 | |||
| Full name | Shabab Al Ahli | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Al Fursan Al Humur (The Red Knights) | ||
| Founded | 1958; 67 years ago (1958) | ||
| Ground | Rashid Stadium,Dubai | ||
| Capacity | 8,015 | ||
| Owner | Hamdan Al Maktoum | ||
| Chairman | Ahmed Al Maktoum | ||
| Head coach | Paulo Sousa | ||
| League | UAE Pro League | ||
| 2023–24 | 2nd | ||
| Website | www | ||
Shabab Al Ahli Club (Arabic:نادي شباب الأهلي,romanized: nādī šabāb al-ʿahlī,lit. 'National Youth Club') is anEmirati professionalfootball club based inDubai, that currently plays in theUAE Pro League. It is one of the most successful clubs in the UAE.
Al Ahli FC has won 8 league titles, 10 UAE President Cup titles, 5 ADIB cup titles, 7 UAE super Cup titles, 1 combined league. 1 Emirati-MoroccanSuper Cup,1 Qatar–UAE Super Shield, 1 Qatar–UAE Challenge Shield. Earining a total of 34 titles making them the second most successful team in UAE. And the most successful team in Dubai. In the latest ranking by theIFFHS, Shabab Al Ahli is the 7th best club in Asia and ranked 110th in the world.
In 2017, theDubai CSC andAl Shabab merged within Al Ahli which the club renamed itself to Shabab Al Ahli.[1][2]
Al Ahli Club was established in 1970 when two local football teams Al Wehdah and Al Shabab (est. 1958) joined for a training camp in Egypt but decided to merge as one single club under first club president H.E. Nasser Abdulla Hussain Lootah. Four years later another local team Al Najah joined to form Al Ahli Club.
Al Ahli translates to "domestic or national" inArabic. The club won threeUAE Arabian Gulf League titles in the 1970s and won its fourth in 2006, fifth in 2009, sixth in 2014, seventh in 2016 and eighth in 2023
It took Al Ahli only four years after its establishment to win theUAE Arabian Gulf League twice consecutively in 1974-75 and 1975-76 then again in 1979-80 for the third time, which allowed them to permanently keep the league trophy. The victorious team, led by coachMohamed Shehta and featuring players such asHassan Nazari andHassan Roshan. The team also won three President Cup titles during that period. Drawing hometown fans, Al Ahli has been and continues to be one of the most popular sports teams in the UAE. However, the club went into decline for few decades, the result of which saw the club relegated to the second division (1995–96) in a dramatic way, when Al Ahli played against neighbour rival Al Shabab, Al Ahli needed just one point from the match to stay in the first division. Al Ahli has lost the match and Al Shabab has won the league title. The same year, Al Ahli won the President Cup title. After a period of decline, Al Ahli went back on top under the new leadership ofSheikhHamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Deputy Ruler of Dubai, winning its fourth league title in 2006 and the following years, Al Ahli continued to be a successful club in the UAE by winning 6 President Cups. The early 2000s saw Iranian legendAli Karimi play multiple seasons for Al Ahli, finishing as league top scorer in 2003-04 and being namedAsian footballer of the year 2004.[3]
Al-Ahli, as2008–09UAE Pro-League champions and as Abu Dhabi was hosting the event, qualified for the2009 FIFA Club World Cup which was held in December 2009. They lost 0–2 toAuckland City in their only game in the competition.[4]
The club began to rise again and in 2010 with Abdullah Al Naboodah, the squad was gradually re-built, with the likes ofFabio Cannavaro andGrafite andRicardo Quaresma joined the Emirati homegrown talentsAhmed Khalil andIsmael Al Hammadi. In 2012, Al Ahli won the UAE President's Cup and the Arabian Gulf Cup. The arrival of the Romanian football managerCosmin Olaroiu in 2013, set the stage for a highly successful 2013–14 season. Al Ahli performed strongly in the league and assured its 6th title with a record for the highest ever points total for a league season (62). In addition, the club won the Arabian Gulf Cup, 2 Arabian Gulf Super Cups (2013–14, 2014–15) and in the following year they reached2015 AFC Champions League Final which they narrowly lost to the Chinese teamGuangzhou Evergrande 1–0 on aggregate. Al Ahli homegrown forwardAhmed Khalil named the UAE's sole recipient of the prestigiousAsian Footballer of the Year award in 2015. In 2016, they again won their 7th domestic league title with two matches to play.[5]
In 2017 the clubsDubai CSC andAl Shabab joined with Al-Ahli FC to formShabab Al Ahli. The merge was seen as a controversial move as it meant combining the success of rival club Al Shabab with Al Ahli and it also meant missing the AFC Champions League for the first three years of its existence since it requires a club to exist for three years to obtain an AFC licence. However, the team would quickly experience success as they would win the League Cup and President's Cup in 2019.[6][7]
The original Al Ahli logo reflected a falcon on top of football and the words "Al Ahli Club" written horizontally. After rebranding themselves to Red Knights in 2006, the logo changed to a horse head shape with the letters "AC" (Al Ahli Club) on top. The new logo represents strength and high spirits also it goes along with the new nickname Red Knights instead of the old nickname the Red Devils.
A new logo was created after the merge between Dubai CSC and Al Shabab that made keema paratha.
Rashid Stadium is amulti-purpose stadium inDubai, United Arab Emirates that was named after SheikhRashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum. It is currently used mostly forfootball &Rugby matches. The stadium holds 12,000 people. It was built in 1948. It is the home ground of Shabab Al-Ahli.[5] Shabab Al Ahli also hasMaktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium and Al Aweer Stadium as a second and third home ground for the club after merging with Al Shabab and Dubai in 2017.
Shabab Al Ahli rivalry withAl Ain is gaining popularity as the two clubs alternated as champions in the 70s and more after 2010, and currently, both teams are considered among the top teams in the UAE. The match usually creates a lively atmosphere.Al Nasr andAl Wasl are also neighbouring rivals competing for who is the best team in Dubai.
The old Dubai derby is contested between Al Ahli and Al Nasr. It has its roots from the early 1970's before the formation of the league. The two were the best teams in Dubai and games between the two teams would attract fans from all over the UAE, and even spectators from as far as Kuwait and Jordan.
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The club is also known as Al Ahli Castle because of its involvement in other professional sports. The club competes in basketball, volleyball,handball, track sport, table tennis andtrack cycling. Al Ahli is also known for its involvement in cultural activities and community services. Al Ahli Drama club established in 1981, to promoteEmirati arts and theatrical plays focusing on UAE tradition, heritage and current events.[citation needed] The club's beach soccer team were UAE champions in 2021.[8]
In 2016, Al Ahli became the first foreign club to sign a partnership agreement withLa Liga, the first of its kind. The signing of the agreement, staged at La Liga's headquarters inMadrid, marks the beginning of a linkup in which La Liga's experience will be used to support Dubai's leading club in its development, especially via a training program from youth coaches in Spain will be applied. The club's junior sides will gain invitations to leading tournaments there, providing the opportunity to gain valuable experience playing top-class opposition.[9]
| Season | Lvl. | Tms. | Pos. | President's Cup | League Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | 1 | 12 | 5th | Semi-Finals | Semi-Finals |
| 2018–19 | 1 | 14 | 2nd | Champions | Champions |
| 2019–20a | 1 | 14 | 1st | Quarter-Finals | Runner-ups |
| 2020–21 | 1 | 14 | 3rd | Champions | Champions |
| 2021–22 | 1 | 14 | 5th | Quarter-Finals | Runner-ups |
| 2022–23 | 1 | 14 | 1st | Quarter-Finals | Quarter-Finals |
| 2023–24 | 1 | 14 | 2nd | Semi-Finals | Quarter-Finals |
Notes^ 2019–20 UAE football season was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates.
Key
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head Coach |  Paulo Sousa |
| Assistant Coach | Manuel Pereira Víctor Sánchez Lladò |
| Goalkeeper Coach |  Leandro Yoshinaga Suzuki |
| Fitness Trainer | Manuel Rivero Lluis Sala Pere |
| Doctor |  Kreismir Kos |
| Physioterapist |  Maharazad Kaneani Vasile Clofu Mohamed Salah Eldin |
| Masseur | Tomislav Cerovecki |
| Interpreter | Kareem Mohammed Shalabi |
| Manager |  Khaled Alkaabi Ahmed Ali-Shah |
As ofUAE Pro-League:[10]
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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35 Official[11] Championships
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