Al-Ettifaq FC
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| Full name | Al-Ettifaq Football Club | |
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| Nickname(s) | Faris Ad-Dahna (The Knight of Ad-Dahna) The Commandos | |
| Founded | 1945 | |
| Ground | Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium Dammam, Saudi Arabia | |
| Capacity | 26,000 | |
| Owner | Ministry of Sports | |
| Chairman | Samer Al-Misehal | |
| Manager | Steven Gerrard | |
| League | Pro League | |
| 2022–23 | Pro League, 7th of 16 | |
| Website | https://ettifaq.com/ | |
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Al Ettifaq Football Club (Arabic: نادي الاتفاق لكرة القدم, romanized: nādī al-ittifāq likura al-qadami) is a professional football club in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. It was established by the merger of three Damman clubs in 1944. Al Ettifaq were the first Saudi team to win an international title – the 1984 Arab Club Champions Cup. They were also the first to win the Saudi Premier League without any defeats, and the first Saudi team to win the GCC Champions League. Al Ettifaq have a total of 13 different titles to their name. The club also has its own futsal section.
History
Before the establishment of Al-Ettifaq as a professional sports clubs, there were three clubs in the city Dammam that were founded in 1941. Al-Taawoun (different from Al-Taawoun from Buraydah city), Al-Sha'ab and Al-Shabab. These clubs began practising their sporting activities and gathering the people across the region. From the 1945, the presidents met in Faris Al-Hamid's house and decided to merge three clubs in Dammam into one single unified club. Al-Hamid suggested that new club would be named be "Al-Ettifaq" (الاتفاق al-ittifāq), which meant "the agreement" in Arabic. They also agreed that the new clubs' colors would be green and white, which eventually changed into green and red afterwards.[1]
Early years and first trophies
Al-Ettifaq saw some success in the 1960's. one of the most profilic Ettifaqi player Khalil Al-Zayani played for the Al-Ettifaq first team as a wingback/centerback after graduating from youth team Academy in 1962, he play in senior team occasionally at just 15 years old. The young boy tasted his first final match in 1963 Crown Prince Cup, Al-Ittihad overwhelm Al-Ettifaq in their homeground (Jeddah) by 6-2 and getting their double along with the King Cup.
The young boy talent are tested in 1964-1965 Saudi footbal season, when barely 17 years old defender are selected by the manager as the captain squad. At the time nationwide league are not yet established and Club have high expectation for the squad to lift occasional regional league, King Cup and Crown Prince Cup at the same or as we know as "treble".
The 18 years old Defender managed to clinch Crown Prince Cup, when Ettifaq from Dammam beat Al-Ittihad 3-0 in their own city against all odds lifting their first trophies ever. However Ettifaq fail to win the King Cup on that season in which Al-Ahli from the same city as Ittihad went victorious, having little success in the season to achieve their treble goal. Meanwhile for the young Zayani, around this time he is scouted to be part of Saudi National Team.
On 1967-1968 Ettifaq managed to taste their first ever King Cup victory. On the later seasons Al-Zayani keep playing until 1971 in which he is retiring from National Team and in he retired completely from football in 1973 at the age of just 26 years old. In his career he managed to reach 5 finals and win 2 trophies. Khalil Al-Zayani played his entire career as a player for Al-Ettifaq.
3 years later at the age of 29 years old, the very young coach took over as manager. At this time nationwide league are established with 8 clubs registered. Al-Ettifaq joined later in the second edition of the league with promotion and relegation system fully implemented. Zayani wanted to continue his predecessor goal and policy to secure the treble for club. The former defender began to rebuild his squad and implemented new tactics.
Golden era
The squad was mainly rebuilt with promising academy players promoted from the youth teams. The 1982–83 Saudi Premier League began on the 16th of December 1982, and by April 1983 Al-Ettifaq had nine wins and eight draws with a match left to conclude the season. Going into the final matchday, Al-Hilal were leading the table with 1 point ahead of Al-Ettifaq. The two teams would face their city rivals in the final matchday on separate days. On 7 April 1983, Al-Ettifaq defeated Al-Nahda 2–0. This meant that Al-Hilal needed just a draw against Al-Nassr to secure the title, as they were ahead of Al-Ettifaq on goal difference as well. On 8 April 1983, Al-Nassr defeated Al-Hilal 2–1 to hand Al-Ettifaq their first league title. Al-Ettifaq ended the season without a single defeat and became the first Saudi team to ever do so. Al-Ettifaq also became the first team from Dammam to win the title. Khalil Al-Zayani also became the first Saudi Arabian manager to win the league title. The 1983 Gulf Club competition was also won in the same season making Al-Ettifaq the first Saudi team to win a non-domestic title.
Al-Zayani left the team to coach the Saudi national team in the 1984 asian cup and Olympics, Chico Formiga was brought in as a replacement. The Brazilian had picked up were Al-Zayani had left of by winning the 1984 Arab Club Champions Cup as well as the 1985 King Cup. Al-Zayani came back to coach Al-Ettifaq in 1987 for the second time, winning the 1986–87 Saudi Premier League once again in his first season back, and the 1988 Arab Club Champions Cup together with the 1988 Gulf Club Champions Cup in his second season.
Honours
- Saudi Professional League (level 1): 2
- First Division (level 2): 2
- Champions: 2015–16
- Runners-up: 1976–77
- King Cup: 2
- Crown Prince Cup: 1
- Champions: 1965
- Runner-up: 1963, 2000–01, 2007–08, 2011–12
- Saudi Federation Cup: 3
- Champions: 1990–91, 2002–03, 2003–04
- Runner-up: 1986–87, 1994–95, 1995–96, 2004–05
- General League Shield
- Runner-up: 1968–69
- Arab Club Champions Cup: 2
- GCC Champions League: 3
Current 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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Unregistered players
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Management staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager |  Steven Gerrard
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| Assistant Manager | Ian Foster
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| Technical Coach | Tom Culshaw
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| Goalkeeping Coach |  Artur Guedes
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| Analyst | Ray Shearwood
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| Fitness Coach | Jordan Milsom
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| Doctor |  Basil Ribeiro
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| Physiotherapist |  Vacant
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| Technical Director |  Eelco Schattorie
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Managerial history
Note: The table is currently being updated.
| 1944–69 | ||
| 19??–69 |  Mohammed Hassan Kheiri
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| 1969–76 | ||
| 1976–78 |  Khalil Al-Zayani
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| 1979–80 | ||
| 1980–84 | Khalil Al-Zayani
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Won the 1982–83 Saudi Premier League and the 1983 Gulf Club Champions Cup |
| 1984–86 | Chico Formiga
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Won the 1984 Arab Club Champions Cup and the 1985 King Cup |
| 1986–90 | Khalil Al-Zayani
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Won 3 titles |
| 1990–91 | Procópio Cardoso
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| 1991–93 | ||
| July 1, 1993 – June 30, 1995 |  Wojciech Łazarek
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| 1994–96 | Khalil Al-Zayani
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| 1996–97 | ||
| 1997 | João Francisco
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| 1997–99 | ||
| 1999–00 | Khalil Al-Zayani
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| 2003–04 | Jan Versleijen
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| Jan 1, 2004 – May 30, 2004 |  Jorge Habegger
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| 2005–06 | Ednaldo Patricio
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| 2006–07 |  Ammar Al-Suwayeh
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2006 Gulf Club Champions Cup (winner) |
| July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2008 | Toni
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2007 Gulf Club Champions Cup (runner-up) |
| Jan 8, 2009 – June 8, 2009 |  Ioan Andone
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Achieved club's best performance in the AFC Champions League (round of 16) |
| Oct 23, 2009 – March 23, 2011 | Ion Marin
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| March 23, 2011 – June 30, 2011 | Youssef Zouaoui
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| July 22, 2011 – April 30, 2012 |  Branko Ivanković
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| 2012 | Ammar Al-Suwayeh
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| July 1, 2012 – Sept 25, 2012 |  Alain Geiger
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| Sept 26, 2012 – June 13, 2013 | Maciej Skorża
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| July 1, 2013 – Oct 1, 2013 |  Theo Bücker
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| Sept 30, 2013 – Oct 26, 2013 | Eusebiu Tudor
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| Oct 26, 2013 – Feb 13, 2014 |  Goran Tufegdžić
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| Feb 13, 2014–July, 2014 | Ioan Andone
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| July 2014 – Feb 17, 2015 |  Beñat San José
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| (2015) | Gheorghe Mulțescu
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| (2015–16) | Reinhard Stumpf
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| (2016) | Djamel Belkacem
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2015–16 Saudi First Division |
| (2016) | Eelco Schattorie
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| (2016–2017) | Juan Carlos Garrido
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| (2017) | Miodrag Ješić
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| (2017–2018) | Saad Al-Shehri
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| (2018) |  Leonardo Ramos
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| (2018–2019) | Sergio Piernas
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| (2019) | Hélder
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| (2019–2021) | Khaled Al-Atwi
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| (2021–2022) | Vladan Milojevic
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| (2022–2023) |  Patrice Carteron
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| (2023) | Antonio Cazorla
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| (2023– ) | Steven Gerrard
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Performance in AFC competitions
- Asian Club Championship: 1 appearance
- Asian Club Championship 1989:
- Qualifying Round: Al Ettifaq qualified to the Asian Club Championship after winning the GCC Champions League, ending top of the group that consisted of Kazma (Kuwait), Al Sharjah (UAE), Fanja (Oman), and West Riffa (Bahrain).
- Semi-final (group stage): Al Ettifaq finished second in their group after losing their penultimate game against the eventual champions, Qatari side Al-Sadd (2–1) in a highly controversial game. Apart from the two clubs, the group contained April 25 SC (North Korea), Mohammedan SC (Bangladesh), and Pahang (Malaysia).[4]
- Asian Club Championship 1989:
- AFC Champions League: 2 appearances
- AFC Champions League 2009:
- Group Stage – Round of 32: Al Ettifaq was arguably one of the best performers in the group stage after finishing top of the group with 12 points. They won 4 games, lost 2, and scored 15 goals in 6 games, recording the third best attacking stats in the continent in that round. Al Ettifaq were placed in Group D along FC Bunyodkor (led by Brazilian ace Rivaldo), Sepahan Isfahan, and Al Shabab (UAE).
- Round of 16: Al Ettifaq were knocked from the Round of 16 against Pakhtakor (UZB). After leading 1–0 at halftime, they conceded two late goals that ended their hopes in qualifying to the quarter-final.[5]
- AFC Champions League 2012:
- The draw was held on 6 December 2011 in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.[6]
- Al Ettifaq were placed in the second round of the qualifying stages, playing against the winner of the two Iranian sides: Esteghlal Tehran FC and Zob Ahan Isfahan FC.
- Al-Ettifaq lost the one-off game played on 18 February 2012 in Iran against Esteghlal Tehran FC and eventually went directly to the group stages of the 2012 AFC Cup.
- AFC Champions League 2009:
- AFC Cup: 1 appearance
- AFC Cup 2012:
- After failing to qualify to the group stage of the 2012 AFC Champions League, Al-Ettifaq qualified automatically to the 2012 AFC Cup, and were drawn in Group C with Kuwait SC of Kuwait, Al Ahed of Lebanon, and VB Sports Club of the Maldives.
- Al Ettifaq started the competition as favorites and a strong candidate to win the competition, winning 5–1 in their first group game against Kuwait SC in Kuwait. The second game was frustrating to the Saudis as they drew in their own stadium 0–0 with Al Ahed. They defeated the underdogs of the group VB Sports Club by 6–3 in the Maldives and 2–0 in the reverse fixture. Al Ettifaq sealed their promotion with a 2–2 draw against Kuwait SC before finishing the group with a 3–1 victory in Lebanon against Al Ahed.
- Al Ettifaq finished off their season with a hard-fought 1–0 victory against Omani side Al-Suwaiq SC in the Round of 16 to progress to the quarter-finals of the tournament.
- AFC Cup 2012:
International competitions
Overview
- As of 1 May 2013
| Competition | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asian Club Championship / AFC Champions League | 18 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 32 | 23 |
| AFC Cup | 11 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 13 |
| Arab Club Champions Cup | 23 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 41 | 25 |
| GCC Champions League | 33 | 17 | 9 | 7 | 45 | 30 |
| TOTAL | 85 | 43 | 21 | 21 | 142 | 91 |
Record by country
| Country | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Algeria
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1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 0.00 |
 Bahrain
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7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 3 | +7 | 57.14 |
 Bangladesh
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1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 100.00 |
 Egypt
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2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | +0 | 50.00 |
 Indonesia
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2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 100.00 |
 Iran
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3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | −4 | 33.33 |
 Iraq
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1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +0 | 0.00 |
 Jordan
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1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | +0 | 0.00 |
 Kuwait
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14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 24 | 19 | +5 | 42.86 |
 Lebanon
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4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 50.00 |
 Malaysia
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1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 100.00 |
 Maldives
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2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 100.00 |
 Morocco
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4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 75.00 |
 North Korea
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1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +0 | 0.00 |
 Oman
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8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 6 | +9 | 87.50 |
 Qatar
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10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 11 | −1 | 30.00 |
 Palestine
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1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 100.00 |
| Saudi Arabia
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2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 50.00 |
| Tunisia
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2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +0 | 0.00 |
 United Arab Emirates
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11 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 19 | 13 | +6 | 45.45 |
 Uzbekistan
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5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 40.00 |
 Yemen
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2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 50.00 |
Matches
See also
References
- ^ "تاريخ النادي". Archived from the original on 2019-07-12. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
- ^ "النادي | رابطة الدوري السعودي للمحترفين". spl.com.sa. Archived from the original on 2021-01-19. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
- ^ "الفريق الأول". Archived from the original on 2019-07-12. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
- ^ Asian Club Championship 1989 – Schedule & Results Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
- ^ AFC Champions League 2009 – Schedule & Results, Retrieved 21 November 2011.
- ^ AFC Champions League 2012 – Draw, Retrieved 9 December 2011.
External links
