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| Full name | Association sportive des Forces armées royales | |||
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| Nicknames |
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| Short name | AS FAR | |||
| Founded | 1 September 1958; 67 years ago (1958-09-01) | |||
| Ground | Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium Stade Olympique (selected matches) | |||
| Capacity | 69,500 21,000 | |||
| President | G.Mohamed Haramou | |||
| Manager | Alexandre Santos | |||
| League | Botola Pro | |||
| 2024–25 | Botola Pro, 2nd of 16 | |||
| Website | www | |||
Association sportive des Forces armées royales (transl. Sports Association of theRoyal Armed Forces,Arabic:الجمعية الرياضية للقوات المسلحة الملكية), abbreviated asAS FAR (Arabic:نادي الجيش الملكي,romanized: Nādī al-Jaysh al-Malakī), is a professionalsport club based in Morocco's capitalRabat, that competes inBotola Pro, the top tier ofMoroccan football.
The club was founded in 1958, 3 years after Morocco had gained their independence and is one of the most famous football clubs in Morocco. The club has traditionally worn a black home kit since inception. AS FAR is a well known club for the success of its football section, very popular in and outside the country. The team played its home matches in the 53,000 capacityPrince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in downtownRabat from 1983 to 2023.
The club is one of the most widely supported teams in Africa. AS FAR is one of three founding members ofBotola that havenever been relegated from the top division, Since the club's inception in 1958, along withWydad AC andRaja CA.[1][2] The club holds many long-standing rivalries, most notably the rivalries with Wydad AC, Raja CA andFUS Rabat, whom they contest the "Capital Derby".
AS FAR is among the clubs with the most titles in Morocco, and was ranked first locally, 10 continental and 201 universally, in the international rankings of clubs during the first ten years of the 21st century (2001–2010), issued by theInternational Federation of Football History & Statistics in 2011.[3]
AS FAR is one of the most successful clubs in Morocco with 31 titles in total: 13Botola, 12Moroccan Throne Cup, 4Moroccan Super Cup, 1CAF Champions League and 1CAF Confederation Cup. They are the first Moroccan team to win the African Champions League in 1985 and the CAF Confederation Cup in 2005.[4][5][6]
AS FAR was founded on 1 September 1958, by the initiative of the Crown PrinceMoulay El Hassan,[7] who was an avid football fan himself, by signing a decree as High Commander of the Moroccan Royal Army. The club scouts and players work with the Royal Armed Forces to develop players in multiple aspects (technical level, fitness management, sportsmanship).[8]
One year after its creation, the football team, while still in the second division, won their first Throne Cup. That same year, the club finished first in the division of the Moroccan Championship. In theMoroccan Throne Cup, they managed to hide in eighths of final and then face theWydad Casablanca. The latter was beaten by a score of 1–0. During the quarter-finals, the military defeated theFath Union Sport Rabat at the first Rabat derby, where AS FAR won the match 3–1. The final took place on December 14, 1959, faceMouloudia Oujda won the first two editions of the throne cup and prepares to make a triple while the military, for their first season, a cut of the throne would be the ideal. Finally the AS FAR win this match on the 1–0 score that is stuck atStade Mohammed V.[9]
The Royal Army's won its second title in less than two years, after it squandered the championship title in a play-off against theKAC Kénitra. The 1964–65 season was known for repeated arbitration mistakes, and the meeting withMaghreb de Fès was the point that overflowed the cup with a disastrous arbitration that directly affected the outcome of the meeting and the fate of the championship title by virtue of the fact that the defeat ended 3-0 and in Rabat, the match with a quarrel between the players and the referee. After the incident, theRoyal Moroccan Football Federation took an unfair decision to suspend the club for a full season and thus not participate in the championship and cup for the following season 1965–66. The military team spent a white season away from local stadiums, but it did not stop competing, as it preferred to play international matches against international teams and teams to maintain competitiveness. They played nearly 50 international matches in one season against international teams in various European countries such as Spain, France and Russia, includingCádiz CF,Recreativo de Huelva andGibraltar, most notably againstBarcelona at theCamp Nou on December 25, 1966, which ended with four goals to zero in favor of the Spaniards, while they succeeded in snatching a tie againstAtlético Madrid in a match on the occasion of the inauguration of theVicente Calderón Stadium, ended with a score of 2-2, before the team visited theSoviet Union in two trips, the team drew 1–1 againstDinamo Moscow.
The Royal Army returned to the atmosphere of competition in the championship, after the banned season. AS FAR was crowned with two other titles immediately after resuming its activity in the championship in 1967 and 1968 and 1970.
In the same period, at the beginning of the sixties, Al-Asaker also took control of theMoroccan Super Cup winning it in four out of six times.[10] Then the Royal Army, led by its French coach Clezo, began to dominate theleague competition by winning four titles, and the team's first meeting with the championship title was in the 1960–61 season, and control of the championship title continued for four consecutive seasons until 1964 as a new record.[11][12][13][14]
Internationally and in the same era, the Royal Army team had the honor of participating in the first edition of theMohammed V Cup in 1962, after winning the league title the same year, the Royal Army was ranked third, after a 5–0 defeat against French clubStade Reims. They were set to faceReal Madrid for the third-place position, the match ended in 4–3 victory, thus becoming the first Arab and African team to beat the 20th Century Club.[15]
In their fifth participation, the military team was able to reach the final of theMohammed V Cup for the first time in 1967, when it eliminated in the semi-finals theDukla Prague with a score of 1–0, to face the BulgarianCSKA Sofia in the final, which won the title at the expense of the military team with great difficulty by a score of 1- 0.[15] The military team returned to theMohammed V Cup final in 1970 for the second time, where they faced the Spanish giantAtlético Madrid, the Royal Army lost 4–1.[15]
AS FAR was the first Moroccan team to participate in African competitions by drawing the1968 African Cup of Champions Clubs, after winning the league for the same year. With the beginning of the seventies, exactly in 1971, and after an absence of 11 years, the military team, accompanied by its Spanish coachSabino Barinaga, won the second title of theMoroccan Throne Cup at the expense ofMaghreb Fez, after the match ended in a 9-8 penalty shootout victory.
After a 12 year trophyless run, AS FAR achieved the most important victory by winning thechampionship titles and theMoroccan Throne Cup, despite the short period thatJosé Faria spent as the team's coach.[16][17]
The Royal Army team entered the African competition, after winning the championship title, by participating in the1985 African Cup of Champions Clubs. It entered history as the first Moroccan team to win a continental title. the Royal Army team reached the semi-finals of the African Champions League for the second time in its history, where it faced the Egyptian teamZamalek, and the first leg ended with a score of 1-0 from a penalty kick in favor of the Egyptians inCairo, and the same result was recorded inRabat from A penalty kick by Shesha before the match was settled by penalty kicks (4–3), which saw the brilliance of goalkeeper Salah El-Din Hamid, who gave the team qualification for the final round by blocking two penalties, and the joy was not yet complete. In the final, the FAR team facedAS Bilima, the champions of theDemocratic Republic of the Congo, and despite the injury ofTimoumi andAbdeslam Laghrissi, the first leg match in Rabat ended with a great victory for the military team, 5–2. The away game ended in a 1–1 draw which gifted the Royal Army their firstCAF Champions League title.[18][19] After this historical achievement,Hassan II of Morocco insisted on receiving the military team at his residence in the suburbs of the French capital,Paris, after this first African coronation of its kind. The team is an exceptional congratulations from King Hassan II.[20]
The team went on to win threeThrone Cup in a row. The Royal Army became the second team to have the honor of keeping the cup in its treasury afterKawkab Marrakech, because the law of the competition grants the winner of the title three times in a row the honor of keeping the Silver Cup permanently. In the1986 Afro-Asian Club Championship, the first edition of its kind, which was held inRiyadh in January 1987, between the Royal Army, the African champions, and the South Korean club,Busan IPark, the Asian champion, noticed the defeat of AS FAR by a score of 2–0.[21]
Then the Royal Army team embraced the championship title for the second time with Faria in 1987, and in 1989 with ArgentineAngelillo, making the military team the first team to reach 10 championships. This generation continued its continental tour by reaching the semi-finals of the1988 African Cup of Champions Clubs for the third time in the team's history. To the penalty shootout that defined the Nigerian team's superiority, the Royal Army missed another opportunity to cross into the final.[22]
The Royal Army won two successive titles for theMoroccan Throne Cup in two Clasico matches at the expense of rivalWydad Casablanca, in 2003 with a goal of zero from a header by Hafeez Abdel-Sadiq with a pass from Ahmed, and in the2004 final, the match ended in a goalless draw, which continued into overtime as well, to decide the penalty shootout, which marked the brilliance of goalkeeper Tariq Al-Jarmouni, and the match ended with the army winning 3–0 on penalties.[23][24]
After a long absence from the championship title that lasted 15 seasons, the military team returned to win its 11th league title in 2005, in a historic match drawing the 30th and last round of the league, in the Mohammed V compound in front ofRaja Casablanca, leaders by two points, which needed a draw only to crown the title, but it was The soldiers have another opinion, and theMohamed Fakhir battalion was able to overthrow Raja and win a clean double signed byMohamed Armoumen, who also won the top scorer title. The army took the championship title from the city ofCasablanca amid a great public astonishment for the opponent and the great joy of the soldiers, where the meeting was titled in the 21st century match in the Moroccan championship.
After 20 years of winning its first African title, the FAR team won the CAF Confederation Cup in 2005 after defeating the NigerianDolphins F.C 3–1 in aggregate.[25] AS FAR later went on to lose the2006 CAF Super Cup againstAl Ahly SC on penalties.[26]
On 2 December 2006, AS FAR lost the2006 CAF Confederation Cup final after losing toÉtoile Sportive du Sahel on an away goal.[27] In 2007, AS FAR won theThrone Cup after defeatingRachad Bernoussi on penalties.[28] Next season, they managed to clinch both domestic titles, the2008 Botola and theThrone Cup.[29] IN 2009, As far won theThrone Cup after defeatingFath Union Sport on penalties.[30]
After 11 trophyless seasons, AS FAR clinched the2020 Throne Cup after defeatingMoghreb Tétouan 3–0.[31][32] They qualified to the2023 CAF Confederation Cup, after a 15-year continental drought.[33][34] In their return to continental competition, AS FAR topped their group stage, qualifying to the knock out stages.[35] Later to be knocked out in the quarter-finals againstUSM Alger.[36][37]
After 15 years, AS FAR won its 13th league title in 2023 after topping the table with 67 points.[38][39]
The original Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium (Arabic:مركب الأمير مولاي عبد الله) was a multi-purpose stadium inRabat,Morocco. It was named afterPrince Moulay Abdellah of Morocco and built in 1983, the stadium was the home ground of AS FAR. It was used mostly forfootball matches and it also staged athletics. The stadium had a capacity of 52,000. From 2008 until 2023, it hosted of theMeeting International Mohammed VI d'Athlétisme de Rabat. It was a confirmed venue for the2015 Africa Cup of Nations until Morocco was stripped of its hosting rights. It was also a venue for the2014 FIFA Club World Cup and the2023 FIFA Club World Cup.[40][41][42]
As of 2023, the 1983 Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium was demolished to make way for a new football stadium on the same site. The new venue with a capacity of 68,700 was constructed to be completed for 2025 in time for the2025 Africa Cup of Nations, and it will also host matches during the2030 FIFA World Cup.[43][44]
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The AS FAR controls the title of Top scorers in Botola, which has the largest number of scorers a total of 14 times.Morocco - List of Topscorers
| Season | Nat | Player | Goals Scored |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 |  | Idriss Ouadich | 15 |
| 1983 | | Abdeslam Laghrissi | 14 |
| 1987 | | Abderrazak Khairi | 12 |
| 1988 | | Lahcen Anaflous | 17 |
| 1990 | | Abdeslam Laghrissi | 22 |
| 1991 | | Lahcen Anaflous | 15 |
| 1992 | | Lahcen Anaflous | 11 |
| 1995 | | Abdeslam Laghrissi | 15 |
| 2005 | | Mohamed Armoumen | 12 |
| 2007 | | Jawad Ouaddouch | 12 |
| 2008 | | Abderrazak El Mnasfi | 13 |
| 2009 | | Mustapha Allaoui | 14 |
| 2011 | | Jawad Ouaddouch | 11 |
| 2016 | | Mehdi Naghmi | 12 |
| 2025 | | Youssef El Fahli | 11 |
| Rank | Nat | Player | Goals scored |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Abderrazak Khairi | 12 |
| 2 | | Abdeslam Laghrissi | 9 |
| 3 | | Mohamed Timoumi | 5 |
| 4 | | Abdellah Haidamou | 5 |
| 5 | | Mohamed Ouardi (Chicha) | 5 |
| 6 | | Mustapha Allaoui | 5 |
| Season | Nat | Player | Goals scored |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | | Saad Dahane | 4 |
| 1985 | | Abdellah Haidamou | 4 |
| 1985 | | Abderrazak Khairi | 4 |
| 1988 | | Abdeslam Laghrissi | 7 |
| Rank | Nat | Player | Goals scored |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Jawad Ouaddouch | 6 |
| 2 | | Youssef Kaddioui | 5 |
| 3 |  | Edilson Borges | 5 |
| 4 | | Hamza Igamane | 4 |
| 5 | | Mustapha Allaoui | 3 |
| 6 | | Mounir Benkassou | 3 |
At the continental level, AS FAR is the first Moroccan club to have participated in an African Cup; in 1968, when it reached the semi-finals of theAfrican Cup of Champions Clubs. It was also the first Moroccan club to win theCAF Champions League, in 1985.
As of 21 April 2025
| CAF competitions | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Competition | S | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| CAF Champions League | 13 | 76 | 32 | 17 | 27 | 119 | 77 | +42 |
| CAF Confederation Cup | 7 | 52 | 26 | 16 | 10 | 72 | 37 | +35 |
| African Cup Winners' Cup | 5 | 32 | 16 | 6 | 10 | 45 | 27 | +18 |
| CAF Super Cup | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 26 | 162 | 74 | 40 | 47 | 236 | 141 | +95 |
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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FinMohamed Anouar (shtoki) (1958–59) FinLarbi Benbarek (1959–60)
Guy Cluseau (1960–69)Mustafa El Ghazouani (1969–70)
Sabino Barinaga (1970–71)
Blagoje Vidinić (1971–72)
Anoul dos Santos (1972–73)Amar Ben Siffedine (1972–73)Sabino Barinaga (1973–74) FinDriss Bamous (1973–74)Guy Cluseau (1974–80)Sabino Barinaga (1980–82)
Mircea Dridea (1982–83) FinJosé Faria (1983–88)
Antonio Angelillo (1988–90) FinJosé Faria (1990–92)Mustapha Dafarallah (1992–93)
Mário Wilson (1993–95)Jesualdo Ferreira (1995–96)Carlos Alhinho (1996–97)
Henri Depireux (1997–98)Georges Heylens (1998–99)Rachid Taoussi (1999–2000)Henri Depireux (2000–2001)Alain Giresse (July 1, 2001 – June 30, 2003)Mohamed Fakhir (2004–05)Henri Stambouli (March 1, 2006 – Jan 6, 2007)Jaouad Milani (2007)Mustapha Madih (2007–2008)Mohamed Fakhir (2008–2009)Walter Meeuws (July 16, 2009 – Nov 7, 2009)Aziz El Amri (2010)Mustapha Madih (2010–2011)Fathi Jamal (Nov 1, 2011 – April 16, 2012)Rachid Taoussi (July 1, 2012 – Dec 7, 2012)Abderrazak Khairi (Dec 7, 2012 – June 25, 2013)Jaouad Milani (July 1, 2013 – Oct 1, 2013)Rachid Taoussi (Oct 22, 2013 – Dec 13, 2014)José Romão (2015–16)Abdelmalek El Aziz (2016)Aziz El Amri (2016–2018)Abderrazak Khairi (2018)Mohamed Fakhir (2018)Carlos Alós Ferrer (2019)Abderrahim Taleb (2019–2020)Sven Vandenbroeck (2021–2022)[56]Fernando Da Cruz (2022–2023)[57]Mohammed Aziz Samadi (2023)
Nasreddine Nabi (2023–2024)[58]
Czesław Michniewicz (2024)Hubert Velud (2024–25)Alexandre Santos (2025-)| Active sections of ASFAR | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ASFAR has the largest number of supporters of any team in Morocco. The greater focus of fans are in the regionRabat-Salé-Kénitra. It has a population of 4,580,866. Also, the club has an important fan base inside the country, where several towns are renowned for counting vast majorities of ASFAR supporters, and outside the borders, among Moroccan emigrants.
The ASFAR Ultras movement began in 2005, withUltras Askary Rabat (UAR05) being the first Group Ultra in Morocco, andBlack Army (BA06) being the second Group Ultra and it was created in 2006. Their sanctuary is the southern Included of thePrince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
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