Switzerland Burrda Sport None None
2008–2009 None None
2009–2010 QPM Salman & brother & Al Rayan Bank
2010–2011 Salman & brother
2011–2012 Germany Adidas
2012–2013 None
2013–2017 None None
2017–2018 Switzerland Burrda Sport None None
2018–2019 Germany Puma None None
2019-2021

Doha Bank

Sharq Insurance & Dreama

2021 – 2022

Sharq Insurance & Dreama & Snoonu

2022 – 2023

Snoonu

2023 – Present Germany Adidas

Doha Bank

None

Honours

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International

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Regional

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Domestic

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League results

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Qatar Stars League

Performance in AFC competitions

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1987: Group stage (Top 8)
1993: Qualifying – 1st round
1995: Runners-up
1996: Group stage (Top 8)
1999: First Round
1990–91: Second Round
1993–94: Semi-final
2012: Group stage
2023: 2nd Qualifying Round

Performance in AGCFF competitions

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1983: Group stage
1986: Runners-up
1993: 3rd place
1995: 3rd place
1996: 6th place
1998: 5th place
1999: 4th place
2002: Group stage
2006: Group stage
2011: Quarter-finals
2015: Group stage

Performance in UAFA competitions

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1991: Group stage
1995: Group stage
1987: Group stage
1992: Runners-up

Players

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Current squad

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
2 DF Qatar QAT Yousef Muftah
4 MF Qatar QAT Abdulrahman Anad
5 DF Spain ESP Simo Keddari
6 DF Qatar QAT Abdullah Marafee
7 MF Italy ITA Marco Verratti
8 MF Qatar QAT Ahmed Fatehi
9 FW Syria SYR Omar Al Somah
10 MF Spain ESP Rodri
11 FW Jordan JOR Yazan Al Naimat
13 DF Qatar QAT Mohammed Alaaeldin
14 DF Qatar QAT Helal Mohammed (on loan from Al-Khor)
15 DF Qatar QAT Jassem Gaber
16 DF Qatar QAT Abdullah Al-Sulaiti
17 FW Qatar QAT Ahmed Alaaeldin (on loan from Al-Gharafa)
18 DF Qatar QAT Ibrahim Al-Saeed
19 MF Qatar QAT Hassan Saif U21
No. Pos. Nation Player
20 MF Qatar QAT Luiz Júnior
21 GK Qatar QAT Mahmud Abunada
22 DF Senegal SEN Abdou Diallo
23 FW State of Palestine PLE Alaa Aldeen Hassan
24 MF Qatar QAT Abdullah Murisi
27 MF Qatar QAT Ahmed Moein
28 MF Tunisia TUN Youssef Msakni
30 GK Qatar QAT Mohamed Saeed Ibrahim
31 GK Qatar QAT Jasem Al-Hail
34 FW Brazil BRA João Pedro U19
35 GK Qatar QAT Ibrahim Bakri U21
40 MF Qatar QAT Shadi Bouri U21
47 MF Qatar QAT Tamer Bouri U21
80 FW France FRA Isaac Lihadji
99 FW Qatar QAT Rami Suhail

Out on loan

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
32 DF Qatar QAT Salem Reda U21 (on loan to Alcorcón B)
45 DF Qatar QAT Hashmi Al-Hussain U21 (on loan to Alcorcón B)
96 GK Qatar QAT Amir Hassan U21 (on loan to Al-Duhail)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Netherlands NED Mohamed Taabouni (on loan to Qatar)
— MF Qatar QAT Ibrahim Kala (on loan to Al-Khor)
— FW Qatar QAT Mohamed Khaled Gouda U21 (on loan to Calahorra B)

Club staff

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Technical and administrative staff

Last updated: April 2019.

 
Coaching staff
Head coach England Anthony Hudson
Assistant coach England Alex Armstrong
2nd assistant coach Portugal Bruno Oliveira
Goalkeeper coach Algeria Djamel Mesbah
Physical coach Spain Miguel Angel Garcia
Performance Analyst Brazil Thiago Cardoso Souza
Goalkeeper coach Italy Ferdinando Scarpello
Administration staff
Team manager Qatar Adel Al Busairi[14]
Reserve team manager Qatar Hamad Al-Sulaiti[14]
Deputy director Qatar Ali Al-Sulaiti
 
Youth team technical director
Technical director Netherlands Petrus In 't Groen
Youth team coaching staff
U–19 head coach Croatia Teo Pirija
U–17 head coach Sudan Omer Khalid
U–15 head coach Tunisia Abderrazak Kniss
U–14 head coach Sudan Yousif Hamoor
U–13 head coach Netherlands Gideon Dijks
Goalkeeper coach Brazil Sandro Daros
Brazil Orlando Ribecaro

Club officials

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Managerial history

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Present and past managers of Al-Arabi (incomplete):[15][16]
(* denotes caretaker role)

Al-Arabi (1972–present)

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Management

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Position Staff
President Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Jaber Al-Thani
general secretary Talal Al-Kuwari
Director General Faleh Al Hader

Last updated: 8 October 2011
Source: Board of Directors

Presidents

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  • Qatar Muqbal bin Ali Al-Hitmi (1972–76)
  • Qatar Abdulrahman Al Jaber Muftah (1976–78)
  • Qatar Sultan Khaled Al-Suwaidi (1978–88)
  • Qatar Dr. Abdullah Yusuf Al-Mal (1988–00)
  • Qatar Sheikh Jassim bin Fahad bin Jassim Al-Thani (2000–01)
  • Qatar Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Jaber Al-Thani (2001–02)
  • Qatar Sheikh Falah bin Jassim Al-Thani (2002–06)
  • Qatar Sheikh Faisal bin Mubarak Al-Thani (2006–09)
  • Qatar Dr. Abdullah Yusuf Al-Mal (2009–12)
  • Qatar Hitmi bin Ali Al-Hitmi (2012–2016)
  • Qatar Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Jaber Al-Thani (2016–2020)
  • Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Fahad bin Jaber Al-Thani (2020–)

References

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  1. ^ "QSL – Al Arabi". qsl.com.qa. Archived from the original on 6 July 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  2. ^ "Alarabi Sports Club – History". Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  3. ^ "From Batistuta and Desailly to Xavi and Sneijder: Qatari football's highest-profile signings ever". 29 July 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Asian Club Competitions 1994/95". Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  5. ^ "Qatar – List of Cup Winners". Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  6. ^ الدوري القطري تاريخ و نجوم (in Arabic). Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 29 September 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  7. ^ QFA.com – Al Arabi end Asian campaign on losing note
  8. ^ Unknown, Unknown (18 June 2020). "AFC Official website biggest fan base in Qatar". Archived from the original on 1 September 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  9. ^ "العربي يغلق باب الترشح لانتخاباته في الثامنة مساء". Retrieved 17 May 2012.
  10. ^ "Al Arabi Sports Club holds AGM". Archived from the original on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
  11. ^ "قنوات الكأس : دوري نجوم قطر 2015 - 2016". Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  12. ^ a b "Al Sadd vs Al Arabi". QFA. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011.
  13. ^ "Al Arabi clinch Qatar-UAE Super Cup title". Gulf Today. 13 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Al Arabi appoints Al Busairi as first team manager". Qatar Stars League. 7 July 2015. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  15. ^ "Interview" (in Arabic). al-watan.com. Archived from the original on 7 June 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
  16. ^ مسابقة كأس سمو الأمير لكرة القدم المباريات النهائية (in Arabic). alkass.net. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
  17. ^ "العربي يقيل زاماريو رسميا". alghad.com. 22 December 2008. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  18. ^ a b "Al Arabi Manager history". Retrieved 14 May 2021.
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