Al Sadd SC

Al-Sadd SC

File:Al-Sadd SC.svg
Full name	Al Sadd Sports Club ( Arabic : نادي السد الرياضي )
Nickname(s)	Al Zaeem (The Boss) Al Dheeb (The Wolf)
Founded	21 October 1969 (1969-10-21)
Ground	Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium Doha, Qatar
Capacity	12,946
Chairman	Muhammed bin Khalifa Al Thani
Manager	Jesualdo Ferreira
League	Qatar Stars League
2015–16	Qatar Stars League, 3rd
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours

Al Sadd's active sections
Football	Basketball	Handball
Volleyball	Futsal	Athletics

Al-Sadd Sports Club (Arabic: نادي السد الرياضي) is a Qatari sports club based in the Al Sadd district of the city of Doha. It is best known for its association football team, which competes in the top level of Qatari football, the Qatar Stars League. Locally, it is known primarily by the nickname "Al Zaeem", which translates to "The Boss". The club has participation in handball, basketball, volleyball, table tennis and athletics. It is the most successful sports club in the country, and holds a national record of 50 official football championships.

The origin of Al Sadd's conception began with four Qatari students whom excelled in football, but did not wish to join any of the existing football clubs. After consulting with the minister of Youth and Sports, the group, led by Abdulla bin Ahmed bin Mubarak Al Ali and Ali bin Mohammad bin Ali bin Sultan Al Ali, founded the club on 21 October 1969 in Qatar's capital city.

In the 1989 season, they became the first Arab club side to triumph in the Asian Club Championship by defeating Al Rasheed of Iraq on an aggregate of away goals. Twenty-three years later, they were once again victorious in the top regional competition, now known as the Asian Champions League, earning a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup. They finished third, becoming the first West Asian side to claim third place in the competition.

History

1969–1980: Foundation and beginnings

Al Sadd was established by eleven high school students who excelled in playing football, with the oldest member being 17 years old. They refused to join other clubs at the time and decided to make their own club. Four of them consulted with Sheikh Qassem bin Hamad Al-Thani, who was the minister of Youth and Sports at the time. He obliged their request, resulting in the formation of Al Sadd Sports Club. Many of the early players and supporters were remnants of Al Ahrar SC, a club which was dissolved in the 1966/67 season. In their initial year of establishment, the father of one of the founders, Hamad bin Mubarak Al Attiyah, coached the club and the team trained on a football pitch in a local high school.

Badr Bilal played for the club from 1979 to 1991.

The club won the first ever league title in 1971–72. However, this was one year before the league was officially recognized. Thus, they won their first official QSL title in 1973–74. Sadd, along with Al Arabi and Al Rayyan, went on to dominate Qatari football in the 70s and the 80s by winning many Qatari League trophies and Emir Cups. Youssef Saad, a Sudanese forward who played for the club since its inception, was the first ever professional player to officially join the ranks of Al Sadd. In 1974, while Al Sadd was still in its infancy, they dubiously transferred 14 players, including Mubarak Anber and Hassan Mattar, and head coach Hassan Othman from Al Esteqlal (later to be known as Qatar SC), much to the dismay of club président Hamad bin Suhaim. Transfers could be made unconditionally during this time, meaning Esteqlal's protests were in vain. This was a major factor in them winning their first cup championship the next year in 1975. They defeated Al Ahli 4–3 in a tightly contested match under the leadership of Hassan Osman in order to claim the Emir Cup. Their goals came from Youssef Saad, who scored a brace, and Ali Bahzad and Abdulla Zaini. Till this day, it is the joint-largest score in an Emir Cup final match.

They won the first ever Sheikh Jassim Cup held in 1977–78, as well as winning it two more times in the next two years. In 1978–79, the club succeeded in achieving their first domestic double by winning both, the Sheikh Jassim Cup and the league, accomplishing the same feat the next season.

1980–2000: First international success

In the 1981–82, they won the Emir Cup and Sheikh Jassim Cup, once again under the reigns of Hassan Osman. During this period, Badr Bilal and Hassan Mattar, both of whom were top scorers in the league at one point, led the team to victories in both of the finals. Al Sadd also succeeded in setting an Emir Cup record by defeating Al Shamal 16–2, the largest recorded win in the history of the tournament. They nearly completed a domestic triple in 1987, but lost 2–0 to Al Ahli in the Emir Cup final that year.

They were the first team to play against English side Cheadle Town on their home grounds, Park Road Stadium, under the leadership of Jimmy Meadows in 1982. They were victorious by a 4–1 margin.

Al Sadd 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 in order to claim the title of the first Arab team to ever win the championship. The victorious team was largely made up locals, with the exception of Lebanese Wassef Soufi and Iranian Amir Ghalenoii, who did not participate in the final due to the Iran–Iraq War. In addition to winning the Asian Champions League, they won the Sheikh Jassim Cup and the league on that year. They were the first team to play in Iran after the Iran–Iraq War, losing 1–0 to Esteghlal in a ACC match in 1991. The 1990s were a lean phase for Al Sadd, regarding the 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.

2000–2010: New century, new possibilities

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.

Fossati helped the club achieve a domestic quadruple.

They recorded the largest-ever win in the Sheikh Jassim Cup in 2006, when they defeated Muaither 21–0.

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, and had also set a league record for the highest winning streak by winning 10 leagues games in a row. In addition, they made a record signing in Qatari football by paying $22 million for the Argentinian Mauro Zárate the same year. In 2010, they were the second team to ever win the QNB Cup by defeating Umm Salal in the final.

2010–2012: Second Fosatti era

Al Sadd was placed in the qualifying play-offs of the 2011 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 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 ineligible player, Rahman Ahmadi, who previously received two yellow cards in the tournament with his former club. The match was overturned 3–0 in favor of Al Sadd, virtually ensuring the club a place in the semi-finals.

They later faced Suwon Samsung Bluewings in a highly publicized semi-final. Suwon were favorites to win after knocking last year's runners-up, 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, settling the score 1–0. Ten minutes later, a Suwon player was inadvertently kicked in the head by an Al Sadd défender, prompting Suwon to kick the ball out of play. While the injured Suwon player was being tended to, Niang sprinted past the keeper to score a second goal, infuriating 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. 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 Korean defender Lee Jung-soo had walked off the pitch in frustration.

The melee prompted official investigation from the AFC, who suspended three players from both teams for six games. Al Sadd lost the second leg 1–0, though this allowed them to advance to the final with a 2–1 aggregate to face Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Al Sadd later received the nickname "Al-Badd" from the Korean media as a result of their semi-final confrontations.

Al Sadd celebrate after winning 2011 AFC Champions League.

They won the 2011 AFC Champions League Final against Jeonbuk, 4–2 on penalties. This earned them 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. Furthermore, Al Sadd was crowned "AFC Club of the Year" in 2011 by AFC after their Champions League conquest.

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 each other 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.

2012–present: Post-ACL champions

After the departure of Fossati, former Al-Sadd midfielder Hussein Amotta was named as the new coach in May 2012. The Moroccan had finished as the Qatar League top scorer during his four-year stay at the club from 1997–2001. He was working as the club's technical director prior to being promoted to the top job.

Just days before Amouta's appointment, Al-Sadd announced the high-profile signing of former Real Madrid captain Raúl, who arrived on a free transfer from Schalke 04.

Managed by Amouta and led by new captain Raúl, Al Sadd set a league record for the best start to the league season ever by winning all of their first nine games, shattering the previous record set by Al Gharafa, who had won seven. The team went on to break Lekhwiya's two-year dominance by winning the 2012–13 Qatar Stars League title, five years after their last triumph in the competition.

Al-Sadd faltered in the next two seasons, however, finishing third and second in 2013–14 and 2014–15 respectively, as Lekhwiya returned to win back-to-back titles once again.

Honours

As of 20 May 2015, the club holds 51 football championship titles.

Domestic competitions

• Qatari League

Winners (13): 1971–72, 1973–74, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1989–89, 1999–2000, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2012–13 (Record)

• Emir of Qatar Cup

Winners (15): 1975, 1977, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014, 2015 (Record)

• Qatar Crown Prince Cup

Winners (5): 1998, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008 (Record)

• Qatar Super Cup / Sheikh Jassim Cup

Winners (13): 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2007, 2014 (Record)

• Qatari Stars Cup

Winners (1): 2010 (Shared Record) (Defunct)

Asian competitions

• AFC Champions League

Winners (2): 1989, 2011

Regional competitions

• Arab Champions League

Winners (1): 2001

• GCC Champions League

Winners (1): 1991

International competitions

• Trofeo Santiago Bernabéu

Runner-up : 2013

• FIFA Club World Cup

Bronze Medalist (1): 2011

Note

Reserve League titles are not included.

Records

• Largest victory: Al Sadd 21–0 Muaither (2006/07)
• Longest winning run: 9 matches (2011/12) (Record)
• Largest Asian victory: Al Sadd 6–2 Lokomotiv (2014/15)
• Largest Asian defeat: Al Hilal 5–0 Al Sadd (2013/14)

Individual

Qatar Stars League Top scorers

The following players have won the top scorer award in the league:

• Hassan Mattar – 1979, 1981
• Badr Bilal – 1980
• Hassan Jowhar – 1988
• Hussein Amotta – 1998
• Carlos Tenorio – 2006

As of 7 December 2014. Only league matches counted.
Note: Early league statistics are primarily unknown.
Players who are still active with the club are in bold.

Most appearances

#	Nat.	Name	Career	Apps
1		Khalfan Ibrahim	2004–	261
2		Talal Al-Bloushi	2003–	252
3		Mubarak Anber	1975–1987	246
4		Hassan Al Haidos	2007–	240
5		Mohamed Saqr	2003–2012	231
6		Abdulla Koni	1996–2014	229
7		Mesaad Al-Hamad	2004–2014	187
8		Wesam Rizik	2004–2009 2010–2013	125
9		Dahi Al Naemi	1995–2005	124
10		Ali Afif	2004–2012	123

Most goals

#	Nat.	Name	Career	Goals
1		Carlos Tenorio	2003–2009	103
2		Khalfan Ibrahim	2004–	97
3		Yusef Ahmed	2005–2015	68
4		Hassan Al Haidos	2007–	66
5		Leandro	2009–2012	47
6		Abdul Kader Keïta	2002–2005 2010–2012	46
7		Emerson Sheik	2005–2007 2008–2009	38
8		Felipe Jorge	2005–2010	36
9		Majed Mohammed	2005–2012	32
10		Ali Afif	2004–2012	29

Stadium and facilities

Main article: Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium

Home matches are played in the state-of-the-art (football-specific) Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium (also known as Al Sadd Stadium), with a capacity which adds up to 18,000, including VIP stands. The stadium, originally built in 1974, was renovated in 2004 for the Gulf Cup. Situated near central Doha, the venue attracts large amounts of spectators. It is the de facto home stadium of the Qatar national football team.

Jassim Bin Hamad is a very distinct stadium in the Middle East because of its unique features, such as the cooling system which is implented.

Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium

Stadium	Period
Tariq bin Zayed Stadium	1969–1975
Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium	1975–présent

Colours and crest

Amongst Al Sadd's most popular 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 associated with a black background. Pink was adopted as the club's primary colour for their third uniform in 2007.

Their first crest was designed in Lebanon in 1969, and was similar to its successors, in the sense that it depicted a football with Arabic writing on it. This crest was an hommage to former football club Al Ahrar. Originally, the club wanted to use the same crest as Al Ahrar, but this idea was rejected by the QFA. A second crest was designed in the eighties, and was designed by the founder of the club, Nasser bin Mubarak Al-Ali. It was used until 1999, the year in which their third crest was designed, also by Nasser bin Mubarak Al-Ali, in celebration of the 30-year anniversary of the founding of the club. Following their impressive AFC Champions League campaign in 2011, the logo was modified and released in June 2012 to include two golden stars on either side to signify their two Asian championship titles.

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

Period	Kit manufacture	Shirt sponsor(s)
2011–present	/ BURRDA	Vodafone

International club twinnings

Country	Club	From	Ref
	Al Hilal	2010
	Zamalek	2012
	Al Hilal	2014
	Schalke 04	2015

Youth development

The club hosts numerous âge brackets with a number of youth coaches. Many notable local footballers have graduated from Al Sadd's academy, including Jafal Al Kuwari, Khalid Salman, Hassan Al Haidos and former Asian player of the year, Khalfan Ibrahim. There have been foreign graduates as well, such as UAE's Mutaz Abdulla. They have a youth development programme, which instills philosophies and enforces training ideals amongst the youth players. The programme had 284 participants enrolled as of 2011.

Seasons overview

Season-to-season

1973–82 Season Div. Pos. Emir of Qatar Cup Crown Prince Cup Sheikh Jassim Cup Asia 1973–74 QSL 1 Runners-up NC NC – – 1974–75 QSL NC Winners NC NC – – 1975–76 QSL – – NC NC – – 1976–77 QSL – Winners NC NC – – 1977–78 QSL – – NC Winners – – 1978–79 QSL 1 – NC Winners – – 1979–80 QSL 1 – NC Winners – – 1980–81 QSL 1 – NC – – – 1981–82 QSL – Winners NC Winners – –

1983–92 Season Div. Pos. Emir of Qatar Cup Crown Prince Cup Sheikh Jassim Cup Asia 1982–83 QSL – Runners up NC – – – 1983–84 QSL 5 – NC – – – 1984–85 QSL 5 Winners NC – – – 1985–86 QSL 5 Winners NC Winners – – 1986–87 QSL 1 Runners up NC Winners – – 1987–88 QSL 1 Winners NC – – – 1988–89 QSL 1 – NC Winners ACC Winners 1989–90 QSL – – NC – – – 1990–91 QSL – Winners NC Winners – – 1991–92 QSL 3 – NC – – –

1993–02 Season Div. Pos. Emir of Qatar Cup Crown Prince Cup Sheikh Jassim Cup Asia 1992–93 QSL – Runners-up NC – – – 1993–94 QSL 3 Winners NC NC – – 1994–95 QSL 5 – Did not qualify – – – 1995–96 QSL 4 – Semi-finals – – – 1996–97 QSL 5 – Semi-finals – – – 1997–98 QSL 3 – Winners Winners – – 1998–99 QSL 3 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Group stage – – 1999–00 QSL 1 Winners Semi-finals Winners – – 2000–01 QSL 6 Winners Did not qualify – – – 2001–02 QSL 4 Runners-up Semi-finals Winners – – 2002–03 QSL 2 Winners Winners Group stage ACL Group stage

2003–présent Season Div. Pos. Emir of Qatar Cup Crown Prince Cup Sheikh Jassim Cup Asia 2003–04 QSL 1 Semi-finals Runners-up Group stage ACL Group stage 2004–05 QSL 7 Winners Did not qualify Group stage ACL Quarter-finals 2005–06 QSL 1 Quarter-finals Winners Semi-finals ACL Group stage 2006–07 QSL 1 Winners Winners Winners ACL Group stage 2007–08 QSL 2 Semi-finals Winners Semi-finals ACL Group stage 2008–09 QSL 2 Semi-finals Semi-finals Semi-finals – – 2009–10 QSL 2 Semi-finals Semi-finals Semi-finals ACL Group stage 2010–11 QSL 6 Quarter-finals Did not qualify Semi-finals ACL Winners 2011–12 QSL 4 Runners-up Runners-up Group stage – – 2012–13 QSL 1 Runners-up Runners-up Runners-up – – 2013–14 QSL 3 Winners Semi-finals Group stage ACL Quarter-finals

• Note 1: The first official Qatari League season was held in 1972–73.
• Note 2: Competition was not held that year.

Performance in domestic competitions

As of 26 April 2013.

Domestic cup finals

No.	Season	Opposition	Result	Scorer(s)	Head coach
Emir Cup
1	1974	Qatar SC	1–2	Youssef Saad	Said Musa
2	1975	Al Ahli	4–3	Youssef Saad (2), Ali Behzad, Abdulla Zaini	Hassan Othman
3	1977	Al Rayyan	1–0	Ali Behzad	Hassan Othman
4	1982	Al Rayyan	2–1	Badr Bilal, Hassan Mattar	Hassan Othman
5	1983	Al Arabi	0–1	N/A	Jimmy Meadows
6	1985	Al Ahli	2–1	Hassan Jowhar, Khalid Salman	Hassan Othman
7	1986	Al Arabi	2–0	Khalifa Khamis, Hassan Jowhar	Procópio Cardoso
8	1987	Al Ahli	0–2	N/A	Procópio Cardoso
9	1988	Al Wakrah	0–0 (4–3 pen.)	Yousef Adsani, Ebrahim Ghasempour, Salah Salman, Mohammed Al Ammari	Ahmed Omar
10	1991	Al Rayyan	1–0	Ali Abdel Razak	Cleyton Silas
11	1993	Al Arabi	0–3	N/A	Sebastião Lapola
12	1994	Al Arabi	3–2	Isaac Debra (2), Khalid Al Merreikhi	Ahmed Omar
13	2000	Al Rayyan	2–0	Diène Faye, Ezzat Jadoua	Džemaludin Mušović
14	2001	Qatar SC	3–2	Ahmed Khalifa, Radhi Shenaishil, Ali Benarbia	René Meulensteen
15	2002	Al Gharafa	1–4	Jafal Rashed	Ilie Balaci
16	2003	Al Ahli	2–1	Mohammed Gholam (2)	Luka Peruzović
17	2005	Al Wakrah	0–0 (5–4 pen.)	N/A	Bora Milutinović
18	2007	Al Khor	0–0 (5–4 pen.)	N/A	Jorge Fossati
19	2012	Al Gharafa	0–0 (3–4 pen.)	N/A	Jorge Fossati
Crown Prince Cup
1	1998	Al Arabi	3–2	Sérgio (2), Hussein Amotta	Abdelkadir Bomir
2	2003	Al Gharafa	2–0	Zamel Al Kuwari, Mohammed Gholam	Luka Peruzović
3	2004	Qatar SC	1–2	Medhat Mostafa (o.g.)	Bora Milutinović
4	2006	Qatar SC	2–1	Carlos Tenorio, Emerson Sheik	Jorge Fossati
5	2007	Al Gharafa	2–1	Carlos Tenorio (2)	Jorge Fossati
6	2008	Al Gharafa	1–0	Carlos Tenorio	Hassan Hormutallah
7	2012	Al Rayyan	1–1 (4–5 pen.)	Khalfan Ibrahim	Jorge Fossati
8	2013	Lekhwiya	2–3	Younis Mahmoud, Lee Jung-Soo	Hussein Amotta

Players

As of Qatar Stars League:

No Position Player Nation 1 GK Saad Al Sheeb Qatar 22 GK Muhannad Naim Qatar 30 GK Mohammed Ezeddine Qatar 53 GK Stephen Tedja Qatar 2 DF Pedro Miguel Qatar 3 DF Abdelkarim Hassan Qatar 7 DF Musab Kheder Qatar 12 DF Hamid Ismail Qatar 13 DF Ibrahim Majid Qatar 19 DF Hossam Kamal Qatar 25 DF Abdulaziz Al-Khalosi Qatar 29 DF Ali Faidh Itshi Qatar 34 DF Hatem Kamal Qatar 37 DF Ahmed Suhail Qatar 66 DF Mohammed Kasola Qatar 88 DF Morteza Pouraliganji Iran 5 MF Jugurtha Hamroun Algeria 6 MF Xavi (Captain) Spain 8 MF Ali Asad Qatar 10 MF Hassan Al-Haidos Qatar 14 MF Khalfan Ibrahim Qatar 16 MF Ghassan Waheed Qatar 20 MF Salem Al-Hajri Qatar 23 MF Ayoub Mashhor Qatar 26 MF Aladeen Younes Libya 27 MF Jasser Yahya Qatar 4 FW Abdulaziz Al Ansari Qatar 9 FW Meshaal Al-Shammeri Qatar 11 FW Baghdad Bounedjah Algeria 18 FW Abdulaziz Al-Jalabi Qatar

Players with Multiple Nationalities

• Stephen Tedja
• Mohammed Kasola
• Ibrahim Majid
• Pedro Miguel
• Musab Kheder
• Abdelkarim Hassan
• Ali Asad

For recent squad changes see List of Qatari football transfers summer 2015.

Players registered as professionals

QSL clubs are limited to 4 foreign professionals (3 + 1 Asian) per squad.

Professional players Morteza Pouraliganji Xavi Jugurtha Hamroun Baghdad Bounedjah

Non-professional foreigners Aladeen Younes

Reserve team

Al Sadd's reserve team currently competes in the Qatargas League. Reserve team players are available for both the first team and the reserve team.

Personnel

As of July 2015

Senior team

Coaching staff Head coach Jesualdo Ferreira Assistant coach Hisham Zahid Assistant coach Suhail Saber Goalkeeping coach Nandi Scarpalo Fitness coach Abdul-Jabbar Mottaki Fitness coach João Marx Medical staff Team doctor Mohamed Soltani Physiotherapist Hussein Manae Physiotherapist Akram Abid Technical staff Team manager Abdulla Al-Berik Team supervisor Jaffal Al-Kuwari Reserve team manager Mohammed Al Zeyara Sports officer Mohammed Gholam Director of football Mohammed Ghanim Deputy director Salem Al Ali Media officer Ali Al Ammari Audience & marketing Ahmad Al Ansari First team officer Mohammed Saeed

Youth teams

As of 18 July 2012.

Coaching staff U–19 assistant coach Mubarak Ghanim Al Ali U–17 head coach Abdul Aziz Abdo U–15 head coach Mudhakar Mouloud U–14 head coach Nabil Belkhodja U–13 head coach Marcos dos Santos U–13 assistant coach Abdullah Al-Shamlan U–11 head coach Alaeddin Al Mendoh U–10 head coach Abdulaziz Zakaria U–9 head coach Mohammed Fathi Goalkeeping coach Mehdi Cerbah Goalkeeping coach Mauro Sergio Goalkeeping coach Mohammed Abdulwahab Medical staff Physiotherapist Rauf Mustafa Physiotherapist Salem Mohammed

Technical staff Technical supervisor Hassan Othman Technical director Barnabás Tornyi Head of youth teams Hassan Mattar Deputy head Khalid Saad U–19 director Abdulrazak Al Mansouri U–19 director Abdullah Al-Yami U–17 director Mohammed Dalloul U–15 director Salim Saud U–14 manager Mahmoud Diab U–13 manager Mohammed Mustafa U–13 coordinator Khalid Al Kanish U–11 manager Eid Johar Said U–10 manager Badr Al Yazidi U–9 manager Kaid Daifallah U–9 manager Shukri Hussein

Noted players

See also: Category:Al Sadd SC players

As of 8 February 2014.

This list includes players whom have made significant contributions to their national team and to the club. At least 100 caps for either the national team or club is needed to be considered for inclusion.

Players with significant contributions to club or country

Player	Nationality	Int. caps / goals	Club caps / goals
Mubarak Anber	Qatar	100+ (?)	246 (?)
Abdulla Koni	Qatar	38 (3)	222 (13)
Mohamed Saqr	Qatar	79 (0)	185 (0)
Mesaad Al-Hamad	Qatar	44 (0)	149 (4)
Wesam Rizik	Qatar	101 (9)	145(16)
Talal Al-Bloushi	Qatar	64 (40)	142 (3)
Khalfan Ibrahim	Qatar	54 (17)	130 (45)
Dahi Al Naemi	Qatar	32 (3)	124 (2)
Ali Afif	Qatar	20 (12)	123 (33)
Felipe Jorge	Brazil	7 (0)	107 (45)
Raúl	Spain	102 (44)	34 (10)
Ali Daei	Iran	149 (109)	16 (10)

Former captains

Player	Nationality	Trophies
Obeid Jumaa	Qatar	Emir Cup: 1975
Mubarak Anber	Qatar	Emir Cup: 1977, 1982, 1985, 1986
Yousef Al Adsani	Qatar	Emir Cup: 1988, 1991 Asian Club Championship:1989
Khalid Salman	Qatar	Emir Cup: 1994
Abdulnasser Al-Obaidly	Qatar	Crown Prince Cup: 1998 Emir Cup: 2000, 2001
Jafal Al Kuwari	Qatar	Emir Cup: 2003, 2005, 2007
Felipe Jorge	Brazil	Crown Prince Cup: 2008
Abdulla Koni	Qatar	AFC Champions League: 2011
Raúl	Spain	Emir Cup: 2014
Talal Al-Bloushi	Qatar	Super Cup: 2014 Emir Cup: 2015

Managerial history

As of November 2015

Jesualdo Ferreira, current coach of Al Sadd.

Years	Months	Manager
1969	Unknown	Hamad Al Attiyah1
1969	Unknown	Said Musa1
1969–73	Unknown	Unknown
1973–74	Unknown	Said Musa1
1974	Unknown	Abdulla Balash
1974–77	Unknown	Hassan Othman
1977–79	Unknown	Unknown
1979–82	Unknown	José Faria
1982	Unknown	Hassan Othman
1982–83	Unknown	Jimmy Meadows
1983–84	Unknown	Pepe
1984–85	Unknown	Hassan Othman
1985–87	Unknown	Procópio Cardoso
1987–88	Unknown	Ahmed Omar
1988–89	Unknown	José Carbone
1989	Unknown	Obeid Jumaa
1989	Unknown	José Carbone
1989–90	Unknown	Cabralzinho
1990–91	Unknown	Silas
1991–92	Unknown	Obeid Jumaa
1993	Unknown	Sebastião Lapola
1993–94	Unknown	Ahmed Omar
1994	Unknown	Flamarion Nunes
1994–95	Unknown	Džemaludin Mušović
1995	Unknown	Khalifa Khamis
1995–96	Unknown	Sebastião Rocha

Years	Months	Manager
1996–97	Unknown	Ahmed Omar
1997	Unknown	Abdelkadir Bomir
1997	Unknown	Evaristo de Macedo
1997	Unknown	Zé Mário
1997–98	Unknown	Rabah Madjer
1998–99	Unknown	Abdelkadir Bomir
1999	Unknown	Luiz Gonzaga2
1999	Unknown	Evaristo de Macedo
1999	Unknown	Adnan Dirjal
1999–00	Unknown	Procópio Cardoso
2000	Unknown	Džemaludin Mušović
2000–01	July – Oct	René Meulensteen
2001–02	Oct – Oct	Ilie Balaci
2002–04	Oct – May	Luka Peruzović
2004–05	May – Oct	Bora Milutinović
2005–06	Oct – May	Mohammed Al Ammari
2006–07	May – Aug	Jorge Fossati
2007–08	Aug – Jan	Co Adriaanse
2008	Feb – June	Hassan Hormutallah
2008	June – Nov	Émerson Leão
2008–09	Nov – June	Džemaludin Mušović
2009–10	June – Dec	Cosmin Olăroiu
2010–12	Dec – May	Jorge Fossati
2012–15	June – Nov	Hussein Amotta
2015–	Nov –	Jesualdo Ferreira

Notes

• Note 1 denotes player–manager role.
• Note 2 denotes caretaker role.

Club officials

Management

Office	Name
Président	Muhammed bin Khalifa Al Thani
Vice-président	Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani
General secretary	Jassim Al Romaihi
Assistant secretary	Eid Al Merraikhi
Treasurer	Fahad Al Kaabi
Board member	Mehlish Al Khayarien
Board member	Talal Mansour
Board member	Mohammed Al Ali
Board member	Khalil Al Jaber

Presidential history

	Président
1	HE Sheikh Ahmad bin Jassim bin Fahad Al-Thani
2	HE Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiya
3	HE Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Jaber Al-Thani
4	HE Mohammed bin Mubarak Al-Ali
5	HE Nasser bin Mubarak Al-Ali
6	HE Muhammed bin Khalifa Al Thani

As of February 2012
Source: Board of directors

As of June 2014
Source: FIFA

Rivalries

Al Rayyan

À rivalry which stems from early in the history of the league, it is popularly known as the 'Qatari El Clasico'.

Head-to-head

As of 6 January 2014

Head-to-head
Competition	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
Qatar Stars League	46	18	12	16	67	63	+4
Sheikh Jassem Cup	6	2	2	2	7	6	+1
Emir Cup	10	5	0	5	14	13	+1
Crown Prince Cup	11	3	5	3	12	10	+2
Reserve League	5	2	1	2	9	7	+2
Qatar Stars cup	2	0	1	1	2	3	−1
Arab Champions League	1	1	0	0	5	1	+4
Total	81	32	19	30	116	103	+13

Al Arabi

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. The derby is an important component of the country's culture.

Al Arabi always regarded themselves as the club of Qatar's working class, in contrast with the more upper-class support base of Al Sadd. The social class divide between the two fan bases eventually diminished.

Memorable matches

Bold indicates a win.

Season	Result	Competition	Notes
1981–82	0–1	Emir Cup
1985–86	3–2	Emir Cup
1995–96	0–0	Qatar Stars League	Al Arabi crowned champions.
2001–02	6–2	Qatar Stars League
2003–04	7–0	Qatar Stars League
2005–06	2–1	Qatar Stars League	Al Sadd crowned champions.
2009–10	3–3	Qatar Stars League	Al Sadd come back from 3–0 down to deny Al Arabi an ACL spot.

Head-to-head

From 1996–2015.

Head-to-head
Competition	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
Qatar Stars League	47	22	12	13	81	52	+29
Sheikh Jassem Cup	6	5	0	1	13	8	+5
Emir Cup	11	6	2	3	18	11	+7
Crown Prince Cup	1	1	0	1	3	3	0
Reserve League	4	2	2	0	10	4	+6
Qatar Stars Cup	4	1	2	1	12	8	+4
Total	73	36	18	19	134	85	+49

Supporters

File:Al-Sadd fan club.jpg

Al Sadd Fan Club's logo

Historically, Al Sadd has been the favoured club of Qatar's upper-class. 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.

The new millennium 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, annual general meetings are held between the management and fans in order to have an open platform to discuss issues in an open environment. 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 fan club has won the QFA-sanctioned title of best fan club in Qatar for three successive years – 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Furthermore, the fan club was also the first in Qatar to put the free SMS service for mobiles in place. This attracted more than 8000 subscribers who received a number of over 3 million SMS' during the first one and a half years.

Also active on social networking sites, the club has official Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Asian record

See also: Qatari clubs in the AFC Champions League

As of 28 May 2014.

Competition	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
AFC Champions League	51	22	11	18	75	61
Asian Club Championship	9	6	2	1	16	8
Total	60	28	13	19	91	69

• Q = Qualification
• GS = Group stage
• R16 = Round of 16
• QF = Quarter-final
• SF = Semi-final

Asian Club Championship

Competition	Round	Country	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
1988–89
Asian Club Championship	GS		Al-Futowa	4–1
	GS		Al-Ansar	1–0
	GS		Al-Rasheed	0–0
	SF		Pahang FA	2–0
	SF		Mohammedan SC	2–2
	SF		25 April	2–1
	SF		Al-Ittifaq	2–1
	Final		Al-Rasheed	1–0	2–3	3–3 (A)

AFC Champions League

Competition	Round	Country	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
2002–03
AFC Champions League	GS		Esteghlal	1–2		1–2
	GS		Al Ain		2–0	2–0
	GS		Al-Hilal		1–3	1–3
2003–04
AFC Champions League	GS		Al Wahda	0–0	0–0	0–0
	GS		Al Quwa Al Jawiya	1–0	0–1	1–1
	GS		Al Qadisiya		0–0	0–0
2004–05
AFC Champions League	GS		Al Ahli	2–0	1–2	3–2
	GS		Al Kuwait	1–0	1–0	2–0
	GS		Neftchi	3–2	0–2	3–4
	QF		Busan I'Park	1–2	0–3	1–5
2005–06
AFC Champions League	GS		Al Shabab	2–3	0–0	2–3
	GS		Al Arabi	4–1	2–1	6–2
	GS		Al Quwa Al Jawiya	3–0	2–0	5–0
2006–07
AFC Champions League	GS		Al-Karamah	1–1	1–2	2–3
	GS		Najaf FC	1–4	0–1	1–5
	GS		Neftchi Farg'ona	2–0	1–2	3–2
2007–08
AFC Champions League	GS		Al-Ahli Jeddah	2–1	2–2	4–3
	GS		Al-Wahda	0–0	2–2	2–2
	GS		Al-Karamah	0–2	0–1	0–3
2009–10
AFC Champions League	GS		Al-Hilal	0–3	0–0	0–3
	GS		Al-Ahli	2–2	5–0	7–2
	GS		Mes Kerman	4–1	1–3	5–4
2010–11
AFC Champions League	Q1		Al-Ittihad	5–1
	Q1		Dempo	2–0
	GS		Esteghlal	2–2	1–1	3–3
	GS		Pakhtakor	2–1	1–1	3–2
	GS		Al-Nassr	1–0	1–1	2–1
	R16		Al-Shabab	1–0
	QF		Sepahan	1–2	3–0	4–2
	SF		Suwon Samsung	0–1	2–0	2–1
	Final		Jeonbuk Hyundai	4–2 pen

^1 Following the match between Al-Qadisiya and Al Sadd, Kuwaiti security personnel assaulted the visiting players; Al-Qadisiya were ejected from the competition and banned from AFC competitions for three years. Their record was expunged.

^2 The AFC Disciplinary Committee decided to award the quarter-final first leg to Al Sadd against Sepahan as a 3–0 forfeit win after Sepahan were found guilty of fielding an ineligible player. The match originally ended 1–0 to Sepahan.

Participations

• Q : Qualified, GS : Group Stage, R16 : Round of 16, QF : Quarterfinals, SF : Semifinals, RU : Runners-Up, W : Winners

Participations
Qualified	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
9 Times	GS	GS	QF	GS	GS	GS		GS	W			QF

• Asian Club Championship: 4 appearances

1989: Champion

1990: Qualifying Stage

1991: Qualifying Stage

2000: Second Round

• Asian Cup Winners' Cup: 4 appearances

1991/92: First Round

1994/95: Quarter-Final

2000/01: Second Round

2001/02: 3rd place

AFC Club rankings

This is the current AFC coefficient. Rankings are calculated by the IFFHS.

As of 1 January 2012''

Al Sadd competing against F.C. Barcelona in the CWC.

Rank	Country	Team	Points
1		Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	159.0
2		Suwon Samsung Bluewings	157.5
3		Al Sadd	128.5
4		Nasaf Qarshi	124.0
5		FC Seoul	120.5
6		Sepahan	120.5
7		Al Hilal	120.0
8		Nagoya Grampus	114.5
9		Al-Wehdat	111.5

International record

Competition	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
FIFA Club World Cup	3	2	0	1	2	5
Total	3	2	0	1	2	5

FIFA Club World Cup

2011

Espérance v Al Sadd

11 December 2011	Espérance	1–2	Al Sadd	Toyota Stadium, Toyota
Quarter-final	Darragi 60'	Report	Khalfan 33' Koni 49'	Attendance: 21,251 Referee: Enrique Osses (Chile)

Al Sadd v Barcelona

15 December 2011	Al Sadd	0–4	Barcelona	International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama
Semi-final		Report	Adriano 25', 43' Keita 64' Maxwell 81'	Attendance: 66,298 Referee: Joel Aguilar (El Salvador)

Kashiwa Reysol v Al Sadd

18 December 2011	Kashiwa Reysol	0–0 (3–5 p)	Al Sadd	International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama
Match for third place		Report		Attendance: 60,527 Referee: Noumandiez Doue (Côte d'Ivoire)
	Penalties
	Jorge Wagner Sawa Hayashi Otani		Niang Keïta Majid Al Haidos Belhadj

Other sports

Basketball

Main article: Al Sadd Basketball Team

Handball

Main article: Al Sadd Handball Team

Futsal

Main article: Al Sadd Futsal Team

External links

• Official website