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| Full name | Al-Mina'a Sports Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Al-Safana (The Sailors) Al-Areeq (The Deep-Rooted) | ||
| Founded | 22 November 1931; 93 years ago (1931-11-22) | ||
| Ground | Al-Minaa Olympic Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 30,000 | ||
| Chairman | Farhan Al-Farttousi | ||
| Manager | Luay Salah | ||
| League | Iraq Stars League | ||
| 2024–25 | Iraq Stars League, 16th of 20 | ||
 Current season | |||
Al-Mina'a Sports Club (Arabic:نادي الميناء الرياضي,lit. 'Port Sports Club') is an Iraqimulti-sport club based inAl-Maqal,Basra that participates in theIraq Stars League, the top tier ofIraqi football. It is one of the most popular clubs in Iraq, particularly in the south, and became the first club outsideBaghdad to win the Iraqi Premier League.
Al-Mina'a was founded on November 22, 1931, in Al-Maqal. In1974, the club was merged with another team calledAl-Bareed to form a single club calledAl-Muwasalat, and it was a strange situation because the Al-Bareed team were based inBaghdad while Al-Mina'a were based inBasra and the two teams met in Baghdad on the day of the match only, so after just one season the club was dissolved and Al-Mina'a returned in their place. In 1978, the team won the nationalleague title for the first time. After a lean period in the post-war years, the team finished second in the league in the2004–05 season, and therefore qualified for the2006 AFC Champions League, becoming the first Iraqi club from outsideBaghdad to play in thistournament.
For a long time, the club was considered to be one of the Iraqi football clubs that had its own style of play, and the team practised only under the supervision and training of coaches who graduated from the club, until the beginning of 2011, when the club started to depend on foreign coaches.
Al-Mina'a Sports Club was formed by some of theBritish sailors and workers serving in theMarine Transportation Company inBasra on the banks of theShatt Al-Arab afterMandatory Iraq, whereColonel Sir John Ward was the director of company in the 1920s. When they were forming gatherings, sports were practiced and football was the most important.[1] After the founding ofAl-Maqal City and establishment theGeneral Company for Ports on March 1, 1931, by Colonel Sir Ward under the auspices ofKing Faisal, and the transfer of employees in the company to Al-Maqal, the club coordinated with the company's management to make the green squares in the park located there to be a playing field for them,[2] and after a few months, the company announced the establishment of the club officially, and Mr. C. F. Neikell was chosen as the first president of the club. The first football team consisted of Markar Avadician, Kadhim Dawood, Dehjat Ohaness, Liu Steven, Samuel Akesh, Aziz Hormuz, Rashad Al-Mufti, Khudair Abbas and others.[3] After the founding of theIraq Football Association, Al-Mina'a participated in theIraq FA Basra Premier League, a regional league for teams in Basra organised by the Basra branch of the IFA.[4] Al-Mina'a won the league title in itsfirst season, beatingSharikat Naft Al-Basra 1–0 in the final.[5] Al-Mina'a also participated in the first ever national knockout cup in Iraq, the1948–49 Iraq FA Cup, but were knocked out in the quarter-finals 2–0 by Baghdad-based sideAl-Haras Al-Malaki.[6] Al-Mina'a went on to finish in third place in the regional league in both the1949–50 and1950–51 seasons.[7][8]
In 1950, Al-Mina'a played its first match outside the country as the first Iraqi team to play outsideIraq, they played againstShahin at theAmjadiyeh Stadium inTahran and the result was 2–2, The team was composed of these players: Mustafa Hameed,Karim Allawi, Noori Lafta, Jassim Bader, Karim Jaber, Jali Najeeb, Subhi Mohammed Zaki, Alwan Hussein,Michael Stanley, Salih Mohammed and Sabeeh Darwish.[6] And the team played several friendly matches with other Iranian clubs. They played against Arteshe and the game ended in a 2–1 victory for Al-Mina'a, and they played againstTaj Ahvaz and won that match 5–1. They also played against Khorramshahr and won 3–1, and they faced Abadan F.C. and won that game too.[6] The team benefited greatly from those matches. In 1951, the team won theHanna Al-Sheikh Cup, which was organized forBasra-based teams.[9] And in the same year, the firstIraqi national football team was established. CoachDhia Habib invited three players from the Al-Mina'a club to join them –Percy Lynsdale,Saeed Easho andKarim Allawi – to play againstTurkey inTurkey. Before traveling, and on Wednesday 2 May 1951, Al-Mina'a played – with adding a player fromSharikat Naft Al-Basra club;Shaker Ismail – againstIraq inBasra, and ended the match a draw 1–1, Tariq Khalil scored for Al-Mina'a.[10][11][12]
The 1950s and 1960s were periods of preparation for Al-Mina'a, and the team played several friendly matches with different teams in this period; some of these clubs were strongEuropean teams, and other were strongAsian teams. These matches helped the club develop the qualities of the players in terms of tactics and technique and other aspects.
On 6 January 1956, Al-Mina'a played with Tehran F.C. and lost 3–0,[13] and after a year they played with a number ofEnglish sailors teams, who were arriving inBasra in those years.[14] On December 20, 1958, Al-Mina'a team travelled toKuwait, playing againstKuwait national football team in afriendly match inAhmadi, defeating Kuwait 8–0, scoring goals by Mohammed Manther,Karim Allawi, Nouri Lafta and Waleed Dawood, each with two goals, It was a very big result against a national team.[15] In 1961, under the leadership ofDanish coach Ingvard Hansen, the team played with a number ofIranian teams, beating Abadan F.C. 4–3 and losing toShahin 1–0.[16] and in February 1962, theRomanian club;Steaua București visitedIraq and Al-Mina'a, under the same coach, played with them and lost 4–1, then, Al-Mina'a played with theSyrian team Damascus and won 2–0.[17] In February 1963, the team under the same coach, played with anotherRomanian club,Petrolul Ploiești, and lost 2–0 to them.[18] The1962–63 season saw Al-Mina'a win theIraq FA Basra First Division, the top-tier league in the region, by winning three and drawing one of their four games. The club's B team were the league's runners-up.[19]
In November 1965, the team played theKuwaiti clubAl-Qadsia and the match ended in a 3–3 draw.[20] In September 1968, the team traveled toSyria and played with some its teams, and the results were good,[21] In 1969 the team under the leadership of coach Abdul Salam Saud, played againstBahraini club Al-Nusour and beat them 4–1; they then played against theSoviet clubNeftçi and lost 1–0[22] On January 17, 1970, Al-Mina'a played againstYugoslavian clubSarajevo and lost 3–1,[23] and over a year later on January 29, 1971, they played under the leadership of coach Hadi Hassan Wasfi, withCzechoslovak clubSpartak Trnava and won 2–0; Waleed Dawood andAbdul Razzak Ahmed scored.[24] On December 20, 1972, Al-Mina'a under the leadership of coachHamza Qasim, played against theChina national football team lost 1–0.[25] These matches had a significant impact in making Al-Mina'a stronger team.
By 1973, Al-Minaa had amassed 15 regional league titles in Basra. In the1973–74 season, Al-Minaa played in Iraq's new nationwide league under the leadership of coachHamza Qasim, and finished the season in third place.[3] In the1974–75 season, the first nationwide league of clubs was formed, and Al-Minaa were merged with another team calledAl-Bareed to form a club calledAl-Muwasalat which finished third place in the league.[3]
Al-Minaa began to participate in theIraqi Premier League as an independent club in the1975–76 season under the leadership of coach Najem Abdullah, and finished the season in fourth place.[3] The team was not well under coachFaleh Hassan Wasfi in the1976–77 season, and finished in sixth place.[3] The first match in Iraqi Premier League history to be televised was played in this season between Al-Minaa andAl-Zawraa atAl-Shaab Stadium on Friday, March 11, 1977, which ended 5–1 for Al-Zawraa.[26]
The1977–78 season was the golden season for the team when they won the league title, and the title moved for the first time from the clubs of the capital,Baghdad, toBasra under coachJamil Hanoon. The team collected 21 points by winning eight matches and drawing in five matches; they did not lose any matches in this season. The Al-Minaa playerJalil Hanoon won the top scorer award with 11 goals in the league.[27] The champions' squad included the following players: Sattar Farhan, Sameer Nori, Aziz Abdullah,Sabeeh Abed Ali, Abdul Redha Hussein,Rahim Karim, Khalil Ibrahim,Hadi Ahmed,Alaa Ahmed, Ali Abdul Zahra,Abdul Razzaq Ahmed,Jalil Hanoon, Hassan Abdul Hussein, Adnan Saddam, Raad Abdullah and Hadi Jabbar.[3] Before the league start, Al-Minaa played in a pre-season football friendly tournament inArbil, and the team played againstArbil and won 0–6, and won againstSalahaddin in two matches 7–0 and 8–0, depending on this, the team was well prepared for the league championship.[28]
The first match of this league season was on October 1, 1977, and the last match was on March 31, 1978. Al-Minaa started the first two matches under coach leadershipFaleh Hassan Wasfi, who resigned after being drawn againstSalahaddin 0–0 andAl-Sinaa 0–0, the team played after that under the leadership of coachJamil Hanoon, who took over the job, and led the team to a series of successes, began to win against defending championsAl-Zawraa 2–3 inBaghdad.[28] In the last match, Al-Minaa played againstAl-Shorta atAl-Minaa Stadium inBasra, and Al-Minaa won 1–0, thanks toJalil Hanoon's goal on 50th minutes. The Al-Minaagoalkeeper, Sattar Farhan, saved apenalty kick obtained by Al-Shorta in the final minutes of the match.[29] In1978–79 season, The team played under the leadership of coachesSabeeh Abed Ali andAbdul Mahdi Hadi, and finished the season in fourth place, after being equated with second-placed;Al-Shorta and third;Al-Talaba in the number of points (15 points), who applied it on goals difference.[3]
At the beginning of theIran–Iraq War in 1980,Basra became a battleground, and the eight-year war broke all areas of life inBasra, including the field of sports. Al-Mina'a in particular had many players recruited and transported to the battlefield, and the team lost their playing field, and did not find a training ground. Their financial allocations were significantly reduced, and the stars of the team left to play in the big clubs ofBaghdad. In this period, theIraqi Ba'athist government worked on the separation of the club andGCPI in terms of funding, so the club has become dependent on self-financing, which was very poor, and as a result the team was composed of 11 players only (players withoutsubstitutes).[30] In the1985–86 season, Al-Mina'a were not able to play inBasra, due to the fall of the bombs and the lack of safe stadiums, so their matches were moved toAmarah, and because of these harsh conditions, the team finished in 14th place and were relegated to theIraqi First Division League for the first time in its history.[28] But the team was determined to return to play in theIraqi Premier League, and they managed to win the Iraqi First Division League title in 1987, and thus were able to return to play in thePremier League again in the1987–88 season.[28] They were runners-up of the Al-Faw Liberation Championship in 1988, a tournament hosted atAl-Minaa Stadium that featuredAl-Talaba,Al-Zawraa andAl-Tayaran.[31] The club remained unstable afterthe Second Gulf War, which began in 1991, andSanctions against Iraq[32] later (1991–2003), which destroyed the sport in the whole of Iraq.[33]
The rulingBa'ath Party has been accused of treating the club withracist treatment, including the opening match ofMaysan Stadium in 1987 between Al-Mina'a andAl-Rasheed (club sponsored by the ruling party inIraq), which ended in a 0–0 draw attended by the son of presidentUday Saddam Hussein, and when he found that the fans cheer for Al-Mina'a team said: "If this stadium could have been moved toBaghdad, I would have done so (this audience is not worth it)".[34] And another of the manifestations ofracism that the Ba'athist government was accused of is what happened in the league in1991–92 season at the Al-Mina'a match againstAl-Karkh, on Friday, 8 May 1992 at theAl-Minaa Stadium and the attendance of more than 20,000, which ended for Al-Karkh 3–2. The match was led by international referee Subhi Rahim, who scored an incorrectpenalty against Al-Minaa and the most famousred card against Al-Mina'a player Asaad Abdul Razzaq, which led to the protest of the supporters of the club, then the Al-Karkh coachAdnan Dirjal was accused of shooting Al-Mina'a supporters from hispistol,[35] resulting in serious injuries among supporters of the club. TheFootball Association punished Al-Mina'a players, and because Dirjal led theIraq national football team in the1994 FIFA World Cup qualification, he prevented Al-Mina'a players from playing in the national team, includingMohammed Abdul Hussein, who won the title of best player in the league for the1992–93 season.[36] Among the practices that one of the most important players in Al-Mina'a was exposed to, whenSabah Mirza Mahmoud, a close associate ofSaddam Hussein, became president of theAl-Shabab Club and orderedHadi Ahmed, the most important player in Al-Mina'a team, to leave his club and moving to Al-Shabab Club, but Ahmed refused because of his loyalty to the club and was severely punished. AlsoUday Saddam Hussein imprisoned him in Al-Radwaniyah Prison, shaved his hair and forced him to retire.[37][38]
Despite these difficult circumstances, the team managed to reach fourth place in the8th Umm al-Ma'arik Championship and fourth place in the league in the1998–99 season,[39] and reach the semifinals of the1999–2000 Iraq FA Cup, where they were came out of the championship after losing fromAl-Zawraa, who won the title that season,[40] and in the2002–03 Iraq FA Cup also reached the semifinals, came out of the championship after losing fromAl-Talaba, who won the title that season.[41]
With the change that took place after the2003 invasion of Iraq and the overthrowing ofSaddam Hussein,GCPI took care of the club, and started to bring the team back to their natural position slowly, and the2004–05 season was the distinctive season. Under the leadership of coachAbdul Karim Jassim (Jombi), Al-Minaa won the Southern Group in the First Stage, and advanced to the Elite Stage where they won Group A. In the semi-finals, they managed to beatAl-Zawraa inBaghdad 1–0 and tied 0–0 with them inBasra to advance to the final, where they played againstAl-Quwa Al-Jawiya. The match was played in Baghdad which gave Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya an advantage. Al-Minaa lost the match 2–0 to take the runner-up title, and the opportunity to representIraq in the nextAFC Champions League; the team became the first team from outsideBaghdad to representIraq in the continental championship.[42] After the return of theIran–Iraq relations, Al-Minaa participated in the2004 Peace and Friendship Cup inAhvaz, under the leadership of coachAbdul Karim Jassim, has won the tournament, having played against Iranian clubs have won it, in semi-final, the team played againstEsteghlal Ahvaz B and won 2–1, Al Mina'a's goals were scored byNasser Talla Dahilan at the 35th minute andQais Essa at the 75th minute.[43] in final played againstFoolad Khuzestan B and won 1–0, the winning goal was scored by Alaa Aasi at the 44th minute of the game.[44] The team under the leadership of coach Aqeel Hato did not enter the2006 AFC Champions League to compete for the title, given the weaknesses of the team (most of them were young and they needed experience in matches like this), but as a chance to play with strong teams and prepare for theIraqi Premier League.[45][46] But Al-Minaa embarrassed some of the big teams inAsia and by earning draws against the likes ofMash'al[47] andAl-Hilal.[48]
After the team were knocked out of the AFC Champions League, the experienced players joined other clubs,[49] and thus began a new era for the club under the leadership of young coach Asaad Abdul Razzaq[50] for two seasons with and the young players who have grown up in the club. The team entered the2006–07 season and managed to finish second in their First Stage group behindAl-Najaf to qualify for the Elite Stage,[51] but team was not able to get to the semi-finals as they finished fourth behindArbil,Al-Talaba andKarbalaa.[52] In the2007–08 season, a similar thing repeated under the same coach, where the team finished in 3rd place in their First Stage group behind Karbalaa and Al-Najaf, having won eight matches, drawn six and lost two, but could not go beyond the Elite Stage,[53] where they finished in fourth place in Group A behind Arbil,Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya andKirkuk.[54] In the following three seasons, the team was under the leadership of young coachAdel Nasser[55] and these were not good seasons, as they were knocked out in the First Stage in all three seasons. In the2008–09 season, the team finished in sixth place in their group, where team won ten matches, drew six and lost eight matches,[56] and in the2009–10 season, the team ended up in seventh place in the group stage where they won 16 matches, drew 11 and lost seven.[57] In pre-season and under the leadership of coachAdel Nasser, Al-Minaa won2009 Thaghr Al Iraq Championship title, Al-Minaa qualified for the final game after collecting 7 points by defeatingNaft Maysan 3–1,Ghaz Al-Junoob 4–1,[58] and won the Thaghr Al Iraq Championship after beatingNaft Al-Junoob in the final game with a score of 2–1. Al Mina'a's goals were scored by Nayef Falah in the 46th minute and Hassan Hadi Ahmad in the 79th minute. On the other hand, the sole goal of Naft Al-Junoob was scored by Muhannad Youssef at the 10th minute of the game. The two teams shared the lead of the game that was led by referee Ahmad Shaker. The referee gave red cards to 3 players: Amjad Hameed,Alaa Nayrouz from Naft Al-Junoob team and Al-Minaa player Ihsan Hadi.[59] In the third season,2010–11, the team under the same coach finished in fourth place in their First Stage group with 12 wins, nine draws and five defeats.[60]
The club was always praised for depending on coaches and players that had graduated from the club itself, but since the2011–12 season, the club went a different way by contracting with a professional coach ofNorwegian nationality (Iraqi origin) called Younis Al Qattan.[61] But the club's management did not settle on one coach during the season, so they changed the coach seven times during these three years. In the2011–12 season, the team under the leadership of Al-Qattan was not successful with two wins, two losses and six draws, so the manager was changed.[62] The team began playing under the leadership ofRahim Hameed[63] and they ended the Premier League in 11th place, and in the2012-2013 season, the club returned to the local coach Aqeel Hato[64] but this did not last very long as he was sacked having won four matches, drawn four matches and lost two matches, and the team played under the leadership of the young coachGhazi Fahad[65] afterwards but this also did not last long as he was fired having won five matches, drawn one match and lost five matches.[66] The club then appointed coach Asaad Abdul Razzaq[67][68] who led the team to finish the season in eighth place, having won eight matches and lost six with one draw, and the team began the season relying on foreign players. Al-Minaa used five foreign professionals fromEurope,Africa andAsia in this season.[69]
In the2013–14 season, the same thing happened as happened in the previous season, where three coaches led the team in a row. They started the season led by coachJamal Ali[70] and who resigned because the results were not good, especially after the 2–1 loss toAl-Karkh.[71] Ali won two matches as coach, drew four and lost three, so the club turned the leadership of the team to his assistant Ammar Hussein, who also did not remain long; he resigned after the 3–0 loss toAl-Zawra'a, and he won three matches, drew four and lost three.[72] The club then appointed coach Hassan Mawla,[73] who finished the season in 11th place, and he led the team for just four matches, winning one, losing one and drawing two, and he could not continue the rest of the matches because ofIraq Football Association suspended the Premier League and considered it finished on June 18, 2014.[74]
In the2014–15 season, the team was under coach Asaad Abdul Razzaq[75] and he was sacked after six matches because the results were not satisfactory; he won one match, lost three and drew two, leaving the team in eighth place in their First Stage group. Al-Minaa contracted with theSyrian professional coach,Hussam Al-Sayed,[76] who led the team through 13 matches until the end of the group without a loss, where the team move into second place in the group behindAl-Shorta.
In the Elite Stage they played against three teams (Duhok,Naft Al-Junoob andAl-Quwa Al-Jawiya). The team was competing to top the group which would have qualified them for the final, but mistakes from assistant referees shattered that dream, where the assistant referee Maitham Khamat allowed an offside goal to stand in favor ofAl-Quwa Al-Jawiya againstNaft Al-Junoob, while assistant referee Haider Hameed did not count a legitimate goal for Al-Mina'a againstDuhok due to offside, which lost them two points.[77] These cases deprived the team from getting to the final, where the team is equal toAl-Quwa Al-Jawiya in the number of points (ten points) butAl-Quwa Al-Jawiya had a better goal difference.[78] In the third place match they were set to play against Al-Shorta but Al-Shorta declared that they pulled out of the match. But strangely, Al-Shorta ended up turning up for the match and Al-Mina'a was not prepared to match them so they withdrew meaning the team finished in fourth place in the Premier League.[79]
In the2015–16 season, the coach Hussam Al-Sayed led the team to a series of wins against strong teams, defeating the likesErbil 3–1, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 2–1 and Al-Shorta 1–0. Al-Mina'a were in first place in their First Stage group,[80] with six wins, one draw and two losses, but the many mistakes for the referees against the team[81][82] and then a number of problems arose between the club management and some players[83][84] and other reasons[85] which caused a decline in the level of the team, although the team still managed to qualify for the Elite Group. Their performances in the Elite Group were not up-to-scratch, so the team ended the season in sixth place.[86]
In the2016–17 season, Al-Minaa contracted with theRomanian professional coach,Marin Ion[87][88] and he was sacked after twenty-seven matches because of the chaos that appeared in the team due to the weakness of the personality of the coach, and the results were not satisfactory; he won fourteen matches, lost four and drew nine, and lost both Basra Derbies; againstAl-Bahri 2–1,Naft Al-Junoob 1–0, leaving the team in fourth place in the first half of the league,[89] then Al-Minaa signed local coachGhazi Fahad,[90][91] who finished the league in sixth place.[92][93] In the2016–17 Iraq FA Cup, Al-Minaa reached the semi-finals, but could not reach the final after losing fromNaft Al-Wasat on penalties, in the match that ended 1–1.[94] Then, the team ended the season without any good results due to several problems within the club.[95] The administrative problems continued within the club, where two departments were formed and each claimed to be the legitimate administration. There was also a conflict between the management of the club and theMinistry of Transport (the owner), which led to a financial crisis, in which the important players migrated to the Baghdad clubs, and change of coaches in the same season was repeated within the club, all of which led to a decline in the level of the team, and ranked near the bottom of the ranking of the league teams in multiple seasons (15th place in the2017–18 season and 17th place in the2018–19 season).[96] In the2021–22 season, the level of the team declined so much that only won three matches during the whole season, and the administration resigned after the disastrous mistakes they made during the season, and a temporary administration was formed, but they could not do anything,[97] and in the end the team occupied the 19th place (penultimate) and was officially relegated to theIraqi First Division League.[98][99]
After the end ofthe season, theFootball Association did not specify the mechanism for the participation of clubs and their number in the subsequent season, and the matter remained ambiguous. Orally and in the media, the Football Association decided that the system of playing in the league will be according to the professional league system, and any club that did not complete its file according to the Club Licensing Law will not participate.[100] The president of Football Association,Adnan Dirjal promised the president of Al-Mina'a Club and the governor of Basra that Al-Mina'a team would play in theIraqi Premier League and not in theIraqi First Division League if the club completed the licensing file. Based on the foregoing, the club contracted with coachBasim Qasim and five professionals, paid all their debts and completed the licensing file.[101][102] But the club was surprised by the decision of the Football Association to reverse its decision to play according to the professional league system and not to accredit the licensed clubs, and that they were deceived by the Football Association.[103][104][105]
The club entered the first division season and successfully got out the first time of asking by topping their group and defeating Amanat Baghdad to win the title.[106]
The following season, crisis would hit Al Mina'a once again. FIFA imposed a registration ban on the club a few weeks before the start of the season due to not paying the debts owed to former players and staff.[107] This meant that Al Mina'a had to go into the season with only the existing players under contract, all of whom were academy players or recent graduates from the academy.[108] This led to the resignation of the entire coaching staff, starting with the managerQahtan Chathir.[109] Al Mina'a forfeited the 3rd match of the season, after starting the match with 8 players and having a player go off "injured" after 8 minutes, forcing the referee to end the contest.[110] Reports were circling that the club was set to withdraw from the league season and suffer another relegation. However, Iraqi managerHassan Ahmed decided to take over the club,[111] and sensationally steered the side full of youth players to a 14th place finish, comfortably surviving the season.
The following season, Al-Mina'a decided to hirePablo Grandes, who became the first Spaniard to coach the club.[112]
Al-Minaa's traditional colours are blue and white. The home kit is blue and the away kit is white. For much of Al-Minaa's history, their home colours have been bright blue shirts with white sleeves and white shorts, though this has not always been the case. The shirt was blue, and was worn with blue shorts and white socks in1977–78 season when won league title for the first time.[113] In some seasons the team used the home kit that was blue and painted in yellow or white, and in the away kit use the white and painted in blue or black or red or some of these colors together. But in the1998–1999 season only the kit was green, and this was unfamiliar.[114]
         The first kit worn by the club in1931 |     1940s–1960s seasons |   1967–68 season |     1977–78 League winners |
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     2004–05 League Final |
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Al-Minaa's shirts have been made by manufacturers includingAdidas (from the 1970s until 1982),Puma (1982–1984),Adidas (1984–1989),Uhlsport (2001–2003),Macron (2011–2014),Uhlsport (2014–2016),Adidas (2016–2017) andJako (2017–2018),Uhlsport (from 2018). Like those of most other Iraqi football clubs, Al-Minaa's shirts have featured sponsors' logos since the 1980s; sponsors includeSamsung (1999–2000), Elaph Islamic Bank (2015–2016),Fuchs Petrolub (2016–2017) andGCPI (2017–2020).[115]
Al-Minaa Stadium was founded in the 1930s and contained an open field with a stand on one side. In the 1960–61 season, lighting was installed in the stadium and the stadium was considered the second best stadium in theArab world after theAlexandria Stadium inEgypt.[116] In the mid-1980s, terraces with three strips were placed around stadium in order to accommodate 4,000 spectators. In 1995, circular strips were built around the ground in order to accommodate 10,000 spectators. The opening match of the new stadium was Al-Minaa match againstSamarra, and ended for Al-Minaa 1–0,Adel Nasser scored from apenalty kick.[117]
Construction work forAl-Minaa Olympic Stadium began on March 22, 2011[118][119][120] to be the club's new stadium with a capacity of 30,000 spectators, being built on an area of 52 acres.[121]
Al-Minaa played at the Naft Al-Junoob Stadium during the first phase of the2012–13 season, for the period from 20 October 2012 to 1 March 2013. In the second phase of the same season, the team was played at the Basra Stadium (Al-Jamhoriya) for the period from 27 April 2014 to 4 September, and they were training at Al-Hawta Stadium in this season. On October 1, 2013, Al-Zubair Olympic Stadium was inaugurated and the team played all home matches at it, during the2013–14 season and the2014–15 season, and until May 23, 2015, when theBasra Sports City became a temporary stadium for the team.[122] Since October 2017,Basra Sports City was officially leased to club.[123]
In low attendance matches, Al-Minaa played atBasra Sports City's secondary stadium (also known asAl-Fayhaa Stadium), which has a capacity of 10,000 spectators.[124]
On December 26, 2022, theAl-Minaa Olympic Stadium was inaugurated by theMinistry of Youth and Sports in preparation for the establishment of the25th Arabian Gulf Cup,[125][126] where the tournament will take place on this stadium in addition to theBasra Sports City. The opening included a ceremony in which the retired Al-Minaa stars were honored.[127] After that, afriendly match took place between Al-Minaa andKuwait SC,[128] in which Kuwait won 2–1. Ali Hussain (57') andTaha Yassine Khenissi (66') scored the double for Kuwait, andKarrar Mohammed scored for Al-Minaa from apenalty kick in the 89th minute.[129][130][131] On January 8, 2024, the Minister of Youth and Sports announced that Al-Minaa team will begin playing home matches on Al-Minaa Olympic Stadium starting from the fourteenth round ofIraq Stars League.[132] On February 3, 2024, Al-Minaa played its first official match on this Stadium in the second round of theFA Cup, where it facedNaft Al-Wasat, and they were able to score three goals. The first was byAyad Abed Farhan in the first half, and the second and third were bySalem Ahmed and Hameed Ali Hameed in the second half. The match ended 3–1, and Al-Minaa qualified for the next round of the tournament.[133][134]
Al-Mina'a fans often refer to themselves as "Jamhoor Al-Safana", the name derived from the team's nickname, "Al-Safana". The fanbase is large and generally loyal; in 2014–15, Al-Mina'a had the highest average League attendance for an Iraqi club. Al-Mina'a has thePromoters Association, which was established at the beginning of the club's starting point, and remained supportive of the team in all their matches, and traveled with them wherever they went.[135]
In June 2014, Al-Mina'a supporters founded a group known as "Ultras Safana". The supporters group has become well known throughout Iraqi football as one of the most passionate groups of football fans inIraq and the group's banners and logos can be seen in any stadium that their club play in. The number of group members is increasing. The foundation of this group has significantly increased both the number of Al-Minaa fans in stadiums and their presence in matches.[136] Ultras Safana won the title of Best Ultras in the Iraqi league a year after its founding,[137] as well as in the second consecutive year.[138] The supporters of Al-Mina'a are very many, spread throughout the provinces of Iraq, and some live outside Iraq, and was considered to be the best fans in the Iraqi league.[137][139][140]
The team's anthem is "Damna Mina'ee w-Areeq" by Ali Al-Bedairi & Karrar Zayed.[141] Also anthem "Safana wel-Neim Safana" by Mohammed Abdul-Ilah.[142] In addition to the usual Basrawi football chants, Al-Mina'a's supporters sing "Ihna Lazraq Ashqinah"[143] and also regularly sing "Hai Hai Hai Ya Mina'ee".[144]
Al-Mina'a contest theBasra Derby withNaft Al-Basra[145][146] (formerlyNaft Al-Janoob until 2020).[147] Since 2005, there have been 36 competitive Basra Derbies. Al-Minaa hold the precedence in these matches, with 14 victories to Naft Al-Basra's 9; there have been 13 draws. The most decisive result in an Al-Mina'a versus Naft Al-Basra game is Al-Mina'a's 4–1 victory atAl Mina'a Stadium, their home ground, on March 11, 2005. There have been two incidences of 3–1, Al-Minaa have been won in both matches; home in December 2005, and away in January 2006. The competition saw 66 goals scored, 37 for Al-Minaa and 29 for Naft Al-Basra; the individual player who scored the most goals was Al-Minaa playerEhsan Hadi and Naft Al-Basra player Bassim Ali, each scored four goals. And there are five players who scored for both teams, they are Alaa Aasi,Nasser Talla Dahilan, Ahmed Hassan, Sajjad Abdul Kadhim andHossam Malik.[148]
There also exists a rivalry between Al-Mina'a andAl-Quwa Al-Jawiya, which is sometimes called theAl-Araqa derby, because the two clubs are the oldest clubs in Iraq, founded in 1931.[149][150]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Manager |  Luay Salah |
| Assistant coach | Halgurd Mulla MohammedOus Ibrahim |
| Goalkeeping coach | Amer Abdul-Wahab |
| Fitness coach |  Mohammed Mustafa Ibrahim |
| Performance Analyst | Khalid Hussein Allas Hussam Rasim Kokaz |
| Team supervisor | Bashar Hadi Ahmed |
| Under-21s coach | Ali Jassim |
| Under-19s coach | Mohammed Abdul Hussein |
| Under-16s coach | Fadhel Nasser |
| Under-14s coach | Fadhel Abdul Wahed |
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| President | Farhan Al-Farttousi |
| Vice president | Akram Abdul Wahed |
| Secretary | Ali Hani Abed |
| Treasurer | Bahauddin Hussein |
| Member of the board | Aqeel Abdul Mohsin Saleem Khamis Bashar Hadi Ahmed Raad Malik Sharqi Yousef Rehaima Dakhil Saleem |
| Season | League | Position | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | GF:GA | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975–76 | Iraqi National League | 4 | 24 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 29:18 | 31 |
| 1976–77 | Iraqi National League | 5 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 12:12 | 12 |
| 1977–78 | Iraqi National League | 1 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 27:10 | 21 |
| 1978–79 | Iraqi National League | 4 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 15:9 | 15 |
| 1979–80 | Iraqi National League | 10 | 22 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 26:29 | 20 |
| 1980–81 | Iraqi National League | 8 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 8:14 | 10 |
| 1981–82 | Iraqi National League | 9 | 22 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 22:30 | 17 |
| 1982–83 | Iraqi National League | 11 | 22 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 18:32 | 12 |
| 1983–84 | Iraqi National League | 12 | 24 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 22:48 | 15 |
| 1984–85[a] | Iraqi National League | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1985–86 | Iraqi National League ↓ | 14 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 13:22 | 9 |
| 1986–87 | Iraqi Second Division League ↑ | 1 | ||||||
| 1987–88 | Iraqi National League | 12 | 30 | 5 | 13 | 12 | 22:34 | 23 |
| 1988–89 | Iraqi Pan-National League ↓ | 8 | 14 | |||||
| 1989–90 | Iraqi Second Division League ↑ | 1 | ||||||
| 1990–91 | Iraqi National League | 8 | 28 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 17:24 | 23 |
| 1991–92 | Iraqi National League | 9 | 32 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 39:42 | 37 |
| 1992–93 | Iraqi National League | 11 | 69 | 21 | 28 | 20 | 58:70 | 70 |
| 1993–94 | Iraqi National League | 17 | 50 | 12 | 21 | 17 | 42:58 | 45 |
| 1994–95 | Iraqi National League | 11 | 46 | 16 | 21 | 9 | 54:42 | 72 |
| 1995–96 | Iraqi Advanced League | 9 | 22 | 4 | 11 | 7 | 18:23 | 23 |
| 1996–97 | Iraqi Premier League | 8 | 30 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 22:32 | 37 |
| 1997–98 | Iraqi Premier League | 7 | 30 | 12 | 3 | 15 | 29:41 | 39 |
| 1998–99 | Iraqi Premier League | 4 | 30 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 35:29 | 50 |
| 1999–2000 | Iraqi First Division League | 8 | 50 | 20 | 24 | 6 | 56:28 | 84 |
| 2000–01 | Iraqi Elite League | 9 | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 24:26 | 40 |
| 2001–02 | Iraqi Elite League | 10 | 38 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 39:45 | 49 |
| 2002–03[a] | Iraqi First Division League | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2003–04[a] | Iraqi Premier League | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2004–05 | Iraqi Premier League | 2 | 21 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 31:11 | 42 |
| 2005–06 | Iraqi Premier League | 10 | 16 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 26:16 | 31 |
| 2006–07 | Iraqi Premier League | 7 | 17 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 23:11 | 34 |
| 2007–08 | Iraqi Premier League | 10 | 24 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 15:18 | 39 |
| 2008–09 | Iraqi Premier League | 11 | 24 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 20:24 | 36 |
| 2009–10 | Iraqi Premier League | 13 | 34 | 16 | 11 | 7 | 36:23 | 59 |
| 2010–11 | Iraqi Elite League | 7 | 26 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 33:21 | 45 |
| 2011–12 | Iraqi Elite League | 11 | 38 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 40:44 | 50 |
| 2012–13 | Iraqi Elite League | 8 | 34 | 15 | 7 | 12 | 54:48 | 52 |
| 2013–14 | Iraqi Premier League | 11 | 23 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 26:27 | 28 |
| 2014–15 | Iraqi Premier League | 4 | 23 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 28:22 | 35 |
| 2015–16 | Iraqi Premier League | 6 | 25 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 36:30 | 40 |
| 2016–17 | Iraqi Premier League | 6 | 36 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 40:24 | 66 |
| 2017–18 | Iraqi Premier League | 15 | 38 | 8 | 17 | 13 | 34:47 | 41 |
| 2018–19 | Iraqi Premier League | 17 | 38 | 8 | 16 | 14 | 34:42 | 40 |
| 2019–20[a] | Iraqi Premier League | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2020–21 | Iraqi Premier League | 8 | 38 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 45:44 | 49 |
| 2021–22 | Iraqi Premier League ↓ | 19 | 38 | 3 | 21 | 14 | 33:49 | 30 |
| 2022–23 | Iraqi First Division League ↑ | 1 | 23 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 40:16 | 49 |
| 2023–24 | Iraq Stars League | 12 | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 38:59 | 42 |
| 2024–25 | Iraq Stars League | 16 | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 39:44 | 43 |
[a] The league was not completed and was cancelled.
| Season | Competition | Round | Nat. | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | AFC Champions League | Group B |  | Al-Ain | 1–2 | 1–2 | 4th |
 | Al-Hilal | 1–1 | 1–3 | ||||
 | Mash'al | 0–1 | 2–2 |
| Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Scorers | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 May 1951 | Basra,Iraq |  Iraq | 1–1 | Tariq Khalil | [15] |
| 20 December 1958 | Ahmadi,Kuwait |  Kuwait | 8–0 | M. Manthar (2),K. Allawi (2), N. Lafta (2), W. Dawood (2) | [15] |
| 27 February 1959 | Basra, Iraq |  Algeria | 2–3 | Sabeeh Darwish (2) | [153] |
| 20 December 1972 | Basra, Iraq |  China | 0–1 | [154] | |
| 21 August 2015 | İzmit,Turkey |  Bahrain | 0–0 | [155] | |
| 23 August 2015 | İzmit, Turkey |  Libya | 1–0 | Ziyad Ahmed | [156] |
| 24 March 2017 | Antalya, Turkey |  Turkmenistan | 1–0 | Ahmed Yasser | [157] |
| 25 February 2018 | Basra, Iraq | Iraq | 0–0 | [158] |
| # | Nat. | Name | Goals | Hat-tricks | years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1° |  | Jalil Hanoon | 73 | 4 | 1969–1989 |
| 2° | | Adel Nasser | 55 | 1 | 1986–2003 |
| 3° | | Mohammed Jabbar Shokan | 49 | 1 | 2009–2024 |
| 4° | | Ehsan Hadi | 39 | 2 | 1998–2012 |
| 5° | | Nazar Abdul Zahra | 36 | 0 | 1980–1993 |
| 6° | | Nasser Talla Dahilan | 33 | 1 | 1999–2013 |
| 7° | | Hussam Ibrahim | 30 | 0 | 2005–2017 |
| 8° | | Ali Al-Diwan | 29 | 0 | 1987–2002 |
This is a list of Al-Minaa SC presidents and chairmen from its foundation in 1931.[159]
List of presidents | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Nationality | Period |
| C. F. Neikell |  United Kingdom | 1931–32 |
| Bey Forde | United Kingdom | 1932–43 |
| Donald Langdon | United Kingdom | 1944–45 |
| Rajab Al-Ni'ma | Iraq | 1946–47 |
| R. C. Klette | United Kingdom | 1947–49 |
| G. T. Johnson | United Kingdom | 1949–51 |
| Abdul Amir Rahmatallah |  Iraq | 1951–62 |
| Mohammed Tariq Al-Katib | Iraq | 1962–63 |
| Yousef Al-Amer | Iraq | 1963 |
| Nasser Mohammed Khan |  Iraq | 1964–66 |
| Mohammed Tariq Al-Katib | Iraq | 1966–69 |
| Adnan Ali Al-Qassab | Iraq | 1969–77 |
| Faleh Mahmoud Al-Musa | Iraq | 1977–80 |
| Mohammed Lafta Ojoom | Iraq | Feb. 2, 1980–May 29, 1982 |
| Talib Hashim Abbas | Iraq | 1982–90 |
| Abdul Wahab Al-Na'eb |  Iraq | 1990–92 |
| Talib Hashim Abbas | Iraq | 1992–2003 |
| Hadi Ahmed | Iraq | 2004–07 |
| Rahim Karim | Iraq | Jun. 2, 2007 – May 30, 2009 |
| Salah Khudhair Abboud | Iraq | May 30, 2009 – Jun. 1, 2012 |
| Omran Radhi Thani | Iraq | June 1, 2012–Mar. 13, 2016 |
| Jalil Hanoon | Iraq | Mar. 13, 2016–Feb. 5, 2017 |
| Abdul Razzaq Ahmed (interim) | Iraq | Feb. 5, 2017–Aug. 22, 2017 |
| Jalil Hanoon | Iraq | Aug. 22, 2017–Aug. 29, 2018 |
| Asaad Abdul Razzaq (interim) | Iraq | Aug. 29, 2018–Dec. 8, 2018 |
| Hadi Ahmed | Iraq | Dec. 8, 2018–Sep. 4, 2019 |
| Mohammed Jaber Al-Jaberi | Iraq | Nov. 3, 2019–Jan. 4, 2022 |
| Jalil Hanoon | Iraq | Jan. 4, 2022–May 21, 2022 |
| Adel Nasser (interim) | Iraq | May 21, 2022–Jan. 26, 2023 |
| Farhan Al-Farttousi (interim) | Iraq | Jan. 26, 2023–Oct. 9, 2023 |
| Ahmed Khalaf Thijeel (interim) | Iraq | Oct. 13, 2023–Nov. 20, 2023 |
| Alaa Abdul Khaliq (interim) | Iraq | Nov. 20, 2023–Jan. 11, 2024 |
| Farhan Al-Farttousi (interim) | Iraq | Jan. 11, 2024–Sep. 11, 2025 |
| Farhan Al-Farttousi | Iraq | Sep. 12, 2025–Present |
This list includes the team coaches after the end ofWorld War II and the return of the club to engage in sports activity.[160]
Faraj Dano(1943–1948) (player-manager) Hameed Majeed(1948–1949) Karim Jaber(1953–1954) Kamel Abboudi(1954–1955)Karim Allawi Homaidi(1955–1956) Michael Stanley(1959–1961)
Ingvard Hansen(1961–1963) Tariq Khalil(1963–1965) Mohammed Manthar(1965–1966) Abdul Salam Saud(1966–1967) Mohammed Manthar(1967–1968) Abdul Salam Saud(1968–1970) Jamil Mohammed Ali(1970) Hadi Hassan Wasfi(1970–1971)Hamza Qasim(1971–1973) Najem Abdullah Al-Azzawi(1973–1975)Faleh Hassan Wasfi(1975–1977)Jamil Hanoon(1977–1978)Sabeeh Abed Ali &Abdul Mahdi Hadi(1978–1979)Abdul Razzaq Ahmed(1979–1980)Jamil Hanoon(1980–1983)Abdul Razzaq Ahmed(1983–1984)Rahim Karim(1984–1986)Abdul Razzaq Ahmed(1986–1990)Hadi Ahmed(1990–1992)Jamil Hanoon(1992–1993) Sabeeh Hussein(1993–1995)Hadi Ahmed(1995–1999)Abdul Razzaq Ahmed &Hadi Ahmed(1999–2000)Hadi Ahmed(2000–2001) Aqeel Hato(2001–2003)
Rahim Karim(2003–2004)Abdul Karim Jassim(2004–2005) Aqeel Hato(2005–2006) Asaad Abdul Razzaq(2006–2007)Adel Nasser(2007–2008)Abdul Karim Jassim(2008–2009) Ammar Hussein(2009)Adel Nasser(2009–2011) Younis Al-Qattan(Aug. 2011–Dec. 2011) Taher Balas(2011–2012) (caretaker)Rahim Hameed(Jan. 2012–Aug. 2012) Aqeel Hato(2012–2013) Mohammed Hussein Gholaim(Feb. 2013) (caretaker)Ghazi Fahad(Feb. 2013–May 2013) Asaad Abdul Razzaq(May 2013–Sep. 2013)Jamal Ali(Sep. 2013–Dec. 2013)Abbas Obeid(2013–2014) Ammar Hussein(Jan. 2014–May 2014)Hassan Muwla(May 2014–Jul. 2014) Asaad Abdul Razzaq(2014–2015) Ahmed Rahim(Jan. 2015) (caretaker)
Hussam Al Sayed(2015–2016)
Marin Ion(2016–2017)Ghazi Fahad(Apr. 2017–Aug. 2017)Fajr Ibrahim(2017–2018)Nadhim Shaker(Jan. 2018–May 2018) Ahmed Rahim(May 2018–Jun. 2018) (caretaker) Mahmoud Yasser(Jun. 2018–Jul. 2018) (caretaker) Aqeel Hato(2018–2019)
Hicham Ghazia(7–25 Feb. 2019) (caretaker)Emad Aoda(Feb. 2019–May 2019) Ahmad Sabri(May 2019–Jul. 2019) (caretaker)Valeriu Tița(2019–2021)Adel Nasser(Jan. 2021–Apr. 2021) Ahmed Rahim(Apr. 2021–Jul. 2021)Qusay Munir(Aug. 2021–Oct. 2021)Ehsan Hadi(Oct. 2021–Nov. 2021) (caretaker) Ammar Hussien( 7–15 Nov. 2021)Ehsan Hadi(15–24 Nov. 2021) (caretaker) Hatif Shamran(2021–2022) Ameen Phillip(Jan. 2022–Feb. 2022) Ahmed Rahim(Feb. 2022–Mar. 2022) Hatif Shamran(Mar. 2022–May 2022) Ali Wahab(May 2022–Jul. 2022)Basim Qasim(2022–2023)Fareed Majeed(May 2023–Jun. 2023) (caretaker)Qahtan Chathir(Aug. 2023–Nov. 2023) Asaad Abdul Razzaq(4–19 Nov. 2023)Hassan Ahmed(2023–2024)
Pablo Grandes(2024–2025)Hussam Al Sayed(Feb. 2025–Jul. 2025)Luay Salah(Jul. 2025–present)For a list of all Al-Minaa players, seeAl-Minaa SC players.
This list includes the team's captains since the club's participation in theIraqi League for the first time.
| Rank | Club | Association | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2791 |  Alliance Dudelange | UEFA | 3 |
| 2791 |  Allied Bank Limited | AFC | 3 |
| 2791 | Al-Minaa | AFC | 3 |
| 2791 |  Al-Oruba | AFC | 3 |
| 2791 |  Al-Orouba | AFC | 3 |
