Al-Zawraa SC

Al-Zawraa SC

Full name	Al-Zawraa Sports Club
Nickname(s)	Al-Nawaris (The Gulls)
Founded	June 29, 1969; 52 years ago (1969-06-29), as Al-Muwasalat
Ground	Al-Zawraa Stadium[1]
Capacity	15,443
Owner	Ministry of Transport
President	Falah Hassan
Manager	Essam Hamad
League	Iraqi Premier League
2020–21	Iraqi Premier League, 2nd of 20
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Al-Zawraa Sports Club (Arabic: نادي الزوراء الرياضي‎) 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 and 16 Iraq FA Cup titles, both national records. They won their most recent trophy in 2021 by claiming a record fifth Iraqi Super Cup trophy.

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. 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 (39).

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 21 August 2021

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 3 DF  IRQ 5 MF  IRQ Muntadher Mohammed 6 MF  IRQ Mohammed Ridha Jalil 7 MF  IRQ Ahmad Fadhel 12 GK  IRQ Jalal Hassan 13 MF  IRQ 14 DF  IRQ Najm Shwan 15 DF  MTN Hassan Houbeib 16 MF  SYR Zaher Midani 17 FW  IRQ 19 MF  IRQ Mahdi Kamel 20 GK  IRQ Alaa Gatea 21 MF  IRQ

No. Pos. Nation Player 23 DF  IRQ 25 MF  IRQ Ali Raheem 27 DF  IRQ 29 DF  IRQ Abbas Qasim 31 GK  IRQ Ali Yasin 32 DF  IRQ 33 FW  IRQ Mustafa Hassan 40 GK  IRQ Ali Talib 77 FW  CIV 99 MF  IRQ — DF  IRQ Alaa Mhawi — MF  IRQ Saad Abdul-Amir

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 21 DF  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[]

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 Abdul-Wahab Khalaf 1973–1974 Dawud Al-Azzawi 1974–1975 Rasheed Radhi 1975–1977 Saadi Salih 1977–1984 Anwar Jassam 1984–1985 Rasheed Radhi 1985–1986 Wathiq Naji 1986–1991 Falah Hassan 1991 Ali Kadhim 1991–1992 Ammo Baba 1992 Nawar Hussein 1992–1993 Anwar Jassam 1993 Abdul-Amir Naji 1993–1994 Ammo Baba 1994–1995 Kadhim Khalaf 1995 Kadhim Al-Rubaie 1985 Amer Jameel 1995 Hadi Mutanish 1995–1996 Adnan Hamad 1996–1997 Hadi Mutanish 1997 Ammo Baba

Dates Name 1997–1998 Anwar Jassam 1998 Adnan Hamad 1998–1999 Amer Jameel 1999–2001 Adnan Hamad 2001 Ibrahim Ali 2001 Sabah Abdul-Jalil 2001 Rasheed Radhi 2001–2002 Adnan Hamad 2002 Kadhim Khalaf 2002 Saad Abdul-Hameed 2002 Akram Salman 2002–2003 Ahmed Radhi 2003 Salam Hashim 2003–2004 Adnan Hamad 2004 Hadi Mutanish 2004–2005 Basim Qasim 2005 Mohammed Hussein Nasrallah 2005–2007 Salih Radhi 2007 Karim Saddam 2007–2008 Radhi Shenaishil 2008 Kadhim Khalaf

Dates Name 2008–2009 Yahya Alwan 2009–2010 Hazem Jassam 2009–2010 Essam Hamad 2010 Mohamed Jassim Mahdi 2010–2011 Radhi Shenaishil 2011 Karim Saddam 2011–2012 Yahya Alwan 2012–2014 Radhi Shenaishil 2014 Jamal Ali 2014–2015 Emad Mohammed 2015–2016 Basim Qasim 2016 Thair Ahmed 2016–2017 Essam Hamad 2017–2019 Ayoub Odisho 2019 Bassim Luaibi (caretaker) 2019 Hakim Shaker 2019–2020 Basim Qasim 2020–2021 Haidar Abdul-Amir (caretaker) 2021 Radhi Shenaishil 2021– Essam Hamad

Current technical staff[]

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

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, 2020–21
	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, 2020–21
	Iraqi Elite Cup	3S	1991, 1999, 2003	1996, 2000
	Iraqi Super Cup	5	1998, 1999, 2000, 2017, 2021	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
  • Winners (2): 1989,^[3] 1990^[4]
• Victory Championship
  • Winners (2): 1984, 1986
• Tournament for the Armed Forces
  • Winners (1): 2015
• 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[]

hideYear	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	Runner-up	Runner-up	not held
2021–22	TBD	TBD	Winner

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[]

• AFC Champions League: 7 appearances

2003: Third qualifying round

2005: Group stage

2007: Group stage

2019: Group stage

2020: Second qualifying round

2021: Second qualifying round

2022: TBD

• Asian Club Championship: 5 appearances

1996: Second round

1997: Fourth place

1998: Second round

2001: First round

2002: Second round

• Asian Cup Winners' Cup: 2 appearances

1994: First round

2000: Runners-up

• AFC Cup: 4 appearances

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:

• 2009 – Mohammed Gassid

See also[]

• Iraqi clubs in the AFC Club Competitions

References[]

[1] [2]

External links[]

• Official website
• All-Time Coaches