Al-Najaf

Full name	Al-Najaf Sports Club
Nickname(s)	Ghizlan Al-Badiah (Desert Gazelles)
Founded	1961; 63 years ago (1961)
Ground	Al-Najaf International Stadium
Capacity	30,000
Chairman	Radwan Al Kindi
Manager	Ahmed Khalaf
League	Iraq Stars League
2022–23	Iraqi Premier League, 7th of 20
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Al-Najaf Sports Club ( Arabic: نادي النجف الرياضي) is an Iraqi professional football club based in Najaf. They are members of the Iraq Stars League. Al-Najaf has competed in the 2007 AFC Champions League.

History

In 1960, the city of Najaf began an active movement to establish a sports club after the athletes then felt the need of the city to a sports club that absorbed the energies of young people and their creations which are almost lost in the amateur leagues. Some of the dignitaries of the city were contacted for this purpose. ^[1] The request was submitted to the Ministry of the Interior, which was responsible for the authorisation of sports clubs in Iraq at that time. The name of Al Ghiri Sports Club was proposed for this institution. In 1961, the Ministry of the Interior approved their request to establish the club and thus wrote the birth certificate of the first sports club in the city of Najaf and consisted of the first administrative body of Messrs. Naji Hassan Hasswa as president and Maki Hadi Maala Vice-President and Alwan Elsafer as secretary. ^[2] At the beginning of the establishment of the club, the Ministry of the Interior allocated an annual grant of 60 dinars divided into two instalments, and the club relied on this grant and monthly subscriptions from its members.

Stadiums

New Najaf Stadium is a purpose built football stadium that is the current home stadium of Al-Najaf. It opened in 2018, with a capacity of 30,000 people. Until 2018, the club played its home matches at An-Najaf Stadium ( Arabic: ستاد النجف).

Current squad

First-team squad

As of 30 May 2024

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK   IRQ Ridha Abdulaziz 3 DF   IRQ Hamza Adnan 4 DF   IRQ Muntadher Sattar 5 DF   TOG Magnime Agbotcho 6 MF   MLI Makan Samabaly 8 MF   IRQ Taher Hameed 10 MF   IRQ Mohammed Saleh 11 MF   IRQ Shubbar Ali 14 DF   IRQ Mohammed Jassim 17 FW   IRQ Mueen Ahmed 19 MF   IRQ Younis Humood 20 MF   IRQ Amir Hassan 21 GK   IRQ Sarhang Muhsin 27 MF   IRQ Omar Abdul-Rahman 30 FW   TUN Hazim Mestouri 55 DF   IRQ Ahmed Noor 60 MF   SEN Dominique Mendy 66 DF   IRQ Mohammed Al-Baqir Abdulrahman

No. Pos. Nation Player 70 DF   IRQ Alaa Mhawi 71 FW   IRQ Hussein Ibrahim 77 MF   IRQ Mohammed Zamel 80 FW   TUN Bechir Ghariani 88 MF   IRQ Mohammed Qasim 90 MF   IRQ Mohammed Dawood (on loan from Al-Shorta) — DF   IRQ Hussein Falah — MF   IRQ Hussein Younis 22 DF   IRQ Murtadha Razzaq — DF   IRQ Ali Kadhim Mohammed — DF   IRQ Adnan Mohammed 31 DF   IRQ Naji Natiq — MF   IRQ Ahmed Mohsen Jaber 29 MF   IRQ Ahmed Ali 13 MF   IRQ Ali Ayad 25 MF   IRQ Ali Riyadh 26 MF   IRQ Ahmed Adnan 34 MF   IRQ Hassan Abdulrazzaq 18 FW   IRQ Ali Qasim — FW   IRQ Ahmed Saeed

Current technical staff

Position	Name	Nationality
Coach:	Haidar Aboodi
Assistant coach:	Dhiyya Falih
Goalkeeping coach:	Mohammed Abdul-Zahra
Fitness coach:	Salah Hashim
Team supervisor:	Fadhel Mohammed
Team manager:	Mohammed Abdul Hussein
Team Doctor:	Haitham Abdul Amir
U-19 Coach:	Haider Lafta

Updated to match played 25 September 2020
Source:  Alsabaah.iq

Managerial history

Since the club's promotion to the Iraqi Premier League in the 1987–88 season so far, twenty-six coaches have led the team: ^{[3] [4]}

Honours

Domestic

• Iraq Stars League
  • Runners-up (3): 1995–96, 2005–06, 2008–09
• Umm al-Ma'arik Championship
  • Winners (1): 1997–98

Friendly

• Victory and Peace Championship
  • Winners (1): 1992
• Love Championship
  • Winners (1): 2003

Performance in AFC Competitions

• AFC Champions League: 1 appearance

2007: Group stage

Statistics

In domestic competitions

Year	Stars League	Iraq Cup	Super Cup	Umm al-Ma'arik
1987–88	16	-	not held	Started in 1991
1988–89	6	Round of 32	not held
1989–90	8	Quarter-final	not held
1990–91	7	Quarter-final	not held
1991–92	6	Round of 16	not held	Group stage
1992–93	15	Second round	not held	Group stage
1993–94	4	-	not held	did not qualify
1994–95	3	-	not held	4
1995–96	Runner-up	-	not held	Group stage
1996–97	4	Quarter-final	did not qualify	3
1997–98	4	Round of 16	did not qualify	Winner
1998–99	8	Round of 32	not held	Group stage
1999–2000	9	Round of 16	did not qualify	Group stage
2000–01	6	not held	did not qualify	did not qualify
2001–02	5	Semi-final	did not qualify	Group stage
2002–03	not finished	Quarter-final	did not qualify	Group stage
2003–04	not finished	not held	not held	Group stage
2004–05	6	not held	not held	Abolished in 2004
2005–06	Runner-up	not held	not held
2006–07	3	not held	not held
2007–08	5	not held	not held
2008–09	Runner-up	not held	not held
2009–10	11	not held	not held
2010–11	11	not held	not held
2011–12	9	not held	not held
2012–13	11	not finished	not held
2013–14	15	not held	not held
2014–15	17	not held	not held
2015–16	13	did not enter	not held
2016–17	9	Round of 16	not held
2017–18	6	not held	did not qualify
2018–19	12	Round of 16	not held
2019–20	not finished	not finished	did not qualify
2020–21	3	Round of 16	not held
2021–22	7	Round of 16	did not qualify
2022–23	7	Round of 32

See also

• Iraqi clubs in the AFC Champions League
• 2007–08 Arab Champions League

References

External links

• Official website (in Arabic) (archived 30 July 2008)
• Club page on Kooora