Al-Wasl F.C.
Al Wasl Football Club (Arabic: نادي الوصل لكرة القدم) is a United Arab Emirates Football League club based in Dubai. It is a part of the multi-sports club Al Wasl Sports Club. Former manager Diego Maradona was the manager of the club in 2011 and 2012.[3] The club has a supporters' group, the Ultras Junoon.
Full name | Al-Wasl Football Club | ||
---|---|---|---|
Nickname(s) | Al Fuhud (The cheetahs) Al Imbrator (The emperors) [1] | ||
Founded | 1960 | as Zamalek||
Ground | Zabeel Stadium Dubai, United Arab Emirates | ||
Capacity | 8,439 | ||
Owner | Ahmed Bin Rashed[2] | ||
Chairman | Rashed Belhoul | ||
Manager | Odair Hellmann | ||
League | UAE Pro League | ||
2019–20 | UAE Pro League, 8th | ||
Website | Club website | ||
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History
Early years
Al Wasl was founded on 1960 as Zamalek Club when a group of young men gathered in Bakhit Salem's house in Zabeel to establish the club to practice their sporting hobbies.[4] Members had to rent a small house, each paying 10 AED to support the club's budget. In 1962, the club moved to different house owned by Madia bint Sultan, and chose Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to be their club president. Around 1966 Zamalek would beat Al Shabab in a canada dry championship which was the first achievement.[5] In 1974 Al Orouba agreed to merge with Zamalek to form Al Wasl Club.[6]
Rivalries
Al Wasl's main competitors would be Al Nasr who they compete with in the Bur Dubai Derby and Al Ain who are they challenge in the 'UAE Classico'.[7][8] Sharjah and Shabab Al Ahli are also considered to be rivals due historic reasons and sharing the same metropolitan area.
Current squad
First team squad
As of UAE Pro-League:
Reserve U21
|
Out on loan
|
Honours and achievements
Domestic competitions
- Winner: 1987, 2007
- Winner: 1992/93
- The IFFHS named Al Wasl as the UAE's Club of the 20th Century.[11]
Regional competitions
Performance in AFC competitions
- AFC Champions League: 3 appearances
- Asian Club Championship: 4 appearances
Managers
- Bakhit Salem (1960–1970)
- Ismail Al-Jarman (1971)
- Zaki Osman (1972–73)
- Dimitri Davidovic (1991–92)
- Arthur Bernardes[14] (1996–98)
- Alain Laurier (1997–98)
- Paulo Campos (Jan 1999–May 99)
- Henryk Kasperczak (Sept 1999–Feb 00)
- Alain Laurier (2000–May 00)
- Josef Hickersberger (2000–01)
- Johan Boskamp (2001–02)
- Martín Lasarte (2002)
- Khalifa Mubarak Obaid Al Shamsi (March 2003)
- Arthur Bernardes[14] (March 2003–May 4)
- Vinko Begović (2004–05)
- Zé Mário (2006–2007)
- Miroslav Beránek (2007–2008)
- Alexandre Guimarães (July 1, 2009 – May 10)[15]
- Khalifa Mubarak Obaid Al Shamsi (April 2010–June 11)
- Sérgio Farias (Aug 1, 2010 – April 19, 2011)[16]
- Diego Maradona (May 16, 2011 – July 10, 2012)
- Bruno Metsu (July 17, 2012 – Oct 26, 2012)
- Guy Lacombe (Nov 7, 2012 – Feb 18, 2013)[17]
- Eid Barout (Feb 17, 2013 – May 30, 2013)[18]
- Laurent Banide (2013)[19]
- Héctor Cúper (2013–14)[20]
- Jorginho (2014)
- Gabriel Calderón (2014–2016)
- Rodolfo Arruabarrena (2016–2018)
- Gustavo Quinteros (2018)
- Laurențiu Reghecampf (2018–2020)
- Salem Rabie (2020)
- Odair Hellmann (2020-)
Pro-League Record
Season | Div. | Tms. | Pos. | President's Cup | League Cup |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2008–09 | PL | 12 | 7th | Round of 16 | Group Stage |
2009–10 | PL | 12 | 5th | Round of 16 | Group Stage |
2010–11 | PL | 12 | 6th | Semi-Finals | Semi-Finals |
2011–12 | PL | 12 | 8th | Quarter-Finals | Semi-Finals |
2012–13 | PL | 14 | 9th | Round of 16 | Group Stage |
2013–14 | PL | 14 | 12th | Quarter-Finals | Group Stage |
2014–15 | PL | 14 | 6th | Round of 16 | Group Stage |
2015–16 | PL | 14 | 6th | Quarter-Finals | Semi-Finals |
2016–17 | PL | 14 | 2nd | Quarter-Finals | Semi-Finals |
2017–18 | PL | 12 | 3rd | Runner-ups | Runner-ups |
2018–19 | PL | 14 | 9th | Semi-Finals | Quarter-Finals |
2019–20a | PL | 14 | 8th | Quarter-Finals | Quarter-Finals |
Notes^ 2019–20 UAE football season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates.
Key
- Pos. = Position
- Tms. = Number of teams
- PL = Pro-League
References
- "Al Wasl - Clubs - UAE Pro League Committee". uae.agleague.ae.
- HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; www.alwaslsc.ae
- "Maradona's annual salary" (in Italian). 31 May 2011. Archived from the original on 3 June 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- "نادي الوصل ينعى أحد أوائل مؤسسيه" (in Arabic). albayan. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- "كأس كندا دراي البطولة الأولى في رصيد الزمالك". albayan. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
- "History". AlWasl. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- "Arabian Gulf Cup Quarter-finals: Fight breaks out after Bur Dubai Derby between Al Nasr and Al Wasl - Goal.com". Goal.com.
- "UAE Clasico to be hosted at Zabeel Stadium by Al Wasl against Al Ain". Goal.com.
- Atsushi Fujioka (6 September 2018). "United Arab Emirates - List of Champions". RSSSF. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
- Hans Schöggl and Karel Stokkermans (31 January 2019). "United Arab Emirates - List of Cup Winners". RSSSF. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
- "IFFHS – Asia's Club of the Century". Archived from the original on 18 March 2013.
- "Club Milestones". Al Ain FC. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016.
- دبي, سيد مصطفى-. "الوصل بطلاً لـ «دولية دبي» بهديـة من المريخ - الإمارات اليوم". www.emaratalyoum.com. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
- Arthur Bernardes Profile; SambaFoot.com Archived 19 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- "Guimaraes, willing to lead Honduras". DIEZ.HN (in Spanish). 5 July 2010.
- "Khalifa takes the reins for Al Wasl against Kalba". TheNational.ae. 24 April 2011.
- Dispensing services French coach Guy Lacombe; www.alwaslsc.ae
- باروت يقود اول تمرين له مع الفهود; www.alwaslsc.ae
- Gary Meenaghan (21 October 2013). "Laurent Banide dismissed as Al Wasl coach". The National. Abu Dhabi Media. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
- Ahmed Rizvi (2014). "Al Wasl part ways with Hector Cuper after brief, disappointing tenure". The National. Abu Dhabi Media. Retrieved 31 March 2015.