Al-Shorta SC

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This article is about the Iraqi football club. For other uses, see Al-Shorta (disambiguation).

Al-Shorta SC
Al-Shorta Sports Club (Iraq) Crest.png
Full nameAl-Shorta Sports Club
Nickname(s)Al-Qithara (The Harp); القيثارة
Founded14 November 1932; 89 years ago (1932-11-14) (as Montakhab Al-Shorta)
GroundAl-Shaab Stadium
Capacity34,200
OwnerMinistry of Interior
PresidentAbdul-Halim Fahem
Head coachMoamen Soliman
LeagueIraqi Premier League
2020–21Iraqi Premier League, 4th of 20
WebsiteClub website
Away colours
Current season
Active departments of Al-Shorta SC
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Football Basketball Handball
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Futsal Volleyball Beach volleyball
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Archery Athletics Bodybuilding
Boxing pictogram.svg Chess pictogram.svg Judo pictogram.svg
Boxing Chess Judo
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Show jumping Swimming Taekwondo
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Water polo Weightlifting Wrestling

Al-Shorta Sports Club (Arabic: نادي الشرطة الرياضي, lit. 'Police Sports Club') is an Iraqi sports club based in Al-Rusafa, Baghdad. It has teams in 18 different sports, more than any other Iraqi club, and the best known section of the club is the football team, whose origins date back to 1932 with the police-representative team Montakhab Al-Shorta. In 1974, following the Iraq FA's decision to implement a clubs-only policy for domestic competitions, Al-Shorta were inaugurated as a sports club and were attached to the Ministry of Interior.

Al-Shorta are one of Iraq's most successful clubs, having been crowned the inaugural Arab Club Champions Cup winners in the 1981–82 season. The Aliyat Al-Shorta team reached the final of what is now the AFC Champions League in 1971 where they refused to face Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv, taking the runner-up spot and returning to a heroes' welcome in Baghdad.

Al-Shorta won their most recent Iraqi Premier League title in the 2018–19 season, which they followed by winning their first Iraqi Super Cup. They also won a joint-record three Iraqi Elite Cups and are the only team to win that trophy three consecutive times. Al-Shorta hold numerous Iraqi Premier League records, such as the joint-longest unbeaten run (39), the most consecutive wins in a season (11) and the most consecutive games scored in (37).

History[]

Al-Shorta's origins date back to the year 1932 with the formation of the police-representative football team Montakhab Al-Shorta (Police Select Team) on 14 November and their participation in the second edition of the Prince Ghazi Cup.[1][2] Montakhab Al-Shorta's first trophy came in 1938, when they won the Taha Al-Hashimi Cup. In the 1940s, the team was renamed to Madaris Al-Shorta (Police Schools), but they returned to the name Montakhab Al-Shorta for Baghdad's first official top-flight league season in 1948–49, where they were relegated. After a brief return to the name Madaris Al-Shorta for the 1950–51 season,[3] Montakhab Al-Shorta moved back up to the top-flight and established a B team which participated in the region's second tier.[4] In 1960, the Police Games Committee, later known as Police Games Directorate, was founded to take control of police-representative sports in Iraq and they decided to expand the Police force's sporting activities in the capital by founding new teams. Thus, Shorta Al-Najda (Patrol Police) and Aliyat Al-Shorta (Police Machinery) were founded in 1960 and 1961 respectively to compete in the regional league system alongside Montakhab Al-Shorta's A and B teams.[5]

Montakhab Al-Shorta players lining up before a match in 1937.

Montakhab Al-Shorta won their first Iraq Central FA League title in the 1962–63 season.[6] Aliyat Al-Shorta were promoted to the region's top-flight in 1963 after winning the third and second divisions in succession, which led Montakhab Al-Shorta to return to their previous name of Madaris Al-Shorta and to no longer have a B team.[7][5] Madaris Al-Shorta were relegated in 1965, and in 1966 the team was replaced by a new side called Kuliya Al-Shorta (Police College) after a college system was introduced to the Iraqi Police force.[8] Aliyat Al-Shorta went on to become one of the strongest teams in the region under the management of Mohammed Najeeb Kaban,[3][9][10][11] winning three top-flight league titles in a row (1967–68, 1968–69 and 1969–70) and leading the league in the 1966–67 season before it was cancelled.[3] Furthermore, a select team consisting of the best players from the Police teams won two consecutive Republic Championships in 1968 and 1969 and often played against visiting foreign teams.[12][8]

In 1971,[13][14] Aliyat Al-Shorta became the first Iraqi team to take part in Asia's main club competition, the Asian Champion Club Tournament, and made history by becoming the first Arab side to reach the final.[15] They won all the games they took to the field for en route to the final of the tournament, including two wins against the competition's defending champions Taj Tehran,[16] but refused to face Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv in protest at the Israeli occupation of Palestine, waving the Palestinian flag around the field and taking the runner-up spot.[17] They were regarded as champions by the Iraqi media (the Al-Mal'ab newspaper headline read: "The Champions of Asia Return to Baghdad")[18] and were greeted with a heroes' welcome upon their return to the country, holding an open top bus parade.[19] Aliyat Al-Shorta won the league title again in 1971–72, followed by two consecutive league runner-up finishes.[3][20]

Mohammed Najeeb Kaban receiving the Iraq Central FA League trophy in 1970.

In 1974, the Iraq Football Association (IFA) decided to implement a clubs-only policy for domestic competitions, forming the Iraqi National League of Clubs which was only open to clubs and not institute-representative teams such as the Police teams.[21][5] With the IFA dictating that only a single police-representative club would be allowed to participate in the new top-flight, "Al-Shorta Sports Club" was thus inaugurated as a sports club on 18 August 1974 by the Iraqi Olympic Committee, being attached to the Ministry of Interior.[5][22] The sports club considers itself to be a continuation of the previous top-flight Police teams in Baghdad, as the reason for its inauguration was to replace those teams for the new clubs-only league and thus continue the representation of the Iraqi Police force in official competitions.[23][24] The PGD continued to field teams for Aliyat Al-Shorta, Shorta Al-Najda and Kuliya Al-Shorta in unofficial tournaments after 1974, such as the Armed Forces League and the Police tournaments, and an Aliyat Al-Shorta sports club was later registered in 1989, entering the lower divisions of the Iraqi football pyramid.[8]

The PGD were strongly opposed to the IFA's new clubs-only policy and decided to field a team of amateurs for Al-Shorta to compete in the inaugural 1974–75 season in protest.[3] After suffering heavy defeats in their first two games,[25] talks between the IFA and the PGD resulted in the amateurs being replaced by Shorta Al-Najda and Kuliya Al-Shorta players,[3] before Aliyat Al-Shorta's players returned for the 1975–76 season which led to an improved third-place finish.[26] Al-Shorta won their first Iraqi National League title in 1979–80, finishing ahead of rivals Al-Zawraa on goal difference under the leadership of former player Douglas Aziz.[27] This qualified them for the inaugural Arab Club Champions Cup in 1981–82, and Al-Shorta became the first ever Arab champions with a 4–2 aggregate win over Al-Nejmeh in the final.[28]

Soccer Field Transparant.svg

Khudhair
Hameed
Habib
A. Ogla
Abbas
M. Ogla
Jawad
Majeed
Assem
Starting line-up for 3–2 win against Al-Sulaikh which secured the 1997–98 league title.[29]

In 1983, the club changed their name to Qiwa Al-Amn Al-Dakhili (Internal Security Forces) while Iraq was at war; that name only lasted for one season before they returned to the name Al-Shorta.[30][31] On 23 December 1990, Al-Shorta played their first match at their new Al-Shorta Stadium, which was built with the help of volunteers and club workers, beating Al-Tijara 3–2. In the 1993–94 season, Al-Shorta striker Younis Abid Ali scored 36 league goals which remains an Iraqi record for most goals scored by a player in one league season.

There were three contenders for the 1997–98 Iraqi Premier League title going into the final day of the season; Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya were on top of the league with Al-Shorta in second and Al-Zawraa third. Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya were playing Al-Zawraa at the same time as Al-Shorta were playing Al-Sulaikh. Al-Shorta were 2–1 down to Al-Sulaikh before an 84th-minute goal from Mufeed Assem and a 93rd-minute penalty kick from league top scorer Mahmoud Majeed earned a dramatic 3–2 victory, which was enough to overtake Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (who had drawn 1–1 with Al-Zawraa) and achieve their second Premier League title and first for eighteen years. In the process, Al-Shorta broke the Iraqi records for most consecutive wins in a league season and most consecutive league games scored in. That season also saw them reach the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup Winners' Cup, earning wins over Al-Seeb and Bargh Shiraz before being eliminated in the quarter-final.

Al-Shorta reached the quarter-finals of the 1999–2000 Asian Club Championship before making history by becoming the first club to win the Iraqi Elite Cup three times in a row, winning the trophy in 2000, 2001 and 2002. They were also in the lead of the 2002–03 league competition before it was cancelled due to the Iraq War.[32] In April 2003, the club's former goalkeeper and captain Raad Hammoudi became Al-Shorta's president and he saved the club from bankruptcy after the war.[33] Al-Shorta participated in the 2003 edition of the Arab Club Champions Cup and the 2004 and 2005 editions of the AFC Champions League but were knocked out in the group stage each time.

Soccer Field Transparant.svg

Hameed
Fadhel
Abdul-Wahed
Kamel
Karim
Starting line-up for 3–0 win against Al-Talaba which secured the 2012–13 league title.

After an unstable post-war period which culminated in a relegation battle in the 2010–11 season,[34] Al-Shorta returned to the top of Iraqi football in the 2012–13 season, securing their third Iraqi Premier League title with a final-day 3–0 victory over rivals Al-Talaba at Al-Shaab Stadium. Al-Shorta finished in first place in the Premier League in 2013–14 under Brazilian coach Lorival Santos but the season was ended prematurely without crowning a champion due to the worsening war situation in the country. Al-Shorta also appeared in the 2014 AFC Champions League qualifiers, losing 1–0 to Al-Kuwait, and they were eliminated from the group stage and round of 16 at the 2014 and 2015 AFC Cups respectively. Al-Shorta won the Premier League title again in 2018–19, led by Montenegrin coach Nebojša Jovović, equalling the Iraqi record for most consecutive league games unbeaten (39) in the process.[35] Al-Shorta won the Iraqi Super Cup for the first time in 2019 with a penalty shootout win over Al-Zawraa, before reaching the quarter-finals of the 2019–20 Arab Club Champions Cup and being eliminated from the group stages of the 2020 and 2021 AFC Champions Leagues, the former on goal difference.[36][37]

Emblem[]

Aliyat Al-Shorta occasionally wore the Iraqi Police badge on their shirts, which consisted of the words Shorta Al-Iraq in a star which was surrounded by laurel leaves. Al-Shorta began to wear a harp on their shirts in the 1992–93 season, after television presenter Majid Abdul-Haq coined the now-popular nickname Al-Qithara (The Harp) to refer to the club on his program Letter of the League by likening the team's attractive style of play to the beautiful tunes of a harp.[38] In 2002, laurel leaves were added to surround the harp on the shirt, with the Olympic rings added underneath to signify Al-Shorta's status as a multi-sport club.

At the start of the 2005–06 season, Al-Shorta adopted a new crest which was blue with a green outline. A harp featured in the centre with the club's year of foundation and the Iraq flag. This remained the logo for seven years until they changed to a circular white crest with a green outline in the 2012–13 season, which contained the same harp, laurel leaves and rings as before but with the addition of the club's name and year of foundation at the bottom. On 12 December 2013, before the start of 2014 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off, Al-Shorta announced the change to a new logo which was designed by Luay Abdul-Rahman, the artistic director of Al-Shorta's newspaper. The harp in the centre of the logo is gold rather than green, and gold is prevalent throughout the emblem. The club's foundation year and the Iraqi flag feature at the top and bottom respectively along with the club's name in English.[39][40]

Kits[]

Amjad Kalaf wearing Al-Shorta's home kit in the 2013–14 season.

From 1964, Aliyat Al-Shorta wore purple home shirts, often with a white diagonal sash, and white shorts.[8][41] Since 1974, Al-Shorta have mainly used green home kits and white away kits, with purple being the third kit colour.[42] However, since the 2016–17 season, Al-Shorta have worn purple as the away kit colour. In 2020, Al-Shorta launched its own clothing brand called Qithara to manufacture kits and other apparel for the club.

Shirt sponsors[]

Al-Shorta's shirts have featured a number of different sponsors' logos over the years:

Period Shirt sponsor
1998–1999 Shai Al-Nasoor[43][44]
1999–2003 Samsung[45]
2003 Peugeot[46]
2003 Ministry of Interior
2005 Motorola[47]
2005–2006 Lay's[48]
2006 Kotsons
2007 MTC-Vodafone[49]
2008 Asia Cell (on front)[50]
IraqCom (on back)[50]
2014–2015 Royal Arena Sport[51]

Supporters[]

Nashat Akram takes a penalty at Al-Shorta Stadium in 2013.

Ultras Green Harp is an ultras group that was formed in 2012 at the start of the 2012–13 season and has grown to become one of Iraq's largest fan groups. It is a self-financed group that travels to both home and away matches across Iraq, providing flags and banners for fans to wave during the game. Before kickoff, the Ultras Green Harp members often hold up a large banner which can vary depending on the opposition.[52] They are known for setting off fireworks when Al-Shorta score a goal and using flares. During the match, they typically chant songs and use instruments such as drums and air horns to create a lively atmosphere.

Rivalries[]

Main article: Baghdad derbies

Al-Shorta are one of the top four clubs in Baghdad. The club compete in Baghdad derbies with the other three big clubs in Baghdad: Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Al-Zawraa, and Al-Talaba.[53] The rivalry with Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya developed during the Iraq Central FA League era while the rivalries with Al-Zawraa and Al-Talaba were born after the foundation of the Iraqi Premier League. Of the three, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya are the most local to Al-Shorta, as their stadium is located only 500 metres away from Al-Shorta's on the opposite side of Falastin Street.

Stadiums[]

Al-Shorta Stadium[]

Main article: Al-Shorta Stadium
Al-Shorta Stadium in 2012.

In the early years, home matches were played on the playing field at the team's headquarters, located on what would become Falastin Street in the early 1960s. After the establishment of the Iraqi Premier League, the club played their home games at the Local Administration Stadium and later at Al-Furusiyya Stadium owned by the Ministry of Interior. In the 1980s, the club decided to build their own stadium, with construction of the four stands being overseen by president Abdul-Qadir Zeinal and work being carried out by club workers and volunteers. Al-Shorta Stadium was opened for its first match on 23 December 1990 with Al-Shorta beating Al-Tijara 3–2. The stadium was able to hold an estimated 8,634 people, while the white hall on the side of the field (named the Abid Kadhim Hall in honour of former player and manager Abid Kadhim) can hold approximately 2,000 people. In 2008, the stands were painted green and white to match the club's colours. The stadium began to be demolished on 4 March 2014 to make way for the construction of Al-Shorta Sports City.

Al-Shorta currently play their home matches at Al-Shaab Stadium.

Al-Shorta Sports City Stadium[]

Early in the 2012–13 season, Al-Shorta announced plans to build a sports complex called Al-Shorta Sports City, which will include a new all-seater stadium with natural grass, a training pitch with an artificial surface and athletic tracks. On 20 December 2013, the chairman of the construction company Nordic Sport announced the initiation of construction of Al-Shorta Sports City, and on 7 January 2015, AKG Engineering released a video showing what the sports complex should look like once construction is completed.[54] The stadium, which will have a capacity of 10,218, will have purple and green seats and the words 'Police Club' alongside the club's name in Arabic will be spelled out with white seats in the main stand, which will have a roof over it. Also at Al-Shorta Sports City will be a four-star hotel, a club office, an indoor swimming pool with 1,500 seats, a multi-purpose closed hall with 2,500 seats, a full-quality relaxation club (with sports facilities), restaurants, theatres and a shopping centre. Construction on the stadium has been suspended since December 2015,[55][56] with work currently scheduled to be completed in 2023.[57]

Al-Shaab Stadium[]

Main article: Al-Shaab Stadium

Al-Shorta currently play their home matches at the historical national stadium, Al-Shaab Stadium, which is located in the same area as the club's old ground.

Players[]

First-team squad[]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Iraq IRQ Ahmed Basil
2 DF Iraq IRQ Khudhor Ali
3 DF Iraq IRQ Karrar Amer
4 DF Iraq IRQ Saad Natiq
5 DF Iraq IRQ Niaz Mohammed
6 MF Iraq IRQ Sadeq Zamel
7 FW Syria SYR Mahmoud Al-Mawas
8 MF Iraq IRQ Mohammed Jaffal
9 FW Iraq IRQ Ali Yousif
10 FW Iraq IRQ Alaa Abdul-Zahra (captain)
11 MF Iraq IRQ Bassam Shakir
12 GK Iraq IRQ Yassin Karim
13 MF Iraq IRQ Ali Husni
14 MF Niger NIG Abdoul Madjid Moumouni
15 FW Nigeria NGA Michael Ohanu
16 MF Iraq IRQ Mohammed Mezher
17 MF Iraq IRQ Hussein Younis
19 MF Iraq IRQ Mohammed Qasim Majid
20 DF Iraq IRQ Haidar Ali Hussein
No. Pos. Nation Player
21 GK Iraq IRQ Mohammed Abbas
22 FW Iraq IRQ Ammar Ghalib
23 DF Iraq IRQ Waleed Salem (vice-captain)
24 DF Iraq IRQ Faisal Jassim
25 MF Iraq IRQ Abdul-Razzaq Qasim
26 FW Iraq IRQ Mohammed Qasim Nassif
27 MF Iraq IRQ Ameer Sabah
28 FW Nigeria NGA Godwin Chika Okwara
29 FW Iraq IRQ Mohammed Dawood
30 MF Syria SYR Fahd Al-Youssef
31 MF Iraq IRQ Ahmed Zeero
32 DF Iraq IRQ Hassan Ashour
33 FW Iraq IRQ Hussein Sadeq
34 DF Iraq IRQ Mustafa Maan
35 MF Iraq IRQ Ali Mahdi
36 GK Iraq IRQ Abbas Karim
37 DF Iraq IRQ Haidar Adel
38 MF Iraq IRQ Abbas Mohammed
39 FW Iraq IRQ Dhulfiqar Younis

Out on loan[]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK Iraq IRQ Abdul-Aziz Ammar (on loan at Al-Karkh until the end of the 2021–22 season)
— DF Iraq IRQ Bilal Khudhair (on loan at Al-Hudood until the end of the 2021–22 season)
— MF Iraq IRQ Amoori Faisal (on loan at Al-Karkh until the end of the 2021–22 season)
— MF Iraq IRQ Atheer Salih (on loan at Al-Sinaa until the end of the 2021–22 season)
— MF Iraq IRQ Haidar Abdul-Salam (on loan at Al-Minaa until the end of the 2021–22 season)

Personnel[]

Technical staff[]

Position Name Nationality
Head coach: Moamen Soliman Egypt
Assistant coach: Ahmad Salah Iraq
Assistant coach: Hussein Abdul-Wahed Iraq
Fitness coach: Mazin Abdul-Sattar Iraq
Goalkeeping coach: Amrou Abdul-Salam Egypt
Technical analyst: Amrou Fathi Egypt
Team manager: Hashim Ridha Iraq

Management[]

Position Name Nationality
President: Abdul-Halim Fahem Iraq
Vice-president: Ghalib Al-Zamili Iraq
Board secretary: Uday Al-Rubaie Iraq
Financial secretary Ghazi Faisal Iraq
Member of the Board: Sadeq Faraj Iraq
Member of the Board: Abdul-Wahab Al-Taei Iraq
Member of the Board: Ali Al-Shahmani Iraq
Member of the Board: Alaa Bahar Al-Uloom Iraq
Member of the Board: Tahseen Al-Yassri Iraq

Managers[]

In 1958, Montakhab Al-Shorta hired their first foreign manager in Palestinian coach Dennis Nasrawi. Since 1974, Al-Shorta have been coached by eight foreign managers from six countries (Yugoslavia, Brazil (2), Egypt (2), Jordan, Montenegro and Serbia), while the rest of the club's managers have been of Iraqi nationality.[30][8]

1932–1960[]

Montakhab Al-Shorta / Madaris Al-Shorta
Dates Name
1932–1935 Iraq Mudhafar Ahmed
1935–1950 Iraq Mohammed Saeed Wasif
1950–1951 Iraq Mohammed Hussein
1951–1955 Iraq Fahmi Al-Qaimaqchi
1955–1956 Iraq Sabir Lateef
1956–1957 Iraq Fadhel Al-Samarrai
1957–1958 Iraq Ahmed Abdul-Razzaq
1958 Iraq Amer Ahmed Al-Mukhtar
1958 State of Palestine Dennis Nasrawi
1958–1959 Iraq Amer Ahmed Al-Mukhtar
1959–1960 Iraq Aziz Hammoudi

1960–1974[]

1974–present[]

Dates Name
1974 Iraq Shaker Ismail
1974–1975 Iraq Younis Hussein
1975–1978 Iraq Abdul-Qadir Zeinal
1978–1979 Iraq Basil Mahdi
1979–1982 Iraq Douglas Aziz
1982 Iraq Mohammed Tabra
1982–1983 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Rajko Menista
1983 Iraq Abid Kadhim
1983 Iraq Douglas Aziz
1983–1984 Iraq Munthir Al-Waadh
1984 Iraq Mohammed Tabra
1984–1985 Iraq Thamir Muhsin
Iraq Wathiq Naji
1985 Iraq Mohammed Tabra
1985–1987 Iraq Abid Kadhim
1987–1989 Iraq Douglas Aziz
1989–1990 Iraq Mohammed Tabra
1990–1991 Iraq Douglas Aziz
1991 Iraq Mohammed Tabra
1991–1992 Iraq Faisal Aziz
1992–1993 Iraq Saad Jamil
1993 Iraq Douglas Aziz
1993 Iraq Ammo Baba
1993–1994 Iraq Mudhafar Nouri
1994 Iraq Basim Qasim
Iraq Muwafaq Hussein
1994–1995 Iraq Mohammed Tabra
Iraq Saad Jamil
1995–1996 Iraq Kadhim Al-Rubaie
1996 Iraq Basim Qasim
1996–1997 Iraq Faisal Aziz
1997 Iraq Adnan Jafar
Dates Name
1997 Iraq Yahya Alwan
1997 Iraq Ammo Baba
1997 Iraq Ammo Baba
Iraq Ayoub Odisho
1997–1998 Iraq Abdelilah Abdul-Hameed
1998 Iraq Abdelilah Abdul-Hameed
Iraq Ayoub Odisho
1998 Iraq Abdelilah Abdul-Hameed
1998–1999 Iraq Faisal Aziz
1999 Iraq Ahmed Radhi
1999 Iraq Najih Humoud
1999–2000 Iraq Ahmed Radhi
2000 Iraq Najih Humoud
2000 Iraq Adnan Hamad
2000–2001 Iraq Ahmed Radhi
2001–2002 Iraq Yassin Amal
2002 Iraq Ammo Baba
2002 Iraq Basim Qasim
2002–2003 Iraq Abdelilah Abdul-Hameed
2003 Iraq Hassan Farhan
2003 Iraq Basim Qasim
2003–2005 Iraq Younis Abid Ali
2005 Iraq Salih Radhi
2005 Iraq Samir Jassim
2005 Iraq Hameed Salman
2005–2006 Iraq Kadhim Al-Rubaie
2006 Iraq Mohammed Khalaf
2006 Iraq Yahya Alwan
2006–2007 Iraq Shaker Mahmoud
2007 Iraq Kadhim Khalaf
2007 Iraq Karim Farhan
2007–2008 Iraq Thair Ahmed
Dates Name
2008 Iraq Faisal Aziz
2008–2009 Iraq Haitham Mutaab
Iraq Muwafaq Hussein
2009–2010 Iraq Rahim Hameed
2010 Iraq Hakim Shaker
2010–2011 Iraq Younis Abid Ali
2011 Iraq Hakim Shaker
2011 Iraq Nabil Zaki
2011–2012 Iraq Basim Qasim
2012 Iraq Mohammed Tabra
2012–2013 Iraq Thair Jassam
2013–2014 Brazil Lorival Santos
2014–2015 Egypt Mohamed Youssef
2015 Iraq Thair Jassam
2015 Iraq Hakim Shaker
2015–2016 Iraq Qahtan Chathir
2016 Iraq Radhi Shenaishil
2016 Iraq Hashim Ridha
2016–2017 Egypt Mohamed Youssef
2017 Iraq Nadhum Shaker
2017–2018 Brazil Marcos Paquetá
2018 Iraq Ahmad Salah
2018 Iraq Thair Jassam
2018 Jordan Haitham Al-Shaboul
2018–2019 Montenegro Nebojša Jovović
2019 Iraq Ahmad Salah
2019–2020 Serbia Aleksandar Ilić
2020 Iraq Abdul-Ghani Shahad
2020 Jordan Haitham Al-Shaboul
2020–2021 Serbia Aleksandar Ilić
2021– Egypt Moamen Soliman

Honours[]

Major[]

Type Competition Titles Winning years Runners-up
Domestic
(national) 		Iraqi Premier League 4 1979–80, 1997–98, 2012–13, 2018–19 1978–79, 1980–81
Iraqi National League (Institutions) 0 – 1973–74 (Aliyat Al-Shorta)
Iraq FA Cup 0 – 1977–78, 1995–96, 1996–97, 2001–02, 2002–03
Iraqi Elite Cup 3s 2000, 2001, 2002 1997
Iraqi Super Cup 1 2019 1998
Domestic
(regional) 		Iraq Central FA League 5 1962–63 (Montakhab Al-Shorta)
1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1971–72 (Aliyat Al-Shorta) 		1957–58, 1960–61 (Montakhab Al-Shorta)
1964–65, 1970–71, 1972–73 (Aliyat Al-Shorta)
Iraq Central FA Perseverance Cup 0 – 1963 (Montakhab Al-Shorta)
1965 (Aliyat Al-Shorta)
Independent Baghdad Tournament 0 – 1973 (Aliyat Al-Shorta)
International AFC Champions League 0 – 1971 (Aliyat Al-Shorta)
Arab Club Champions Cup 1 1981–82 –
  •   record
  • S shared record

Minor[]

Montakhab Al-Shorta players with the Taha Al-Hashimi Cup that they won in 1938.
  • Arab Police Championship
    • Winners (3): 1976, 1978, 1985 (as Iraq Police team)
  • Police Director General Cup
    • Winners (2): 1965, 1972 (Aliyat Al-Shorta)
  • Republic Championship
    • Winners (2): 1968, 1969 (Al-Shorta select team)
  • Baghdad Cup
  • Al-Quds International Championship
    • Winners (1): 2002
  • Baghdad Day Cup
    • Winners (1): 2000
  • Great Victory Championship
    • Winners (1): 1996
  • Saddam Qadisiya Championship
    • Winners (1): 1988
  • President's Gold Cup
    • Winners (1): 1983
  • Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces Cup
    • Winners (1): 1970 (Aliyat Al-Shorta)
  • Alexandria International Summer Tournament
    • Winners (1): 1967 (Aliyat Al-Shorta)
  • Police Cup Championship
    • Winners (1): 1965 (Aliyat Al-Shorta)
  • Hilla Mutasarrif Cup
    • Winners (1): 1957 (Montakhab Al-Shorta)
  • Al-Olympi Club Cup
    • Winners (1): 1939 (Montakhab Al-Shorta)
  • Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya Cup
    • Winners (1): 1939 (Montakhab Al-Shorta)
  • Taha Al-Hashimi Cup
    • Winners (1): 1938 (Montakhab Al-Shorta)

Records[]

Matches[]

Firsts
  • First match: Al-Lasilki 1–1 Montakhab Al-Shorta, Prince Ghazi Cup, December 1932[1]
  • First Central FA League match: Al-Kuliya Al-Askariya Al-Malikiya 5–1 Montakhab Al-Shorta, 5 November 1948[58][59]
  • First FA Cup match: Montakhab Al-Shorta awd. (w/o) Kuliya Al-Huqooq, first round, January 1949[60]
  • First match in an AFC competition: Aliyat Al-Shorta 3–2 Taj Tehran, Asian Champion Club Tournament preliminary round, 21 March 1971
  • First National League (Institutions) match: Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 2–5 Aliyat Al-Shorta, 11 October 1973
  • First Premier League match: Al-Muwasalat 3–0 Al-Shorta, 4 October 1974[25]
  • First match in an UAFA competition: Al-Shorta 2–0 Al-Nejmeh, Arab Club Champions Cup final, 5 February 1982
  • First match at Al-Shorta Stadium: Al-Shorta 3–2 Al-Tijara, Premier League, 23 December 1990
  • First Elite Cup match: Al-Talaba 1–0 Al-Shorta, group stage, 2 September 1991
Wins
  • Record win: 11–0 against Al-Samawa, FA Cup round of 32, 16 November 1998[61]
  • Record League win: 8–0 against Duhok, Premier League, 18 October 2002[62]
  • Record League qualifying win: 10–1 against Al-Hudood, 25 September 2000
  • Record Elite Cup win: 7–1 against Salahaddin, group stage, 5 December 2000
  • Record win in an AFC competition:
    • 6–1 against FC Punjab Police, Asian Champion Club Tournament group stage, 29 March 1971
    • 5–0 against Al-Wahda, Asian Club Championship second round, 18 November 1999
  • Record win in an UAFA competition: 5–0 against FC Nouadhibou, Arab Club Champions Cup second round, 25 November 2019
  • Most goals scored in one half of a win: 10, in a 10–1 win against Al-Bahri, FA Cup round of 16, 14 December 1998[63]
Defeats
  • Record defeat: 0–11 against Al-Naqil, Premier League, 12 October 1974[25]
  • Record FA Cup defeat: 0–4 against Al-Zawraa, quarter-final, 1977–78[64]
  • Record Elite Cup defeat: 0–6 against Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, group stage, February 1996
  • Record defeat in an AFC competition: 0–4 against FK Köpetdag Aşgabat, Asian Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final, 13 February 1998
  • Record defeat in an UAFA competition: 0–6 against Al-Shabab, Arab Club Champions Cup quarter-final, 23 December 2019
Consecutive results
  • Record consecutive League wins: 11, Premier League, from 13 March 1998 to 22 May 1998
  • Record consecutive League matches scored in: 37, Premier League, from 13 October 1997 to 13 November 1998
  • Record consecutive League defeats: 6, Premier League, from 15 July 2012 to 10 August 2012
  • Record consecutive League matches without a defeat: 39, Premier League, from 21 May 2018 to 23 May 2019

Attendances[]

  • Highest attendance: 68,000, against Al-Zawraa at Al-Shaab Stadium, Premier League, 13 December 1991[65]

Appearances[]

  • Youngest first-team player: Mohanad Ali, 13 years, 279 days (against Al-Talaba, Premier League, 26 March 2014)[66]
  • First international cap while an Al-Shorta player: Ali Karim, for Iraq in 1957[67]
  • Most international caps while an Al-Shorta player: Raad Hammoudi, 104 for Iraq[68]
  • First players to play at the World Cup: Raad Hammoudi (starter) and Basim Qasim (substitute), for Iraq against Paraguay on 4 June 1986[69]
  • Most players in an Iraq starting line-up: 7
    • against Kuwait on 22 December 2014
    • against Bahrain on 23 December 2017
    • against United Arab Emirates on 29 November 2019[70]

Goalscorers[]

Al-Shorta's Younis Abid Ali set a national record for the most goals scored in one league season (36) in 1993–94.
  • Most League goals in a season: Younis Abid Ali, 36 goals in the Premier League, 1993–94[71]
  • Most FA Cup goals in a season: Hashim Ridha, 14 goals, 1998–99[72]
  • Most goals in one League match: Ahmed Khudhair, 5 goals (against Al-Kut, Premier League, 14 June 2001)[73]
  • Most goals in one FA Cup match: Saeed Nouri, 5 goals (against Salahaddin, 16 May 1989)[61]
  • Most goals in AFC and UAFA competitions: 5
    • Alaa Kadhim (3 in the Asian Cup Winners' Cup, 2 in the Asian Club Championship)
    • Marwan Hussein (4 in the AFC Cup, 1 in the Arab Club Champions Cup)
  • First ever goalscorer: Abid Abtou (against Al-Lasilki, Prince Ghazi Cup, November 1932)[1]
  • First Premier League top scorer: Zahrawi Jaber (1976–77)
  • Most Premier League top scorer awards: Hashim Ridha, 2 (1998–99 and 2001–02)[72]
  • First Elite Cup top scorer: Mufeed Assem (1996)
  • First top scorer of an AFC competition: Ghanim Abdul-Hameed (Asian Champion Club Tournament, 1971)
  • First top scorer of an UAFA competition: Ali Hussein Mahmoud (Arab Club Champions Cup, 1981–82)
  • First foreign goalscorer: Innocent Awoa (against Al-Sinaa, Premier League, 20 October 2012)
  • First foreign hat-trick scorer: Jean Michel N'Lend (against Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Premier League, 18 November 2012)[74]
  • First goalkeeper to score: Raad Hammoudi (against Al-Samawa, Premier League, 1975–76)[62]
  • Fastest goalscorer: 9.504 seconds, Alaa Abdul-Zahra (against Naft Al-Junoob, Premier League, 21 October 2018)[75]

Top goalscorers[]

Iraqi Premier League (1974–present) matches only.[76]

# Name Goals
1
Iraq Younis Abid Ali
 135
2
Iraq Hashim Ridha
 99
3 63
4
Iraq Ali Hussein Mahmoud
 60
5 58
6 45
7
Iraq Faisal Aziz
 42
Iraq Mufeed Assem
9
Iraq Hassan Bakhit
 38

See also[]

  • Iraqi clubs in the AFC Club Competitions

References[]

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External links[]

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