Al-Wahda F.C.

Al-Wahda FC
نادي الوحـدة الرياضي الثقافي
Full name Al-Wahda Football Club
Nickname(s) The Capital Metro(مترو العاصمه)، Their Excellencies(اصحاب السعاده)، The Universal Team(العالمي)، The Maroon(العنابي)
Founded 1974
Ground Al-Nahyan Stadium
Abu Dhabi
UAE
Capacity 10,000[1]
Owner Theyab Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan
Chairman Theyab Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan
Manager Sami Al-Jaber
League UAE Arabian Gulf League
2013–14 UAE Arabian Gulf League, 2nd
Website Club home page
Al Nahyan Stadium

Al-Wahda Football Club (Arabic: نادي الوحدة لكرة القدم) is a football club based in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates that plays in the UAE Arabian Gulf League. The club was founded in 1974 and plays its home games at the Al-Nahyan Stadium. The club's colours are maroon, grey and white.

Al Wahda has won the UAE Arabian Gulf League four times, with the most recent title coming in the 2009–10 UAE Pro-League season.

History

Al Wahda is one of the UAE's famous club, founded when the Emirates Club merged with Abu Dhabi in 1974. Al Wahda remains proud of the history that formed its roots, the club's chairman was Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and presently is H.H. Sheikh Theyab bin Zayed Al Nahyan after H.H. Sheikh Saeed bin Zayed Al Nahyan with the head of the executive board for the club being led by Shaikh Tahnoon bin Saeed Al Nahyan. While H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Saeed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the vice-chairman. After shaky beginnings, the club began to fill its trophy cabinet in the 1990s with Al Wahda winning the Federation Cup winners in 1995, league champions in 1998-1999 and President Cup winners in 2000. The 1999 season rests in the annals: Hussain Ali was voted the league's best goalkeeper, Fahad Massaood was voted player of the year and Al Bouri Lah finished the season as the league's top goalscorer. During the 1990s Al Wahda boasts many internationals in their ranks, Yasir Salim, Abdul Raheem Jumaa and Abdul Salam among them, but also relied on a well-organised scouting system with a tradition of unearthing young talent. Since 1993, it has organised an annual international U-17 tournament for sides from Europe and South America now called the Zayed Cup (formerly called "Al Wahda Cup").

Al Wahda has a large following in the UAE, and are always considered as one of the favourites in major competitions within the UAE. Al Wahda also had stints with regards to major Asian competition, and reached the last 4 of the Asian Champions League, but lost after away and home matches to Sapehan(Iran)(season 2007-2008). Al Wahda also won the League title in 2004/2005 season.

Al Wahda's most famous players are Ismail Matar, Abdulrahim Jumaa, Haider Alo Ali And Bashir Saeed Fahad Masoud, . Al Wahda includes some talented young players such as Mohamed Al Shehhi, Eisa Ahmed, Hamdan Al Kamali, Yaqoub Al-Hosani, Mahmod Khamis and Saeed Al Kithiry.

Honours

Champion: 1999, 2001, 2005, 2010
Champion: 2000
Champion: 2002, 2011
Champion: 1986, 1995, 2001

Performance in AFC competitions

2004: Quarter-Finals
2006: Group Stage
2007: Semi-Finals
2008: Group Stage
2010: Group Stage
2000: First Round
2002: Group Stage
1998/99: First Round
2000/01: First Round

Al Nahyan stadium

The Al Nahyan stadium is the home of Al Wahda, and although Al-Nahyan Stadium is perhaps less impressive in terms of infrastructure (12,000 seats) it still boasts a fervent atmosphere on match days and has the added advantage of being only three kilometres from the city centre.

Squad

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

No. Position Player
1 United Arab Emirates GK Adel Fadaeq
2 United Arab Emirates DF Mohammed Saif
3 United Arab Emirates DF Adel Abdulla
4 Kuwait DF Hussain Fadhel
5 United Arab Emirates MF Tawfeeq Abdul Razzaq
6 Morocco MF Adil Hermach
7 United Arab Emirates FW Mohamed Al Shehhi
8 United Arab Emirates DF Hamdan Al-Kamali
9 United Arab Emirates FW Salem Saleh
10 United Arab Emirates FW Ismail Matar
11 Argentina FW Sebastián Tagliabué
12 United Arab Emirates MF Khalid Jalal
13 United Arab Emirates DF Mohammed Al-Zaabi
14 United Arab Emirates MF Mubarak Al Mansoori
15 United Arab Emirates FW Badr Al Harthi
16 United Arab Emirates MF Abdulla Al Noubi
17 United Arab Emirates MF Suhail Al Mansoori
18 United Arab Emirates GK Ali Al Hosani
20 United Arab Emirates FW Mohammed Salam
No. Position Player
21 United Arab Emirates DF Salem Al-Sharji
22 United Arab Emirates MF Amer Omar
23 United Arab Emirates MF Essa Abdulla
25 United Arab Emirates DF Marwan Mesmari
26 United Arab Emirates MF Mohammed Abdulbasit
27 United Arab Emirates FW Sultan Saif
28 United Arab Emirates DF Mohammed Al-Menhali
29 United Arab Emirates MF Saif Al-Amri
30 United Arab Emirates MF Sultan Al Ghaferi
32 United Arab Emirates MF Khaled Ba Wazir
37 United Arab Emirates DF Ahmed Rashed
40 United Arab Emirates GK Adel Al Hosani
44 United Arab Emirates DF Mansor Shawkan
53 United Arab Emirates MF Ali Morad
55 United Arab Emirates GK Fahad Dhanhani
70 Argentina MF Damián Díaz
77 United Arab Emirates MF Khalil Ibrahim
99 United Arab Emirates FW Mayed Mesmari

Past managers

References

External links