Fanja SC
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| Full name | Fanja Sports Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) |
Al-Malik (The King) | ||
| Founded | 1970 | ||
| Ground |
Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex Royal Oman Police Stadium Boshar, Muscat, Oman Al-Seeb Stadium Al-Seeb, Al-Batinah, Oman | ||
| Capacity | 14,000 | ||
| Chairman |
 Sheikh Saif Abdullah Al-Sumri | ||
| Manager |
Abdulraheem Al-Hajri | ||
| League | Oman Professional League | ||
| 2014–15 | 2nd (Runners-up) | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
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Fanja Sports Club (Arabic: نادي فنجاء الرياضي; also known locally as Al-Malik, or "The King" because of their great success, or just plainly as Fanja) is an Omani sports club based in Fanja, Oman.[1] The club is currently playing in the Oman Professional League, top division of Oman Football Association. Their home ground is Al-Seeb Stadium. The stadium is government owned, but they also own their own personal stadium and sports equipment, as well as their own training facilities.
History
Fanja SC was founded in 1970 and registered in the very next year in 1971. The club has an illustrious history with a total of eight Omani League titles to their name. The club's best years were in the 1970s and the 1980s, but the death of the club owner HRH Sayyid Sami adversely affected the club and after that for the next 20 years, Fanja failed to receive even one trophy. Their most recent achievement was in 2014 when they won the 2013–14 Sultan Qaboos Cup for the record 9th time in a 2-0 win over Al-Nahda Club. It took more than two decades - 23 years to be precise - for Fanja SC to regain the most coveted and prestigious football title in Oman, the Sultan Qaboos Cup.[2][3]
Fanja Club (Fanja), nicknamed the "The King", is one of the most popular and successful clubs in the Sultanate of Oman. The club is not only a popular club in Oman, but also in the wider Gulf Cooperation Council as well as in other Arab and African countries.
The club was founded in 1973, and has always been supportive of the difference of football in Oman. Fanja was the first Omani club to win an international tournament. It was the 1989 Gulf Club Champions Cup, later named GCC Champions League. Fanja defeated Al-Muharraq SC of Bahrain in a penalty shootout after the match had ended 1-1 in the normal time. Fanja has appeared four times in the same tournament.
Despite the difficulties suffered by the club in the recent years, Fanja maintained their record by winning the first and the only GCC Cup for Oman while also winning 8 Sultan Qaboos Cups. The club also won the GCC Club Championship (U-17) twice—1995 in the KSA and 1997 in Qatar and only two other clubs in the Gulf have been able to achieve this.
Fanja has always been one of the major contributors to the Omani national team. Many players of Fanja have appeared in different international and GCC tournaments.
Fanja in the seventies
The beginning of the club
During the 1970s, life was very simple and clubs did not have the ability to spend money on their teams or players. But Fanja managed to win championships with the support of their loyal fans who were behind the club in every match and gave them significant support.
Fanja in the eighties
Football turning point in the Sultanate
During the 1980s, there was a turning point for football clubs in Oman. Fanja and their supporters and fans along with the founders of the club were among the first people who realized this and chose the right man for the owner's job who was first Mr. Sami bin Hamad bin Hamoud Al Busaidi and then his younger brother, Mr. Khalid bin Hamad Al Busaidi. In this period Fanja spent an estimated amount of RO 120,000 annually for the football team. With this income, Fanja continued to win and other teams could not dare to stand in their way. During this period, and in the late eighties, Fanja had 15 players that represented the national team.
1990 to 2005
Financial crisis at the club
In 1990, Khalid bin Hamad Al Busaidi left Fanja, and therefore Fanja's financial support disappeared as well. This led to more than 15 of the best players in the Fanja squad going to other clubs. The club could not stand on their feet. But the club managed to win GCC Club Championship (U-17) twice—1995 in the KSA and 1997 in Qatar. These accomplishments were achieved because of the material support to the club. Only because of the financial crisis at the club, Fanja was unable to maintain its position as the best team in Oman.
2006 to 2012
The new administration, a new era
In 2006, Hamyar bin Nasser Ismaili returned to the club with the new administration. The club at that time was undergoing a financial crisis but the new administration had a vision and goals and charted a plan to march Fanja Club back to its "natural place".
The three main goals that were worked out by the club's management:
1 - Do everything to restore the football team to the yop division.
2 - End all of the club's debts, and get more income.
3 - Develop and get the constructors and the club's offices.
The Club was able to achieve all three objectives which they had developed. The football team managed to reach the final of the Sultan Qaboos Cup and then in the following season it managed to reach the top division league that is the Omani League. Fanja's march back to success did not stop at this point. They won both the 2011–12 Omani League and then the Omani Super Cup for the first time. The latter was won against Omani giants Dhofar. These titles were won after a twenty year period.
All the club's debts have been relieved because of the administration's brilliant strategy and now the club has managed to get a better income with the help of partners of the club. Also, the Ministry of Sports Affairs in the Sultanate of Oman has approved the building of a football stadium for the club (now nearly finished), as well as offices in the stadium and more facilities. Fanja has now returned to its "natural place" and the club is currently working to develop a new vision and objectives so that Fanja becomes the best club in Oman.
Being a multisport club
Although being mainly known for their football, Fanja SC like many other clubs in Oman, have not only football in their list, but also hockey, volleyball, handball, basketball, badminton and squash. They also have a youth football team competing in the Omani Youth league.
Crest and colours
Fanja SC have been known since establishment to wear a full yellow or grey (Away) kit (usually a darker shade of yellow). Back in the early years, they wore a yellow jersey with two stripes across, but after the death of club owner HRH Sayyid Sami, they added one more stripe to the jersey to pay tribute to him. They have also had many different sponsor over the years. As of now, Uhlsport provides them with kits.
Logo
The club logo represents an Omani Castle looking like a cup on which the Sultanate map, a ball and a torch inside a green circle is drawn. This refers to the integration of old and modern games. It also highlights the country's adherence to traditional heritage while the ball refers to the importance of the game among the other sports and cultural related activities of the club. The torch, moreover, refers to peerless cultural activities of the members.
Honours and achievements
National titles
- Sultan Qaboos Cup (9):
- Winners 2014-15
- Oman Super Cup (2):
- Winners 2012, 2015
- Runners-up 2013, 2014
Club performance-International Competitions
AFC competitions
- Asian Club Championship : 3 appearances
- Asian Cup Winners' Cup : 2 appearances
- AFC Cup : 2 appearances
UAFA competitions
- GCC Champions League: 4 appearances
Players
First team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Personnel
Current technical staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Abdulraheem Al-Hajri |
| Assistant Coach | Badar Al-Maimani |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Sulaiman Al-Mazroui |
| Team Manager | Yousuf Hamdan Al-Harthi |
| Fitness Coach | Rafat Al-Said Al-Shabrawi |
| Club Doctor | Said Hamad Al-Balushi |
| Supervisor | Suwaid Al-Hidabi |
| Media Coordinator | Ali Saleem Al-Habsi |
Management
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Sheikh Saif Abdullah Al-Sumri |
| Vice-President | Ahmed Al-Busaidi |
| General Secretary | Yaqoob Al-Rashadi |
| Treasurer | Sulaiman Al-Habsi |
| Board Member | Ali Saleem Al-Habsi |
References
- ↑ "Fanja Club". national-football-teams.com.
- ↑ "A LONG WAIT AND A DESERVING TITLE". MUSCAT DAILY.
- ↑ "A MEETING WITH HEROES SERVED AS A CATALYST". MUSCAT DAILY.