Al Rayyan Sports Club
Al-Rayyan Sports Club (Arabic: نادي الريان الرياضي) is a Qatari professional sports club fielding teams in a number of sports such as football, futsal, basketball, volleyball, handball, athletics, table tennis and swimming. It is based at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Omm Alafai in the city of Al-Rayyan. The club was founded in 1967 after merging the old Rayyan team with Nusoor Club. The official team colours are red and black. The team is nicknamed is 'The Lions' and also 'Al-Raheeb' which means the The fierce .
The club has won numerous titles in all sports, including two Asian championships in basketball, the Arab championship in handball, futsal domestic titles, table tennis and volleyball, as well as the GCC basketball championship. Both the basketball and handball teams have qualified for the world championships. However, the football team gets the most attention from the club officials as well as the media and the fans. The club has one of the largest fan bases in Qatar.
History
Al Rayyan Sports Club was founded in 1967 with the announcement by the Al-Rayyan Sports Committee that it would merge with Nusoor.
Al-Rayyan had success in the Qatar Stars League within the first decade of its formation, with the club participating in their first official season in 1972/73. They won the league in 1976 and 1978. Further league titles came in 1982, 1984, 1986, 1990 and 1995. During this period, Al Rayyan dominated the league along with Al-Arabi and Al-Sadd. They also won other trophies, such as the Qatar Crown Prince Cup (1995, 1996, 2001) and the Emir of Qatar Cup (1999, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2011). The club has not experienced much league success as of late, with the last successful season being 1994/95, however they finished 2nd in the 2010/11 season.
Their success is not only limited to football. Al-Rayyan's basketball team participated in the league after the establishment of the Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF) headed by Mr. Nasser Al-Mubarak Al-Ali in 1979. They had to play in outside courts paved with cement as Al-Rayyan Sports Club, or any club for that matter, did not have air-conditioned halls at that time, meaning that the surface area would be very dangerous to play on. A report published by QBF in 1982 stated the the total number of basketball players in Al-Rayyan in 1970 was eight, with that number gradually decreasing throughout the decade, until 1974, when it was three. They were then coached by Sudanese Abdul Monem Salem. The game started to pick up in the early '80s after the formation of QBF. The playerbase increased, and South Korean coach Young-Suk was selected to bring the team glory. In the '80s, their team was one to be reckoned with, with the likes of Ahmed Mohammed Ali, the top scorer of the division in 1980-81, and Omar Mohammed, the top scorer of the youth division in the same year. Players were laid off in the mid-'80s, rendering the club ineligible to compete in the 1985-86 season. In 1988, the club had once again picked itself up again, with the juniors winning the 1988-89 and 1990-91 seasons. By 1992, the club had more than 95 players. The club continued to show good performances in the basketball league through out the new millenium, winning the Asia Basketball championship back in 2005.
Current squad
First team
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
For recent squad changes see: List of Qatari football transfers winter 2011–12.
Reserve team
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 |
| 25 |
|
FW |
Abdulrahman Tariq Al-Ali |
| 32 |
|
DF |
Mubarak Hashim Idris |
| 33 |
|
MF |
Fahd Al Korbi |
| 40 |
|
DF |
Mohammed Qassim |
| 55 |
|
DF |
Nathan Otávio |
| 77 |
|
MF |
Saeed Al Othman |
| 99 |
|
GK |
Mohammed Izzeldin |
|
Notable players
Managerial history
Present and past managers of Al-Rayyan (incomplete):
Management
| Position |
Staff |
| President |
Sheikh Abdulla Bin Hamad Al-Thani |
| Vice-president |
Sheikh Saud bin Nasser Al Thani |
| Secretary General |
Mohamed Ali Al-Marri Hobash |
| Assistant Secretary |
Mohamed Mansour Shahwani |
| Cashier |
Jamal Abdul Latif Al-Kuwari |
| Board Member |
Sheikh Nawaf bin Mubarak Al-Thani |
| Board Member |
Abdullah Rashid al-Amiri |
| Board Member |
Husayn ibn Said |
| Board Member |
Sheikh Khalid bin Hassan Al-Thani |
Last updated: 20 October 2011
Source: Board of Directors
Honours
-
- 1975-76, 1977–78, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1989–90, 1994–95
-
- 1995, 1996, 2001
-
- 1999, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2011
-
- 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983
-
- 1992, 2000
Performance in AFC competitions
-
- 2011: Group Stage
- 2012:
-
- 2010: Round of 16
External links