Al-Najaf SC

Al-Najaf
Full nameAl-Najaf Sports Club
Nickname(s)Ghizlan Al-Badiah (Desert Gazelles)
Founded1961; 63 years ago (1961)
GroundAl-Najaf International Stadium
Capacity30,000
ChairmanAli Nayef Al-Ghazali
ManagerAbdul-Ghani Shahad
LeagueIraq Stars League
2023–24Iraq Stars League, 4th of 20
Current season

Al-Najaf Sports Club (Arabic: نادي النجف الرياضي) is an Iraqi professional football club based in Najaf. They are members of the Iraq Stars League. Al-Najaf has competed in the 2007 AFC Champions League.

History

[edit]

In 1960, the city of Najaf began an active movement to establish a sports club after the athletes then felt the need of the city to a sports club that absorbed the energies of young people and their creations which are almost lost in the amateur leagues. Some of the dignitaries of the city were contacted for this purpose.[1] The request was submitted to the Ministry of the Interior, which was responsible for the authorisation of sports clubs in Iraq at that time. The name of Al Ghiri Sports Club was proposed for this institution. In 1961, the Ministry of the Interior approved their request to establish the club and thus wrote the birth certificate of the first sports club in the city of Najaf and consisted of the first administrative body of Messrs. Naji Hassan Hasswa as president and Maki Hadi Maala Vice-President and Alwan Elsafer as secretary.[2] At the beginning of the establishment of the club, the Ministry of the Interior allocated an annual grant of 60 dinars divided into two instalments, and the club relied on this grant and monthly subscriptions from its members.

Stadiums

[edit]

New Najaf Stadium is a purpose built football stadium that is the current home stadium of Al-Najaf. It opened in 2018, with a capacity of 30,000 people. Until 2018, the club played its home matches at An-Najaf Stadium (Arabic: ستاد النجف).

Current squad

[edit]

First-team squad

[edit]
As of 20 September 2024

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
1 GK Iraq IRQ Ridha Abdulaziz
3 DF Iraq IRQ Ahmed Maknzi
4 DF Iraq IRQ Ali Faez
5 DF Togo TOG Magnime Agbotcho FGN
7 MF Iraq IRQ Mohammed Saleh
8 MF Senegal SEN Dominique Mendy FGN
9 FW Iraq IRQ Mohammed Jawad
10 MF Iraq IRQ Mohammed Qasim
11 FW Iraq IRQ Ridha Mohammed Hachem
12 GK Iraq IRQ Ali Kadhem
14 DF Iraq IRQ Mohammed Jassim Captain
15 DF Iraq IRQ Ahmed Naeem
19 MF Iraq IRQ Younis Humood
No. Pos. Nation Player
21 GK Iraq IRQ Sarhang Muhsin
24 MF Iraq IRQ Hassan Dakhel
28 MF Iraq IRQ Ahmed Abdul-Hussein
33 FW Ghana GHA Denny Antwi FGN
34 DF Iraq IRQ Mustafa Maan
55 MF Iraq IRQ Murtadha Ali
71 FW Iraq IRQ Hussein Ibrahim
77 FW Iraq IRQ Zidane Abdul-Jabbar
80 FW Tunisia TUN Bechir Ghariani FGN
88 FW Nigeria NGA Iyayi Atiemwen FGN
99 MF Iraq IRQ Shubbar Ali
DF Senegal SEN Moustapha Fall FGN

Current technical staff

[edit]
Position Name Nationality
Coach: Abdul-Ghani Shahad Iraq
Assistant coach: Dhiyya Falih Iraq
Goalkeeping coach: Mohammed Abdul-Zahra Iraq
Fitness coach: Salah Hashim Iraq
Team supervisor: Fadhel Mohammed Iraq
Team manager: Mohammed Abdul Hussein Iraq
Team Doctor: Haitham Abdul Amir Iraq
U-19 Coach: Haider Lafta Iraq

Updated to match played 25 September 2020
Source: Alsabaah.iq

Managerial history

[edit]

Since the club's promotion to the Iraqi Premier League in the 1987–88 season so far, twenty-six coaches have led the team:[3][4]

Honours

[edit]

Domestic

[edit]

Friendly

[edit]
  • Victory and Peace Championship
    • Winners (1): 1992
  • Love Championship
    • Winners (1): 2003

Performance in AFC Competitions

[edit]
2007: Group stage

Statistics

[edit]

In domestic competitions

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ تاريخ الاندية الرياضـية العراقية (in Arabic). Dorar-aliraq.net. 27 September 2010.
  2. ^ عميد الرياضة النجفية .. محمد الفضلي : رحلة خمسين عاماً من العطاء الثر (in Arabic). Mondialar.com. 24 August 2016. Archived from the original on 13 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  3. ^ نادي النجف … ثمانية عشر مدربا خلال 29 موسما .. وحمود قاد الفريق في 449 مباراة (in Arabic). Football-iq.net. 4 June 2016.
  4. ^ نادي النجف … شهد قاد الفريق في 245 مباراة وحقق انجازات يشار لها بالبنان (in Arabic). Football-iq.net. 16 June 2016.
[edit]