Sadd Sports Club

Sadd SC

Full name	Sadd Sports Club
Nickname(s)	Al-Zaeem (The Boss) Al-Dheeb (The Wolf)
Founded	21 October 1969
Ground	Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium Doha, Qatar (Capacity: 15,000)
Chairman	Mohammed bin Hamad
Manager	Jorge Fossati
League	Qatar Stars League
2010-11	6th
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours Third colours
Current season

Sadd Sports Club known as Al-Sadd Club (Arabic: نادي السد الرياضي‎) is a Qatari sports club, best known for its football team of the Qatar National First Division, from the city of Doha. The club goes with the Nickname "Al-Zaeem", which translates to "The Boss", and was founded by four students (led by Nasser) on the October 21, 1969 in Qatar's capital city. Al Sadd is undoubtedly the country's most successful team. The club also has handball, basketball, volleyball, table tennis and athletics sides.^[1]

Club history

The club was established by four students who excelled in playing football. They refused to join other clubs of the time and decided to make their own club, resulting in the formation of Al-Sadd Sports Club.

The club won the first ever Qatari League in 1971–72. It, along with Al-Arabi and Al-Rayyan, went on to dominate Qatari football in the 70's and the 80's by winning many Qatari League trophies and Emir Cups. In 1989, Al-Sadd became the first Arab side to win the Asian Champions League when they defeated Al Rasheed of Iraq in the final.

The 1990s were a lean phase for Al-Sadd, regarding the Qatari League. They could not win even one league championship during that period. However, they did manage to open their account in the Heir Apparent Trophy and also won the Gulf Club Champions Cup in 1991.

The new millennium opened up a new era for Al-Sadd. They returned to winning ways in the Qatari League, won many Emir Cups and Heir Apparent trophies. They also managed a triple crown in regional football by winning the Arab Champions League in 2001.

In 2007, under the command of Uruguayan coach Jorge Fossati, they achieved a quadruple by winning all four domestic cups. They were the first Qatari team to do so.

History in the Champions League

AFC Champions League - championship squads

1988 [2] Ahmed Matwi Saeed Mahboob Yousef Adsani Wasif Soufi Marzouk Juma Mohammed Amari Khalid Salman Moh Ghanim Khalid Habib Hassan Joher Khalifa Khamis Salah Salman Qasim Boor Ebrahim Kyumarth

2011 Mohamed Saqr Nadir Belhadj Mamadou Niang Abdul Kader Keita Khalfan Ibrahim Talal Al-Bloushi Abdulla Koni Wesam Rizik Ibrahim Majid Mohammed Kasola Lee Jung-Soo Ali Afif Hassan Al Haidos Taher Zakaria See also: 2011 AFC Champions League Final

Beginning

Al Sadd has a long and storied history in the AFC Champions League. They have taken part in all Champions League tournaments since the cup was revamped in 2003, except for the 2009 edition, boasting more appearences than any other team except Pakhtakor Tashkent. The club won their Champions League debut in 1988 (then known as Asian Club Championship), where they secured the top position in their group. They faced Al-Rasheed of Iraq in the final, defeating them on away goals, thus fending the Iraqis off to claim the title of the first Arab team to ever win the championship. Al Sadd also reached the semi-finals of the Asian Cup Winners' Cup in 2002, losing 1-0 to Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia.

2004

In the 2004 AFC Champions League, Al Sadd was tangled up in a controversy with Kuwaiti club Al Qadsiya when they faced up against Al Qadsiya in a group stage match in Kuwait City in April 2004. It was a bad tempered encounter which saw an Al Qadsiya player sent off prior to the incident which subsequently ensued. During stoppage time, a huge fracas broke out between the players. In the chaos that followed, local security personnel came onto the pitch, but to the amazement of the fans, they appeared to attack some of the visiting Al Sadd players rather than trying to stop the fighting. After a grueling 14-minute delay, the referee sent off a player from each match, but more sanctions were to follow after an official investigation by AFC. Then-president of AFC, Qatari football president Mohammed Bin Hammam described the whole event as a 'boxing match'.

Al Qadsiya, who had gone to the top of their group, were expelled from the Champions League, disqualified from all AFC competitions for three seasons, fined US$20,000 and had a blanket suspension imposed on all of its players and officials from AFC competitions for two years. On the other hand, Al Sadd were allowed to remain in the competition, but five of their players were handed two-year suspensions from all AFC tournaments. On further review, the punishments were reduced, although five Al Sadd players had to sit out the AFC Champions League the following year.^[3]

The results of all of Al Qadsiya's matches in that season's competition were expunged from the official records, thus erasing their record against Al Sadd. Al Sadd, only demanding only a single win over the bottom side Al Quwa Al Jawiya in their last group game to advance to the quarter-finals, lost the game 1-0, thus handing the quarter-final spot to Emirati club Al Wahda.

2011

A similar controvery occurred during the 2011 AFC Champions League. Al Sadd was placed in the qualifying play-offs courtesy of the disqualification of Vietnamese teams due to the non-submission of documents. They beat Al-Ittihad of Syria and Indian club Dempo SC 5-1^[4] and 2-0 respectively to acquire a spot in the group stage. Al Sadd, who were the definite underdogs, overcame the odds and topped their group to play against Al-Shabab, whom they beat 1-0.

The quarter-final against Sepahan would mark the first sign of controversy for the club. Sepahan had initially won the first-leg match against Al Sadd 1-0, however, after the match, Al Sadd lodged a formal complaint to the AFC as Sepahan had fielded an inelligible player, Rahman Ahmadi, who previously receieved two yellow cards in the tournament with his former club Persepolis. The match was overturned 3-0 in favor of Al Sadd, virtually ensuring the club a place in the semi-finals.^[5]

They faced Suwon Samsung Bluewings in a highly publicized semi-final. Suwon were favorites to win after knocking last year's champions, Zob Ahan, out of the running. The first-leg match was played in Suwon, South Korea. In the 70th minute of the match, Mamadou Niang of Al Sadd had a deflected shot veer past the goalkeeper in the back of the net, settling the score 1-0.

In the 80th minute of the match, a Suwon player was inadvertently kicked in the head by an Al Sadd defender, prompting Suwon to kick the ball out of play. While the injured Suwon player was being tended to, Keita took the free kick quickly, passing it through the Suwon defense who believed they would have posession returned, to Niang who sprinted past the keeper to score a second goal. This infuriated the Suwon players. The chaos was elevated when a Suwon fan had run onto the pitch, sparking a mass melee which involved both, coaching staff and players, between the two teams. After the fight was brought to a halt, the referee sent off a player from each team while Niang later got a red card and Al Sadd's Lee Jung-Soo had walked off the pitch in frustration.^[6] The melee prompted official investigation from the AFC, who suspended three players from both teams for six games.^[7]

Despite an inspired performance by Khalfan Ibrahim, Al Sadd lost the 2nd leg 1-0, however this allowed them to advance to the final with a 2-1 aggregate to face Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Al Sadd earned the nickname "Al Badd" from the Korean media as a result of their heated semi-final confrontations.

Sadd won the 2011 AFC Champions League Final against Jeonbuk, 4-2 on penalties.^[8][9]

To date, this is the best result achieved by a Qatari team in the AFC Champions League under its new format. Al Sadd also became the first team to reach the AFC Champions League knockout stage after starting their campaign in the play-offs in February.^[10]

Players

First-team squad

As of 1 July 2011 Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Saad Al Sheeb 3 DF Nadir Belhadj DF Abdulkarim Hasan 5 DF Almahdi Ali Mukhtari 6 DF Mohammed Kasola 7 FW Yusef Ahmed 8 DF Mesaad Al-Hamad 9 FW Mamadou Niang 10 MF Mohammed Al-Yazeedi 11 FW Hassan Al Haidos 12 FW Abdul Kader Keïta 13 MF Ali Asadallah Qambar 14 FW Khalfan Ibrahim 15 MF Talal Al-Bloushi 16 FW Abdulaziz Al Ansari 17 FW Magid Mohamed

No. Position Player 18 FW Fahad Saket Al-Shammari 19 DF Nasser Nabeel 20 FW Ali Afif 21 DF Abdulla Koni 25 MF Wesam Rizik 26 DF Taher Zakaria 27 MF Jaser Yahya Zakaria 30 GK Mohamed Saqr 32 DF Ibrahim Majid 40 DF Lee Jung-Soo 66 MF Diab Hassan Al Annabi 90 DF Hamad Faraj Al-Mas 96 DF Abdulrahman Nasser Al-Dhahri 97 MF Ahmed Mawla Al Hashemi 98 MF Omar Yahya Rabah 99 FW Leandro

Out on loan

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

No. Position Player FW Quincy Owusu-Abeyie (at Panathinaikos)

Notable players

This list of former players includes those who received international caps (in bold) while playing for the team, made significant contributions to the team in terms of appearances or goals while playing for the team, or who made significant contributions to the sport either before they played for the team, or after they left. It is clearly not yet complete and all inclusive, and additions and refinements will continue to be made over time.

Qatar Ali Nasser Ali Sanad an Nuami Basil Zaidan Abdullah Baiat Mesaad Al-Hamad Asia Ali Daei Karim Bagheri Amir Ghalenoei Hossein Kaebi Hamid Derakhshan Majid Namjoo-Motlagh Lee Jung-Soo Khalifa Ayil Mohamed Rabia Europe Frank Leboeuf Fabijan Cipot

Africa Lakhdar Belloumi Billel Dziri Nadir Belhadj Abdul Kader Keïta Abédi Pelé Quincy Owusu-Abeyie Youssef Chippo Victor Ikpeba John Utaka Dame N'Doye Mamadou Niang Jose Clayton South America Mauro Zárate Romário Sergio Ricardo Carlos Tenorio

Club officials

Managers

Last updated 1 July 2011.

Jorge Fossati helped Al Sadd achieve a domestic quadruple and win the 2011 AFC Champions League.

Name	Nat	From	To
Abdul Mallalah		October 1969	December 1979
Carlos Roberto Pereira		December 1979	February 1985
Ali Mahmoud		February 1985	June 1986
Obeid Jumma		June 1986	February 1993
René Meulensteen		February 1993	November 1993
Nasser Hamad		November 1993	June 1995
Džemaludin Mušović		June 1995	December 1996
Zé Mario		July 1997	July 1998
Nasser Hamad		December 1998	November 2000
Džemaludin Mušović		January 2000	October 2001
Ilie Balaci		October 2001	October 2002
Doru Isac		October 2002	May 2004
Nasser Hamad		May 2004	May 2006
Jorge Fossati		May 2006	August 2007
Co Adriaanse		August 2007	January 2008
Émerson Leão		January 2008	January 2009
Cosmin Olăroiu		January 2009	January 2011
Jorge Fossati		January 2011	Present

Current technical staff

Position	Staff
Team manager	Jafal Rashed Al-Kuwari
Reserve team manager	Essa Al Kuwari
Coach	Jorge Fossati
Assistant coach	Leonardo Favio
Fitness coach	Alejandro Valenzuela
Goalkeeping coach	Suhail Saber
Sports officer	Mohammed Gholam
Director of football	Mohammed Al Ali
Deputy director	Salem Al Ali
Media officer	Ali Al Ammari
Audience & marketing	Ahmad Al Ansari
1st team officer	Mohammed Saeed
Technical director	Hussain Amotta
Team doctor	Mohamed Soltani
Physiotherapist	Hussein Manae
Physiotherapist (2nd)	Akram Abid

Last updated: October 2011
Source: Al Sadd

Chairpersons

Chairperson	Tenure
Yusuf bin Oghad	October 1969 - June 1979
Saeed Mahmoud	June 1979 – June 1999
Ali bin Salah	July 1999 – January 2011
Mohammed bin Hamad	January 2011–present

Stadium and facilities

Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium

Main article: Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium

See also: Khalifa International Stadium

The matches are played in the state-of-the-art (soccer-specific) Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, whose capacity adds up to 18,000, including VIP stands. Such a capacity reflects the demand expected from the Qatari population, which has yet to reach 1 million people. The stadium, originally built in 1974, was rebuilt in 2004 for the Gulf Cup. The stadium has a unique atmosphere, and being close to the city centre it attracts lots of fans. For these reasons, the Qatar national football team plays most of its matches in this stadium, the stadium is also the first and only stadium that has air conditioning.

Colours and crest

One of Al-Sadd's nicknames are Al-Zaeem (The Boss) and Al-Dheeb (The Wolf). From the foundation of the club, the common home kit includes a white shirt, black or white shorts, and white or yellow socks. White and black colours are also seen in the crest. The away kit of the club is commonly with a black background.

Football Performance in AFC (Asian) Competitions

• AFC Champions League: 7 appearances

2002–03: Group Stage

2004: Group Stage

2005: Quarter-Finals

2006: Group Stage

2007: Group Stage

2008: Group Stage

2011: Champion

• Asian Club Championship: 4 appearances

1989: Champion

1990: Qualifying Stage

1991: Qualifying Stage

2000: Second Round

• Asian Cup Winners Cup: 4 appearances

1991/92: First Round

1994/95: Quarter-Final

2000/01: Second Round

2001/02: 3rd place

2010/11: 1st place

Honours

Asian

• AFC Champions League: 2

1989, 2011

Domestic

• Qatari League: 12 (Record)

1971-72, 1973–74, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1989–89, 1999–2000, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07

• Emir of Qatar Cup: 13 (Record)

1975, 1977, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007

• Qatar Crown Prince Cup: 5 (Record)

1998, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008

• Sheikh Jassem Cup: 12 (Record)

1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2007

• Qatari Stars Cup: 1 (Record)

2010-11

Regional

• Arab Champions League: 1

2001

• GCC Champions League: 1

1991

Reserves Team

• Qatar Reserves League: 2 (Record)

2009, 2011

Futsal Team

• Qatar Futsal League: 1 (Record)

2009

Handball Team

• AFC Champions League: 5 (Record)

2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005

• World Clubs Handball Championship: 1

2000

Asian Football Clubs (by IFFHS)

Rankings are calculated by the IFFHS.^[11]

AFC	IFFHS	Club	Points
1	80	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	130,5
2	82	Zob Ahan Isfahan FC	128,0
3	90	Kashima Antlers	123,5
4	94	Suwon Samsung Bluewings	121,0
5	100	Gamba Osaka	119,5
6	113	Muangthong United F.C.	113,5
7	116	Al-Hilal FC	112,0
8	125	Cerezo Osaka	108,0
9	131	Al-Wahdat Club	105,0
10	136	Sepahan Esfahan FC	103,5
11	148	Nagoya Grampus	100,0
12	156	FC Seoul	98,5
13	158	Al-Qadsia (Kuwait)	97,5
14	176	Persipura Jayapura	93,5
15	185	Jeju United	91,0
16	200	FC Bunyodkor	87,5
17	201	Al-Shabab Riyadh	87,0
=	201	Al-Ittihad Jeddah	87,0
19	204	Nasaf Qarshi	86,0
=	204	Al-Sadd Club	86,0

References

1. ^ Al-Sadd SC
2. ^ Asian Club Competitions 1988/89 - RSSSF
3. ^ Same again for Qatar's Al Sadd
4. ^ Dempo go down 0-2 against Al Sadd in AFC Champions League play-off
5. ^ Sepahan stripped of vital Asian win
6. ^ Al Sadd claim honours in fiery clash
7. ^ AFC acts after Suwon, Al Sadd brawl
8. ^ "History for Qatar as Al Sadd win Asian title in dramatic shootout". CNN. 5 November 2011. http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/05/sport/football/football-al-sadd-jeonbuk-champions/?hpt=ifo_t1. Retrieved 3 November 2011. 
9. ^ "Underdogs Al Sadd crowned Asian champions". Aljazeera.com. 5 November 2011. http://www.aljazeera.com/sport/football/2011/11/2011115195658605923.html. Retrieved 3 November 2011. 
10. ^ Bad boys raise Asian profile
11. ^ "TOP 350 Club World Ranking". IFFHS. 1 December 2010. http://www.iffhs.de/?10f42e00fa2d17f73702fa3016e23c17f7370eff3702bb1c2bbb6f28f53512. 

External links

• Official website

Achievements
Preceded by Yomiuri	Champions of Asia 1988–89	Succeeded by Liaoning FC
Preceded by Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma	Champions of Asia 2011	Succeeded by Incumbent