Al-Ittihad
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- For Al-Ittihad of Syria, see Al-Ittihad (Syria). For Libyan club of the same name, see Al Ittihad Tripoli.
Al-Ittihad ( الإتحاد ) is a Saudi Arabian sports club based in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah. Officially formed in 1928, it is the oldest surviving club in Saudi Arabia, and one of the most popular and successful.
Background
Football was first spread to the Arabian peninsula by Javanese immigrants in the early 1920s. By the late twenties, many football clubs were formed, mainly in Mecca and Jeddah, representing the various communities and districts.
Then in late 1927, a group of players from various teams held a meeting in the Jeddah wireless office with the aim of creating a united club. Thus Ittihad was born. The name was coined by AbdulAziz Jameel who was quoted as saying: "Since we're gathered here united, let's call it United (Ittihad)". The late Ali Sultan was named as the club's first president.
In 1929 Ittihad played their first game, against rivals al-Riyadhi. After winning 3-0, Ittihad was given the seniority of Jeddan clubs. al-Riyadhi disbanded soon afterwards, leaving Ittihad as the only surviving club from the early days.
By the 1930s many clubs were formed, and challenge tournaments were regularly held, often sponsored by local businessmen. In 1937, Ittihad played their first game against eternal rival, al-Ahli (which ended in a draw). Football continued to be played on an unofficial basis until 1957 when the Saudi Football Federation was formed, and football clubs officially recognised. The first official tournament was held in that year, the King's cup, which was the premier competition until the formation of the national league in 1975. Ittihad didn't win the inaugural tournament, but did win it the next year, making it the first official trophy that Ittihad won.
In the mid seventies, the large oil boom allowed the Saudi government to lavish on sport. The General Presidency of youth welfare was formed, and existing football clubs were put under its control and turned into multi-sport clubs. al-Ittihad (as well as all other clubs) was transformed to the modern club that it is today.
The club today
Today, Ittihad is one of Saudi Arabia's largest clubs. It is hugely successful not just in football, but in basketball, water polo, table tennis, volleyball, and swimming, amongst others. In all, Ittihad has won 661 trophies. However, football remains the primary sport.
Ittihad is now based in Sahafa street, Mushrefa district, in east Jeddah, where they have a large sports complex. Senior teams play official games at the municipal sports centre, in the south of the city, while youth teams play at the club.
The club is renowned throughout the region for its fans. They are particularly famous for their chants, which are copied by many others. The head of the Ittihad fan club, Saleh al-Qarni, even records studio versions of the year's chants which are widely sold in Jeddah and beyond.
Current first team squad
| Number |
| Player
| |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers
| |||||
| 1 | Mabrouk Zaid
| ||||
| 22 | Hussain Al Sadig
| ||||
| 23 | Tasir Al Antaif
| ||||
| Defenders
| |||||
| 26 | Ahmed Dokhi
| ||||
| 4 | Redha Tukar
| ||||
| 30 | Ali Al Garni
| ||||
| 24 | Mesfr Al Kahtani
| ||||
| 13 | Osama Al Harbi
| ||||
| ? | Marcao
| ||||
| 20 | Adnan Falatah
| ||||
| 21 | Hamad Al-Montashari
| ||||
| Midfielders / Wingers
| |||||
| 7 | Mohammed Haidar
| ||||
| 8 | Manaf Abushgeer
| ||||
| 12 | Abdoh Hakami
| ||||
| 14 | Saud Khariri
| ||||
| ? | Pedrinho
| ||||
| 17 | Ibrahim Sowed
| ||||
| 18 | Mohammed Noor
| ||||
| Forwards
| |||||
| 3 | Mohamed Kallon
| ||||
| 9 | Hamzah Idris
| ||||
| 10 | Joseph-Désiré Job
| ||||
| Manager
| |||||
| - | Vahid Halilhodžić
| ||||
Club honours (football)
Saudi Premier League , 6 : 1982 , 1997 , 1999 , 2000 , 2001, 2003
King's cup , 6 : 1958 , 1959 , 1960 , 1963 , 1967 , 1988
Crown Prince cup , 7 : 1958 , 1959 , 1963 , 1991 , 1997 , 2001 , 2004
Federation cup , 3 : 1986 , 1997 , 1999
Asian Champions League , 2 : 2004 , 2005
Asian Cup Winners Cup , 1 : 1999
Arab Champions League , 1 : 2005
GCC club championship , 1 : 1999
| Saudi Arabian Premier League 2005-2006 |
| Abha Club | Al-Ahli | Al-Ansar | Al-Hazm | Al-Hilal | Al-Ittifaq |
| Al-Ittihad | Al-Nasr | Al-Qadisiya | Al-Shabab | Al-Ta'ee | Al Wahda FC |
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