| Full name | Sadd Sports Club | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Al-Zaeem (The Boss) Al-Dheeb (The Wolf) |
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| Founded | 21 October 1969 | |||
| Ground | Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium Doha, Qatar (Capacity: 15,000) |
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| Chairman | Mohammed bin Hamad | |||
| Manager | Jorge Fossati | |||
| League | Qatar Stars League | |||
| 2010-11 | 6th | |||
| Website | Club home page | |||
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| 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 Stars League, 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 bin Mobarak Al-Ali) 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]
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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. 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.
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 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.[2]
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.
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.
Al Sadd was placed in the qualifying play-offs of the 2011 AFC Champions League 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[3] 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.[4]
They faced Suwon Samsung Bluewings in a highly publicized semi-final. Suwon were favorites to win after knocking last year's runner-ups, 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.[5] The melee prompted official investigation from the AFC, who suspended three players from both teams for six games.[6]
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 semi-final confrontations.
Sadd won the 2011 AFC Champions League Final against Jeonbuk, 4-2 on penalties.[7][8] This earned Al Sadd a spot in the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup.
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.[9]
Al Sadd was crowned "AFC Club of the Year" in 2011 by AFC after winning the AFC Champions League.[10] The award was presented by AFC Executive Committee member Dr. Hafez Al Medlei in Kuala Lumpur. Al Sadd's General Secretary, Jassim Al Rumaihi, collected the award in person, and dedicated the acolade to all people affiliated with the club, including the fans.
During the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup, Al Sadd were eliminated in the semi-final stage by Barcelona, which set up a third-place meeting between them and Kashiwa Reysol. This was the first time two clubs from the same confederation faced off eachother in a third-place match. Al Sadd won the encounter on penalties in order to be the first West Asian club to claim the bronze medal in the FIFA Club World Cup.[11]
As of 31 December 2011 Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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For recent squad changes see: List of Qatari football transfers winter 2011–12.
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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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.
Last updated 1 July 2011.
| 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 | |
| Džemaludin Mušović | 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 | |
| René Meulensteen | January 2000 | October 2001 | |
| Ilie Balaci | October 2001 | October 2002 | |
| Doru Isac | October 2002 | May 2004 | |
| Bora Milutinović | May 2004 | October 2005 | |
| Nasser Hamad | October 2005 | 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 |
| 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
| Chairperson | Tenure |
|---|---|
| Yusuf bin Oghad |
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| Saeed Mahmoud |
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| Ali bin Salah |
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| Mohammed bin Hamad |
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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.
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 socks. White and black colours are also seen in the crest. The away kit of the club is commonly with a black background.
Historically, Al-Sadd has been the favoured club of Qatar's upper-class[12]. The club garnered many supporters in the early years of the Qatar Stars League, along with Al Rayyan and Al-Arabi, whom were the three main powers of the league. Over the years, they have attracted a wider array of fans due to their continental accomplishments, such as winning the 1988-89 AFC Champions League.
The new millenium saw an influx of new fans as a result of recruiting many foreign nationals to play for the club, as well as the club's performance in regional competitions.
In order to better communicate with the fans, Al-Sadd's fan club was established in the 2003-04 season of the QSL and was then an unprecedented idea in most Gulf and Arab clubs. The fan club serves many roles; not only is it restricted to organizing fan groups within the stadium, but it is also used as a means to discuss ways in which to improve the club. In addition, Al-Sadd holds annual general meetings between the management and fans in order to have an open platform to discuss issues in an open environment. Ironically, this was greatly criticized at the beginning, while now other clubs are following suit.
The club also has annual and monthly awards for the best players of the club which is sponsored by Givenchy. The fans have won the title of best fan club in Qatar for three successive year - 2006, 2007 and 2008.
Furthermore, the fan club was also the first in Qatar to put the free SMS service for mobiles in place. After one and a half years, there are more than 8000 subscribers who received a number of over 3 million SMS' during this period.
This is the clash of Qatar’s two most successful teams; Al Sadd and Al Arabi. For some fans, winning this derby is more noteworthy than winning the league itself. Qatar’s derby is an important component of the country's culture, which celebrates football every time the two teams face each other.
Al Arabi always regarded themselves as the club of Qatar’s working class, in contrast with the supposedly more upper-class support base of Al Sadd. At the present time, the fan bases of both are almost similar and are supported by all social classes. Being the fans of the most successful Qatari side, Al Sadd supporters have much to brag about; big scores against their arch-rivals in recent years increased the white and black supremacy over this derby.[12]
Bold indicates a win.
| Achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Yomiuri |
Champions of Asia 1988–89 |
Succeeded by Liaoning FC |
| Preceded by Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma |
Champions of Asia 2011 |
Succeeded by Most recent |
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