Al-Shorta Sports Club (Arabic: نادي الشرطة الرياضي, lit.'Police Sports Club') is an Iraqi sports club based in Al-Rusafa, Baghdad. It has teams in 19 different sports, and the best known section of the club is the football team, whose origins date back to 1932. Al-Shorta was formally established as a sports club in 1978 after a clubs-only policy was introduced to Iraqi football.

Al-Shorta
Full nameAl-Shorta Sports Club
Nickname(s)Al-Qithara (The Harp)
Founded1932; 92 years ago (1932)
GroundAl-Shaab Stadium
Capacity35,700
PresidentAbdul-Halim Fahem
Head coachAhmed Salah
LeagueIraq Stars League
2023–24Iraq Stars League, 1st of 20 (champions)
Websitehttps://www.alshortasc.com/
Asian home colours
Current season
Active departments of Al-Shorta SC
Football Basketball Handball
Futsal Volleyball Beach volleyball
Archery Athletics Bodybuilding
Boxing Diving Footvolley
Judo Show jumping Swimming
Taekwondo Water polo Weightlifting
Wrestling

Al-Shorta's football team is one of the most successful in Iraq,[1] having won the Iraq Stars League seven times and the Iraq FA Cup once, completing the domestic double in the 2023–24 season. Al-Shorta were crowned the inaugural Arab Club Champions Cup winners in 1982 and are one of only two Iraqi clubs to have won the tournament.[2] Al-Shorta have won two Iraqi Super Cup titles and are also the only team to win the Umm al-Ma'arik Championship three times in a row.[3]

Al-Shorta hold the Iraq Stars League records for the joint-longest unbeaten run (39 games) and the most consecutive wins in a season (11 wins). In the 2021–22 season, Al-Shorta set records for the earliest league title win (seven rounds remaining) and the largest title-winning margin (21 points), and also became the first club to win all Baghdad derbies home and away in one season.[4]

History

edit

The Al-Shorta (Police) football team was formed in 1932 by Mudhafar Ahmed, the director of the Police Schools in Baghdad.[5] Al-Shorta participated in the second edition of the Prince Ghazi Cup in the 1932–33 season, and claimed their first trophy in 1938 by winning the Taha Al-Hashimi Cup, followed by victories in the Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya Cup and Al-Olympi Club Cup in 1939.[6] The team later became known as Madaris Al-Shorta (Police Schools) after a new Police team called Al-Quwa Al-Siyara (Mobile Force) was formed.[7]

The Iraq Football Association was established in 1948 and it was decided that an Al-Shorta Select XI (Montakhab Al-Shorta) would compete in the inaugural Baghdad top-flight league season in 1948–49.[8] The Al-Shorta Select XI were relegated from the top-flight that season, and therefore competed in the second division in the 1949–50 season.[7] In the 1950–51 season, Madaris Al-Shorta entered the newly-formed third division and Al-Quwa Al-Siyara competed in the second tier instead of the Al-Shorta Select XI,[9] and the two teams were both leading their respective divisions before the season was abandoned.[10]

 
Al-Shorta players lining up before a match in 1937.

From the 1951–52 season, Madaris Al-Shorta and Al-Quwa Al-Siyara combined to form the Al-Shorta Select XI 'A' and 'B' teams to compete in the region's top-flight and second division respectively.[7] Al-Shorta Select XI 'A' finished as runners-up of the top-flight in 1957–58, while Al-Shorta Select XI 'B' finished as runners-up of the second division in 1958–59.[11] In 1960, the Police Games Committee (later renamed to Police Games Directorate) was formed to control Police sports in Iraq, and they decided to expand the Police force's sporting activities for the 1960–61 season. Al-Quwa Al-Siyara re-entered the IFA's football pyramid as an individual team, joining the regional second division along with newly-formed Police teams Aliyat Al-Shorta and Shortat Al-Najda,[12] while the Al-Shorta Select XI 'A' and 'B' teams continued to compete in the top-flight and second division respectively.[13][14] After finishing as Iraq Central FA Premier League runners-up again in 1960–61, Al-Shorta Select XI 'A' won the league title for the first time in the 1962–63 season.[15]

At the end of that season, Aliyat Al-Shorta secured promotion to the top-flight, meaning there were two Police teams in the top division.[16] As a result, the Al-Shorta Select XI 'A' team were replaced in the top-flight by Madaris Al-Shorta from the 1963–64 season, while the Al-Shorta Select XI 'B' team were disbanded. From this point, the Al-Shorta Select XI would only compete in the Republic Championship and in matches against visiting foreign teams.[17] Formed from the best players of the individual Police teams, the Al-Shorta Select XI won the Republic Championship in both 1968 and 1969. The Al-Shorta Select XI was led by the coach of Aliyat Al-Shorta, Mohammed Najeeb Kaban, and included many of the star players from Aliyat Al-Shorta, a team that went on to win four league titles and reach the final of the 1971 Asian Champion Club Tournament where they refused to face Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv.[18]

Timeline of league participation
  • 1948–1949: Al-Shorta Select XI (L1)
  • 1949–1950: Al-Shorta Select XI (L2)
  • 1950–1951: Select XI not in league
  • 1951–1963: Al-Shorta Select XI 'A' (L1);
    Al-Shorta Select XI 'B' (L2)
  • 1963–1974: Select XI not in league
  • 1974–present: Al-Shorta SC (L1)
L1 = Level 1 of the league system; L2 = Level 2 of the league system

In 1974, the Iraq Football Association (IFA) decided to implement a clubs-only policy for domestic competitions, forming the Iraqi National Clubs League which was only open to clubs and not institute-representative teams such as the individual Police teams.[19] With the IFA dictating that only a single club would be allowed to represent the Police in the new top-flight, Al-Shorta Sports Club was provisionally established on 18 August 1974 by the Iraqi Olympic Committee and was placed under the control of the Police Games Directorate (PGD) until the club's formal establishment.[17] The PGD was strongly opposed to the IFA's new clubs-only policy and thus decided to field a team of amateurs for Al-Shorta to compete in the inaugural 1974–75 season in protest.[6] After suffering heavy defeats in their first two games,[20] the amateur players were replaced by players from the Shortat Al-Najda and Kuliyat Al-Shorta teams for the remainder of the season,[6] before ten Aliyat Al-Shorta players joined the team for the 1975–76 season.[21] Al-Shorta was formally established as a sports club in 1978, registering as such with the Ministry of Youth and Sports and being attached to the Ministry of Interior.[22] Al-Shorta won their first national league title in the 1979–80 season, finishing ahead of rivals Al-Zawraa on goal difference under the leadership of former player Douglas Aziz.[23] This qualified them for the inaugural Arab Club Champions Cup in 1981–82, and Al-Shorta became the first ever Arab champions with a 4–2 aggregate win over Al-Nejmeh in the final.[2]

 

Khudhor
Hameed
A. Ogla
Abbas
M. Ogla
Jawad
Majeed
Assem
Starting line-up for 3–2 win against Al-Sulaikh which secured the 1997–98 league title.[24]

In 1983, the club changed their name to Qiwa Al-Amn Al-Dakhili (Internal Security Forces) while Iraq was at war; that name only lasted for one season before they returned to the name Al-Shorta.[25] In 1985, Al-Shorta won the Arab Police Championship for the third time while representing the Iraq Police team, having previously won in 1976 and 1978.[26] On 23 December 1990, Al-Shorta played their first match at Al-Shorta Stadium, which was built with the help of volunteers and club workers, beating Al-Tijara 3–2.[27] In the 1993–94 season, Al-Shorta striker Younis Abid Ali scored 36 league goals which remains an Iraqi record for most goals scored by a player in one league season.[28]

There were three contenders for the 1997–98 Iraqi Premier League title going into the final day of the season; Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya were on top of the league with Al-Shorta in second and Al-Zawraa third. Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya were playing Al-Zawraa at the same time as Al-Shorta were playing Al-Sulaikh. Al-Shorta were 2–1 down to Al-Sulaikh before an 84th-minute goal from Mufeed Assem and a 91st-minute penalty kick from league top scorer Mahmoud Majeed earned a dramatic 3–2 victory, which was enough to overtake Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (who had drawn 1–1 with Al-Zawraa) and achieve their second Premier League title and first for eighteen years. In the process, Al-Shorta broke the Iraqi records for most consecutive wins in a league season (11) and most consecutive league games scored in (37).[29][30] That season also saw them reach the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup Winners' Cup, earning wins over Al-Seeb and Bargh Shiraz before being eliminated in the quarter-final.[31]

Al-Shorta reached the quarter-finals of the 1999–2000 Asian Club Championship before making history by becoming the first club to win the Umm al-Ma'arik Championship three times in a row, winning the trophy in the 2000–01, 2001–02 and 2002–03 seasons. They were also in the lead of the 2002–03 league competition before it was cancelled due to the Iraq War.[32] In April 2003, the club's former goalkeeper and captain Raad Hammoudi became Al-Shorta's president and saved the club from bankruptcy after the war.[33] Al-Shorta participated in the 2003 edition of the Arab Club Champions Cup and the 2004 and 2005 editions of the AFC Champions League but were knocked out at the group stage each time.[34][35]

Starting line-up for 3–0 win against Al-Talaba which secured the 2012–13 league title.

After an unstable post-war period which culminated in a relegation battle in the 2010–11 season,[36] Al-Shorta returned to the top of Iraqi football in the 2012–13 season, securing their third Iraqi Premier League title with a final-day 3–0 victory over rivals Al-Talaba at Al-Shaab Stadium. Al-Shorta finished in first place in the Premier League in 2013–14 under Brazilian coach Lorival Santos but the season was ended prematurely due to the worsening war situation in the country. Al-Shorta also appeared in the 2014 AFC Champions League qualifiers, losing 1–0 to Al-Kuwait, and they were eliminated at the group stage and the round of 16 at the 2014 and 2015 AFC Cups, respectively. Al-Shorta won the Premier League title again in 2018–19, led by Montenegrin coach Nebojša Jovović, equalling the Iraqi record for most consecutive league games unbeaten (39) in the process.[37] Al-Shorta won the Iraqi Super Cup for the first time in 2019 with a penalty shootout win over Al-Zawraa, before reaching the quarter-finals of the 2019–20 Arab Club Champions Cup and being eliminated from the group stages of the 2020 and 2021 AFC Champions Leagues, the former on goal difference.[38][1]

Under the management of Egyptian coach Moamen Soliman, Al-Shorta enjoyed one of the best league seasons in their history in 2021–22. Al-Shorta set a record for the earliest Iraqi Premier League title win with seven rounds of the competition remaining, finishing a record 21 points clear at the top of the table, and became the first club to beat all other teams in a 20-team season and the first club to win all Baghdad derbies home and away in one season. Their tally of 91 points equalled the record for the most points in a 38-game season in Iraq.[39] Al-Shorta went on to win the 2022 Iraqi Super Cup with a 1–0 victory over Al-Karkh,[40] and then retained their Iraqi Premier League crown by clinching the 2022–23 title with a 3–0 win away to Naft Maysan in the penultimate round of the season.[41] Al-Shorta also reached the semi-finals of the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup, defeating CS Sfaxien and Al-Sadd before losing 1–0 to Al-Nassr from a penalty scored by Cristiano Ronaldo.[42] Al-Shorta became only the fourth club in Iraq to win three consecutive national league titles when they were crowned champions of the 2023–24 Iraq Stars League, the first edition of the competition since it had been transformed into a professional league.[43] They coupled that success with their first Iraq FA Cup title, beating Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 1–0 in the final to secure the domestic double.[44]

Emblem

edit
 
Al-Shorta's first logo was based on the logo of the Iraqi Police (pictured).

Al-Shorta's first club crest was the same as the logo of the Iraqi Police, with the addition of the Olympic rings at the bottom alongside the club's name and the year 1978, which was the year of the club's formal establishment.[45] Al-Shorta began to wear a harp on their shirts in the 1992–93 season, after television presenter Majid Abdul-Haq coined the now-popular nickname Al-Qithara (The Harp) to refer to the club on his program Letter of the League by likening the team's attractive style of play to the tunes of a musical instrument.[46] In 2002, laurel leaves were added either side of the harp on the shirt, and the Olympic rings were added underneath it.[45]

In 2005, Al-Shorta adopted a new emblem which was blue with a green outline, with a harp featuring in the centre of the crest along with the Iraq flag. Under the presidency of Raad Hammoudi, the club decided to recognise 1975 as its year of foundation, as this was the year in which the Police Games Directorate accepted the new clubs-only policy in Iraqi football and integrated its top players into Al-Shorta Sports Club which had been provisionally established along with the Iraqi National Clubs League a year prior. Thus, 1975 was written on either side of the logo in English and Arabic, and this remained the club's crest for the next seven years.

In 2012, the club's new administrative body decided to recognise 1932 as the club's year of foundation, as the club's origins date back to the football team that formed in 1932 and went on to compete in the Iraq Central FA Premier League. This came with a change to the club's logo in the form of a new white circular crest with a green outline, which contained the harp, laurel leaves and Olympic rings inside it along with the club's name and year of foundation at the bottom.[45]

On 12 December 2013, before the start of the 2014 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off, Al-Shorta announced the change to a new logo which was designed by Luay Abdul-Rahman, the artistic director of Al-Shorta's newspaper. The centre of the logo features a golden harp on a green and white backdrop, and the club's year of foundation and the Iraq flag feature at the top and bottom of the logo respectively. The club's name in English is displayed in a golden banner towards the bottom of the logo.[47]

On 18 November 2020, the club revealed a brand new crest as part of a ceremony to celebrate its 88th anniversary. However, the logo change was abandoned after a negative reception from supporters.[48]

Kits

edit
 
Amjad Kalaf wearing Al-Shorta's home kit in the 2013–14 season.

In 1958, the Al-Shorta Select XI had a yellow and brown kit,[49] and also had an all-white kit.[50] The team began to wear purple kits under the leadership of coach Mohammed Najeeb Kaban in the 1960s. Since 1978, Al-Shorta have mainly worn green home kits, white away kits and purple third kits,[51] with the exception of the 1983–84 season when they wore a black home shirt while playing under the name Qiwa Al-Amn Al-Dakhili (Internal Security Forces).[52]

Since the 2016–17 season, Al-Shorta have worn purple as the away kit colour rather than white. In August 2020, Al-Shorta launched their own clothing brand called Qitharah to manufacture kits and other apparel for the club.[53]

Shirt sponsors

edit

Al-Shorta's shirts have featured a number of different sponsors' logos over the years:[54][55][56][57]

Period Shirt sponsor
1995 Abu Saif Markets
1998–1999 Al-Mansour Tea
1999–2003 Samsung
2003 Peugeot
2003 New Iraq Charitable Foundation
2005 Motorola
2005–2006 Lay's
2006 Kotsons
2007 MTC-Vodafone
2008 Asia Cell (on front)
IraqCom (on back)
2014–2015 Royal Arena Sport

Supporters

edit
 
Al-Shorta playing in front of their supporters at Al-Shaab Stadium in 2022.

Ultras Green Harp is an ultras group that was formed in 2012 at the start of the 2012–13 season and has grown to become one of Iraq's largest fan groups. It is a self-financed group that travels to both home and away matches across Iraq, providing flags and banners for fans to wave during the game. Before kickoff, the Ultras Green Harp members often hold up a large banner which can vary depending on the opposition.[58] Another prominent fan group called Majaneen Al-Qithara was founded in 2017.[59]

Rivalries

edit

Al-Shorta are one of the top four clubs in Baghdad along with Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Al-Zawraa, and Al-Talaba; these four clubs together contest the Baghdad derbies.[60] The Baghdad derbies are often considered to be the most important games of a season and they are usually held at neutral venues such as Al-Shaab Stadium to accommodate a larger number of spectators.[61]

Al-Shorta's rivalry with Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya is the longest-standing, with its origins dating back to the 1930s.[62] Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya are also Al-Shorta's local rivals as the two clubs' stadiums are located within a short distance of each other on Falastin Street.[63]

Al-Shorta also compete in the "Al-Dakhiliya derbies" with fellow Ministry of Interior clubs Al-Hudood and Aliyat Al-Shorta.[64]

Stadiums

edit

In their early years, the Al-Shorta Select XI played their home matches on the playing field at the team's headquarters, located on what would become Falastin Street in the early 1960s. After the establishment of the Iraqi National Clubs League, the club played their home games at the Local Administration Stadium in Al-Mansour and later at Al-Furusiya Stadium owned by the Ministry of Interior.[45]

Al-Shorta Stadium

edit
 
Al-Shorta Stadium in 2012.

In the 1980s, the club decided to build their own stadium at the club's headquarters, with construction of the four stands being overseen by club president Abdul-Qadir Zeinal and work being carried out by club workers and volunteers. Al-Shorta Stadium was opened for its first match on 23 December 1990 with Al-Shorta beating Al-Tijara 3–2. The stadium was able to hold 8,634 people, while the white hall on the side of the field (named the Abid Kadhim Hall in honour of former player and manager Abid Kadhim) can hold approximately 2,000 people.[45]

The stadium began to be demolished on 4 March 2014 to make way for the construction of Al-Shorta Sports City.[45]

Al-Shorta Sports City Stadium

edit

In the 2012–13 season, Al-Shorta announced plans to build a sports complex called Al-Shorta Sports City, which will include a new all-seater stadium with natural grass, a training pitch with an artificial surface and athletics tracks. The complex is being constructed by Swedish company Nordic Sport through its regional partner Nynord, along with Emirati company AKG Engineering.[65] Börje Österberg, the owner of Nordic Sport, announced the initiation of construction of Al-Shorta Sports City on 16 December 2013.[66]

On 7 January 2015, AKG Engineering released a video showing what the sports complex should look like once construction is completed.[67] The stadium will have a capacity of 10,218 and will have green and white seats. Also at Al-Shorta Sports City will be a hotel, a club office, an indoor swimming pool with 1,500 seats, a multi-purpose closed hall with 2,500 seats, a full-quality relaxation club (with sports facilities), restaurants, theatres and a shopping centre.[65][68][69][70]

Construction work was suspended in December 2015 before resuming in November 2022, with work on the all-seater stadium and training pitch scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024.[71]

Al-Shaab Stadium

edit

Al-Shorta currently play their home matches at Al-Shaab Stadium in Baghdad.[72]

Players

edit

First-team squad

edit
As of 12 September 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 Ahmed Basil (vice-captain)
4 DF   IRQ Manaf Younis
5 MF   IRQ Rewan Amin
6 MF   IRQ Sajjad Jassim
7 FW   SYR Mahmoud Al-Mawas
8 DF   IRQ Akam Hashim
9 MF   IRQ Hussein Ali
10 FW   IRQ Ahmed Farhan
11 MF   IRQ Bassam Shakir
12 DF   IRQ Hassan Raed
14 MF   NIG Abdoul Madjid Moumouni
15 DF   IRQ Ahmed Yahya
18 FW   IRQ Mohanad Ali (captain)
19 MF   JOR Mohammad Abu Zrayq
No. Pos. Nation Player
20 MF   SEN Idrissa Niang
21 GK   IRQ Hassan Ahmed
22 GK   IRQ Mohammed Karim
23 FW   IRQ Omar Waleed
24 DF   IRQ Faisal Jassim
25 MF   IRQ Abdul-Razzaq Qasim
27 DF   IRQ Ameer Sabah
28 FW   BRA Lucas Santos
29 FW   IRQ Mohammed Dawood
30 MF   SYR Fahd Al-Youssef
31 DF   IRQ Ahmed Zeero
33 DF   IRQ Haidar Adel
34 DF   IRQ Ali Jassim Zayer
36 DF   CMR Salomon Banga

Out on loan

edit

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
GK   IRQ Abbas Karim (on loan at Al-Minaa until the end of the 2024–25 season)
MF   IRQ Ammar Ghalib (on loan at Al-Naft until the end of the 2024–25 season)
MF   IRQ Atheer Salih (on loan at Al-Hudood until the end of the 2024–25 season)
FW   IRQ Dhulfiqar Younis (on loan at Duhok until the end of the 2024–25 season)

Personnel

edit

Technical staff

edit
Position Name Nationality
Head coach: Ahmed Salah  
Assistant coach: Hussein Abdul-Wahed  
Fitness coach: Haidar Abdul-Qadir  
Goalkeeping coach: Ahmed Jassim  
Physiotherapist: Tonello Marilia  
Team manager: Hashim Ridha  

Management

edit
Position Name Nationality
President: Abdul-Halim Fahem  
Vice-president: Ghalib Al-Zamili  
Board secretary: Uday Al-Rubaie  
Financial secretary Ghazi Faisal  
Member of the Board: Sadeq Faraj  
Member of the Board: Abdul-Wahab Al-Taei  
Member of the Board: Ali Al-Shahmani  
Member of the Board: Alaa Bahar Al-Uloom  
Member of the Board: Tahseen Al-Yassri  

Managers

edit

In 1958, the Al-Shorta Select XI appointed their first foreign manager in Palestinian coach Dennis Nasrawi. Since 1974, Al-Shorta have been coached by nine foreign managers from seven countries. The first of these was Yugoslavian coach Rajko Menista who took charge of Al-Shorta from 1982 to 1983.[25]

Since 2013, Al-Shorta have hired two Brazilian managers (Lorival Santos and Marcos Paquetá), two Egyptian managers (Mohamed Youssef and Moamen Soliman), one Jordanian manager (Haitham Al-Shaboul as caretaker), one Montenegrin manager (Nebojša Jovović), one Serbian manager (Aleksandar Ilić) and one Tunisian manager (Chiheb Ellili). The rest of the club's managers throughout history have been of Iraqi nationality.[16]

Notable managers

edit

The following managers won at least one major trophy when in charge of the team:

Name Period Trophies
Al-Shorta Select XI
  Fahmi Al-Qaimaqchi 1951–1955,
1960–1966
Iraq Central FA Premier League
Al-Shorta SC
  Douglas Aziz 1979–1982, 1983,
1987–1989,
1990–1991, 1993
Iraq Stars League, Arab Club Champions Cup
  Abdelilah Abdul-Hameed 1997–1998,
2002–2003
Iraq Stars League
  Ahmed Radhi 1999–2001 Umm al-Ma'arik Championship
  Yassin Umal 2001–2002 Umm al-Ma'arik Championship
  Basim Qasim 1994, 1996, 2002, 2003,
2011–2012
Umm al-Ma'arik Championship
  Thair Jassam 2012–2013,
2015, 2018
Iraq Stars League
  Nebojša Jovović 2018–2019 Iraq Stars League
  Aleksandar Ilić 2019–2020,
2020–2021
Iraqi Super Cup
  Moamen Soliman 2021–2023, 2024 Iraq Stars League (2), Iraq FA Cup, Iraqi Super Cup
  Ahmed Salah 2018, 2019, 2023,
2024–present
Iraq Stars League

Honours

edit

Major

edit
Type Competition Titles Seasons
Al-Shorta SC
Domestic
(national)
Iraq Stars League 7 1979–80, 1997–98, 2012–13, 2018–19, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24
Iraq FA Cup 1 2023–24
Umm al-Ma'arik Championship 3s 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03
Iraqi Super Cup 2 2019, 2022
International Arab Club Champions Cup 1 1981–82
Al-Shorta Select XI
Domestic
(regional)
Iraq Central FA Premier League 1 1962–63
  •   record
  • S shared record

Minor

edit
 
Al-Shorta players with the Taha Al-Hashimi Cup that they won in 1938.
Competition Titles Seasons
Al-Shorta SC
Baghdad Cup 1 2013
Al-Quds International Championship 1 2002
Baghdad Day Cup 1 2000
Great Victory Championship 1 1996
Al-Qadisiya Championship 1 1988
President's Gold Cup 1 1983
Al-Shorta Select XI
Republic Championship 2 1968, 1969
Hilla Mutasarrif Cup 1 1957
Al-Olympi Club Cup 1 1939
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya Cup 1 1939
Taha Al-Hashimi Cup 1 1938

Records

edit

Matches

edit
 
Nashat Akram (pictured) scored a hat-trick in Al-Shorta's record league win on 18 October 2002 (8–0 against Duhok).
Firsts
Wins
  • Record win: 11–0 against Al-Samawa, FA Cup round of 32, 16 November 1998[75]
  • Record League win: 8–0 against Duhok, First Division League, 18 October 2002[76]
  • Record League qualifying win: 10–1 against Al-Hudood, 25 September 2000
  • Record Umm al-Ma'arik Championship win: 7–1 against Salahaddin, group stage, 5 December 2000
  • Record win in an AFC competition: 5–0 against Al-Wahda, Asian Club Championship second round, 18 November 1999
  • Record win in an UAFA competition: 5–0 against FC Nouadhibou, Arab Club Champions Cup second round, 25 November 2019
  • Most goals scored in one half of a win: 10, in a 10–1 win against Al-Bahri, FA Cup round of 16, 14 December 1998[77]
Defeats
Consecutive results
  • Record consecutive League wins: 11, Premier League, from 13 March 1998 to 22 May 1998
  • Record consecutive League matches scored in: 37, Premier League, from 13 October 1997 to 13 November 1998
  • Record consecutive League defeats: 6, Elite League, from 15 July 2012 to 10 August 2012
  • Record consecutive League matches without a defeat: 39, Premier League, from 21 May 2018 to 23 May 2019[3]

Attendances

edit

Appearances

edit

Goals

edit
 
Al-Shorta's Younis Abid Ali set a national record for the most goals scored in one league season (36) in 1993–94.

Top goalscorers

edit

Iraq Stars League (1974–present) matches only.[30]

# Name Goals First year Last year
1   Younis Abid Ali 135 1983 1999
2   Hashim Ridha 99 1998 2011
3   Alaa Abdul-Zahra 78 2014 2024
4   Ali Hussein Mahmoud 60 1974 1983
5   Amjad Kalaf 58 2007 2016
6   Mohanad Ali 57 2014 Present
7   Mahmoud Al-Mawas 54 2021 Present
8   Saad Qais 45 1983 2001
9   Faisal Aziz 42 1977 1989
  Mufeed Assem 1996 2003

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "Iraq's Al Shorta stun former runners-up Al Ahli for maiden Asian Champions League win". beIN Sports. 17 September 2020. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Arab Club Champions Cup". RSSSF. 8 December 2016. Archived from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  3. ^ a b "How Al-Shorta became an unstoppable force in Iraqi football". FIFA.com. 28 July 2023.
  4. ^ "موسم الإنجاز وأرقام قياسية ... تفاصيل مباريات الشرطة في موسم 2021-2022" (in Arabic). Kooora. 9 July 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Al-Fartoosi, Amir. "The Second Prince Ghazi Cup". Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  6. ^ a b c Al-Ahmad, Abu Baqir (7 January 2014). "Al-Shorta SC History (Arabic)" (in Arabic). Kooora.com. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. ^ a b c Mubarak, Hassanin (2020). Birth of the Lions of Mesopotamia: The early years of football in Iraq. Amazon Digital Services LLC - KDP Print US. ISBN 979-8670555623.
  8. ^ a b "Baghdad Football League games start on Friday". The Iraq Times. 2 November 1948. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  9. ^ "How leagues stand". The Iraq Times. 5 January 1951. Archived from the original on 21 March 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  10. ^ George, George (18 December 1951). "A review of the sporting year". The Iraq Times. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  11. ^ "Spinning & Weaving win 2nd Div. Cup". The Iraq Times. 16 June 1959. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  12. ^ "Draw for soccer championships takes place in capital". The Iraq Times. 19 February 1961. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  13. ^ "Iraq Football Association". The Iraq Times. 9 October 1961. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  14. ^ "Iraq First Division games on league system". The Iraq Times. 16 October 1961. Archived from the original on 4 April 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  15. ^ Al-Ahmad, Abu Baqir (11 February 2007). "Story of the Iraqi Football League" (in Arabic). Kooora.com. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  16. ^ a b Mubarak, Hassanin (5 November 2020). "Various Baghdad Police Clubs - Coaches". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  17. ^ a b Hashim, Refel (25 May 2002). "Iraq 1974/75". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  18. ^ "Roll of honour". Asian Football Confederation. 21 February 2011. Archived from the original on 23 May 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  19. ^ "Iraqi Football League History" (in Arabic). NIIIIS.com. 9 January 2017. Archived from the original on 28 October 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  20. ^ a b c Mahmoud, Shukri (31 December 2011). "Al-Naqil score on average every 8 minutes in 11–0 win over Al-Shorta in 1974". Kooora.com. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  21. ^ Hashim, Refel (19 May 2002). "Iraq 1975/76". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  22. ^ Bunyan, Ayad (29 August 2012). "Police Sport Club" (in Arabic). Al-Shorta SC.
  23. ^ Anwiyah, Emmanuel (14 July 2015). "Learn about the champions of the 1979/80 season (Al-Shorta)". Kooora.com. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  24. ^ "Old Al-Shorta Lineups". Kooora. 30 August 2009. Archived from the original on 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  25. ^ a b Mubarak, Hassanin (10 May 2013). "Al-Shurta (Baghdad) - Coaches". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  26. ^ "نادي الشرطة العراقي - الإنجازات" (in Arabic). Al-Shorta SC. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  27. ^ a b "نادي الشرطة العراقي - تاريخ النادي" (in Arabic). Al-Shorta SC. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  28. ^ "Simon Says: The deteriorating state of Iraqi football". Fox Sports. 1 September 2016.
  29. ^ "Al-Shorta hold the two longest winning streaks in #IPFL history". Al-Shorta SC. 14 February 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  30. ^ a b "Al-Shorta: Club Records". Al-Shorta SC. Archived from the original on 16 October 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  31. ^ "8TH ASIAN CUP WINNER'S CUP". Asian Football Confederation. 2 December 1998. Archived from the original on 2 December 1998.
  32. ^ "الاتحاد العراقي المركزي لكرة القدم تعليمات ونشاطات الموسم الرياضي 2003-2004". 25 September 2003. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  33. ^ Freeman, Simon (1 August 2005). Baghdad FC: Iraq's Football Story. John Murray. ISBN 9780719567940.
  34. ^ "الشرطة يختتم مبارياته اسيويا" (in Arabic). NIIIIS.com. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  35. ^ "االشرطة في دوري ابطال اسيا" (in Arabic). NIIIIS.com. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  36. ^ "Al-Shorta Pictures". futbol-com.ucoz.ru. 9 January 2018. Archived from the original on 11 November 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  37. ^ Mohammed, Bilal (15 July 2019). "Officially Al-Naft's gift secures the title for Al-Shorta" (in Arabic). Goal.com. Archived from the original on 2 August 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  38. ^ "Mohammed VI Champions Cup 2019". Goalzz.com. Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  39. ^ "Momen Soliman leads Al-Shorta to Iraqi Premier League title". KingFut. 18 May 2022. Archived from the original on 17 July 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  40. ^ "بالصور .. الشرطة يحصد لقب السوبر العراقي". Kooora (in Arabic). 2 October 2022. Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  41. ^ "الشرطة يحسم لقب الدوري العراقي للمرة الثانية توالياً" (in Arabic). alaraby.co.uk. 15 July 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  42. ^ "شاهد- رونالدو يقود النصر السعودي إلى نهائي بطولة الأندية العربية" (in Arabic). aljazeera.net. 9 August 2023.
  43. ^ "الشرطة بطلا لدوري نجوم العراق" (in Arabic). Kooora. 4 July 2024.
  44. ^ "لأول مرة في تاريخه.. الشرطة يتوج بطلاً لكأس العراق لكرة القدم" (in Arabic). Shafaq. 10 July 2024.
  45. ^ a b c d e f "Al-Shorta: Club History". Al-Shorta SC. Archived from the original on 16 October 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  46. ^ "Al-Qithara nickname origins". Al-Shorta Facebook (in Arabic). 11 August 2014. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  47. ^ "Striking the right chord: The enchanting harp emblem of Al-Shorta". FIFA.com. 28 July 2023.
  48. ^ "نادي الشرطة يعلن عن شعاره الجديد" (in Arabic). Al-Sumaria TV. 18 November 2020.
  49. ^ "Baghdad team draw with Syrian club". The Iraq Times. 14 October 1958. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  50. ^ "Syrian club unlucky not to defeat Police". The Iraq Times. 16 October 1958. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  51. ^ Geraldes, Pablo Aro (17 July 2012). "Iraq Team Colours". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  52. ^ "اللاعب وليد ثامر بقميص نادي قوى الامن الداخلي موسم 1983 - 1984" (in Arabic). الدوري العراقي 1975 ــ 2003. 21 April 2021.
  53. ^ "الشرطة يدشن تجهيزاته الرياضية الجديدة بماركة القيثارة" (in Arabic). Al-Shorta SC. 21 August 2020. Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  54. ^ "Photo 2 of Al-Shorta wearing Shai Mansour sponsored kit". Kooora.com. 9 January 2017. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  55. ^ "Photo of Al-Shorta wearing Samsung sponsored kit". Kooora.com. 9 January 2017. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  56. ^ "Photo of Al-Shorta wearing Lay's sponsored kit". Kooora.com. 9 January 2017. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  57. ^ "Photo of Al-Shorta wearing MTC-Vodafone sponsored kit". Kooora.com. 9 January 2017. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  58. ^ "'REVENGE, This is Hell', Ultras Green Harp in Iraq". FenerFanatics. 9 January 2017.[permanent dead link]
  59. ^ "جماهير فريق الشرطة العراقي تُقدّم التعازي للمغاربة وأنصار الرجاء في وفاة الرّاحل ريان" (in Arabic). El Botola. 8 February 2022.
  60. ^ "Greatest Asian Club Derbies: Iraq". Asian Football Confederation. 21 February 2021. Archived from the original on 19 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  61. ^ "A Large History: The Full Story of the Great Baghdad Derby with Facts and Figures" (in Arabic). Iraqi Sport Newspaper. 9 February 2017. Archived from the original on 4 July 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  62. ^ "Jalal Hamdi's Report on the Historical Prince Ghazi Cup" (in Arabic). Al-Mada Newspaper. 3 December 2013. Archived from the original on 4 July 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  63. ^ "Iraqi football club 90 minutes away from making history". The New Arab. 5 November 2016.
  64. ^ "صالات الشرطة تتفوق بأريحية في ديربي الداخلية" (in Arabic). Almaalomah. 3 January 2024.
  65. ^ a b "AKG Engineering - Ongoing Projects". AKG Engineering. 9 January 2017. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  66. ^ Al-Musawi, Amer (16 December 2013). "حصريا/ رئيس إدارة شركات نوردك سبورت السويدية يعلن الشروع في بناء المدينة الرياضية لنادي الشرطة" (in Arabic). Kooora.
  67. ^ "ملعب النادي" (in Arabic). Al-Shorta SC. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  68. ^ "The Ministry of Interior - Mr. Mohammed Salim Al-Ghabban visits Police Club Sports Complex Project". AKG Engineering. 5 November 2015. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  69. ^ "Ongoing Project". Reco Sport. Archived from the original on 25 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  70. ^ "Ongoing Project". Nynord. Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  71. ^ "Federal Ministry of Interior - Mr. Abdil Ameer Al-Shimmary received in his office AKG Engineering Chairman". AKG Engineering. 22 November 2022.
  72. ^ "ملعب الشعب ينقذ أندية بغداد من ورطة" (in Arabic). Kooora. 24 June 2023.
  73. ^ "Baghdad Football League is off to enthusiastic start". The Iraq Times. 11 November 1948. Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  74. ^ "Cup Fright for Bodyguard". The Iraq Times. 24 February 1949. Archived from the original on 30 July 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  75. ^ a b "Iraq FA Cup Statistics". Al-Mla3eb. Archived from the original on 15 February 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  76. ^ a b "Iraqi League Statistics". Al-Mla3eb. Retrieved 22 May 2020.[permanent dead link]
  77. ^ Al-Adhari, Mundher (23 September 2008). "Ten goals for Al-Shorta in one half". Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  78. ^ "Al-Zawraa Archival Encyclopedia - 1978/79 Season". Al-Zubadi. 24 February 2018. Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  79. ^ "Al-Zawraa 1-0 Al-Shorta at Al-Shaab Stadium - December 13, 1991". Soccer Iraq. 24 April 2020. Archived from the original on 2 May 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  80. ^ "Al-Talaba 1–2 Al-Shorta, 24 March 2014". WAAR TV. 26 March 2014. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021.
  81. ^ Mubarak, Hassanin (4 January 2013). "Iraq national team history: The first players from their clubs to play for Iraq". Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  82. ^ Mubarak, Hassanin (10 January 2020). "Iraq - Record International Players". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 14 December 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  83. ^ "1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico™ Group Matches - Group B". FIFA. Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  84. ^ "Iraq continues with the victories in the Gulf". AGCFF. Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  85. ^ "Stars in memory: Younis Abid Ali". Al-Mada Paper. 17 April 2012. Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  86. ^ a b Ibrahim, Mohammed (25 July 2001). "Hashim Ridha Interview". Iraq Sport. Archived from the original on 25 July 2001.
  87. ^ Mubarak, Hassanin (11 July 2003). "Baggio lives on... in Iraq?" (PDF). Iraq Sport. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 July 2003.
  88. ^ Mubarak, Hassanin (18 November 2012). "Al-Shurta striker Jean Michel N'Lend nets hat-trick in Baghdad Derby". Archived from the original on 4 July 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  89. ^ "Alaa Abdul Zahra enters the history of the Iraqi Premier League". Al-Masalah. 22 October 2018. Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
edit