Al-Shorta Sports Club ( ar, نادي الشرطة الرياضي, lit=''Police Sports Club'') is an Iraqi
sports club
A sports club or sporting club, sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association, is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports.
Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and ...
based in
Al-Rusafa,
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
. It has teams in 17 different sports, more than any other Iraqi club, and the best known section of the club is the football team, whose origins date back to 1932. In 1974, following the
Iraq Football Association
The Iraq Football Association (IFA) ( ar, الاتحاد العراقي لكرة القدم) is the governing body of football in Iraq, controlling the Iraqi national team and the Iraqi Premier League. The Iraqi Football Association was founded ...
's decision to implement a clubs-only policy for domestic competitions, Al-Shorta were established as a sports club.
Al-Shorta are one of Iraq's most successful clubs, having been crowned the inaugural
Arab Club Champions Cup winners in
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
, and are the current
Iraqi Premier League
The Iraqi Premier League ( ar, الدوري العراقي الممتاز) is the top level of the Iraqi football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it is operated by the Iraq Football Association (IFA) and operates on a system of promotion ...
champions, winning their fifth title in the
2021–22 season. Al-Shorta have reached the final of the
Iraq FA Cup
The Iraq FA Cup, known as the Iraq Cup ( ar, كأس العراق) in Arabic, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Iraqi football. First held in the 1948–49 season for clubs and institutions before returning in 1975–76 ...
on five occasions without success, but are joint-record winners of the
Iraqi Elite Cup
The Iraqi Elite Cup ( ar, كأس النخبة العراقي), known officially as the Baghdad Championship ( ar, بطولة بغداد) and previously known as the Mother of all Battles Championship ( ar, بطولة أم المعارك, ''Botola ...
having become the first team to win the trophy three consecutive times.
Al-Shorta hold numerous Iraqi Premier League records, including the joint-longest unbeaten run (39), the most consecutive wins in a season (11) and the most consecutive games scored in (37). 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 beat all other teams in a 20-team season and the first club to win all
Baghdad derbies
The Baghdad derbies are a series of derby matches between four Baghdad-based football clubs: Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Al-Shorta, Al-Talaba and Al-Zawraa, collectively known as the 'Popular Teams'. They are the four most successful teams in the histor ...
home and away in one season.
History
The first Police football team in Baghdad was formed in 1932, participating in the second edition of the Prince Ghazi Cup in the 1932–33 season.
The team's first trophy came in 1938, when they won the Taha Al-Hashimi Cup.
The team became known as Madaris Al-Shorta (Police Schools) after a new Police team called Al-Quwa Al-Siyara (Mobile Force) was formed.
For the inaugural Baghdad league season in
1948–49, it was decided that a Police select team would play in the top-flight.
The Police select team (Montakhab Al-Shorta) were relegated from the top-flight that season, and therefore competed in the second division in the 1949–50 season.
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 Police select team, and the two teams were both leading their respective divisions before the season was abandoned.
From the 1951–52 season, Madaris Al-Shorta and Al-Quwa Al-Siyara combined to form the Police select 'A' and 'B' teams to compete in the region's top-flight and second division respectively.
Montakhab Al-Shorta 'A' finished as runners-up of the top-flight in
1957–58, while Montakhab Al-Shorta 'B' finished as runners-up of the second division in 1958–59. In 1960, the Police Games Committee 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, while the Police select 'A' and 'B' teams continued to compete in the top-flight and second division respectively. After finishing as
Iraq Central FA League
The Iraq Central FA League, previously named the Iraq FA Baghdad League ( ar, دوري الاتحاد العراقي لمنطقة بغداد) and also known as the League of the Institutes ( ar, دوري المؤسسات, ''Dawri Al-Muassasat'') d ...
runners-up again in
1960–61, Montakhab Al-Shorta 'A' won the league title for the first time in the
1962–63 season.
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.
As a result, Madaris Al-Shorta re-entered the IFA's football pyramid in place of the Police select 'A' team to compete in the top-flight from the
1963–64 season, while the Police select 'B' team were disbanded. From this point, the Police select team would only compete in the Republic Championship and in matches against visiting foreign teams.
Formed from the best players of the individual Police teams, the Police select team (Montakhab Al-Shorta) won the Republic Championship in both 1968 and 1969. The select team 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
Maccabi Tel Aviv ( he, מכבי תל אביב) is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such ...
.
In 1974, the
Iraq Football Association
The Iraq Football Association (IFA) ( ar, الاتحاد العراقي لكرة القدم) is the governing body of football in Iraq, controlling the Iraqi national team and the Iraqi Premier League. The Iraqi Football Association was founded ...
(IFA) decided to implement a clubs-only policy for domestic competitions, forming the
Iraqi National Clubs First Division which was only open to clubs and not institute-representative teams such as the individual Police teams. 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 established on 18 August 1974 by the
Iraqi Olympic Committee, being attached to the
Ministry of Interior
An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs.
Lists of current ministries of internal affairs
Named "ministry"
* Ministry ...
.
The Police Games Directorate, which controlled Police sports in Iraq, were strongly opposed to the IFA's new clubs-only policy and decided to field a team of amateurs for Al-Shorta to compete in the inaugural
1974–75 season in protest.
After suffering heavy defeats in their first two games,
the amateur players were replaced by players from the Shortat Al-Najda and Kuliyat Al-Shorta teams,
before ten Aliyat Al-Shorta players joined the team for the
1975–76 season which led to an improved third-place finish. In 1976, Al-Shorta won the first of three Arab Police Championships while representing the Iraq Police team, with further titles coming in 1978 and 1985. 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
Douglas Aziz Shamasha Eshaya (; born 1 January 1942) is an Iraqi former football player and caretaker coach. He represented the Iraq national team, and is ethnically Assyrian.
Club career
He was a pillar for club and country during the late 19 ...
. 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.
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.
On 23 December 1990, Al-Shorta played their first match at their new
Al-Shorta Stadium
Al-Shorta Stadium ( ar, ملعب الشرطة) was a multi-use stadium in Baghdad, Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in West ...
, which was built with the help of volunteers and club workers, beating
Al-Tijara 3–2. 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.
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). That season also saw them reach the quarter-finals of the
Asian Cup Winners' Cup
The Asian Cup Winners' Cup was an association football competition run by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The competition was started in 1991 as a tournament for all the domestic cup winners from countries affiliated to the AFC. The winne ...
, earning wins over
Al-Seeb and
Bargh Shiraz
, ''Lâlahhai-ye Naranji'')
, shortname =
, founded =
, dissolved =
, ground = Hafezieh StadiumShirazIran
, capacity = 20,000
, chairman = Hadi Shirvani Shiri
, owner = Hadi Shirvani Shiri and Amir Arsalan ...
before being eliminated in the quarter-final.
Al-Shorta reached the quarter-finals of the
1999–2000 Asian Club Championship before making history by becoming the first club to win the
Iraqi Elite Cup
The Iraqi Elite Cup ( ar, كأس النخبة العراقي), known officially as the Baghdad Championship ( ar, بطولة بغداد) and previously known as the Mother of all Battles Championship ( ar, بطولة أم المعارك, ''Botola ...
three times in a row, winning the trophy in
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
,
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
and
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
. They were also in the lead of the
2002–03 league competition before it was cancelled due to the
Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
. In April 2003, the club's former goalkeeper and captain
Raad Hammoudi
Raad Hammoudi Salman al-Aredhi ( ar, رعد حمودي سلمان العارضي; born May 1, 1958) is a retired Iraqi football player who represented his country as a goalkeeper in the Olympics and the World Cup. He is known as being the most ...
became Al-Shorta's president and he saved the club from bankruptcy after the war. Al-Shorta participated in the
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
edition of the
Arab Club Champions Cup and the
2004 and
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
editions of the
AFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition ...
but were knocked out in the group stage each time.
After an unstable post-war period which culminated in a relegation battle in the
2010–11 season, Al-Shorta returned to the top of Iraqi football in the
2012–13 season, securing their third
Iraqi Premier League
The Iraqi Premier League ( ar, الدوري العراقي الممتاز) is the top level of the Iraqi football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it is operated by the Iraq Football Association (IFA) and operates on a system of promotion ...
title with a final-day 3–0 victory over rivals
Al-Talaba at
Al-Shaab Stadium
Al-Shaab International Stadium ( ar, ملعب الشعب الدولي, lit=The People's Stadium) is an all-seater multi-purpose stadium in Baghdad, Iraq. The 34,200-seater was the home stadium of the Iraq national football team, as well as the lar ...
. Al-Shorta finished in first place in the Premier League in
2013–14 under Brazilian coach
Lorival Santos
Lorival Alves dos Santos (born 7 October 1959) is a Brazilian professional Association football, football coach and former player who most recently managed Brazilian club Agremiação Sportiva Arapiraquense, ASA de Arapiraca in the Campeonato Al ...
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 from the group stage and round of 16 at the
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
and
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
AFC Cup
The AFC Cup is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Under its current rules, the competition is played primarily between clubs from nations that did not receive direct qualifying s ...
s respectively. Al-Shorta won the Premier League title again in
2018–19, led by Montenegrin coach
Nebojša Jovović
Nebojša Jovović (Cyrillic: Небојша Јововић, born 28 August 1974) is Montenegrin football manager and former player who played as a striker.
Playing career
Born in Titograd, after starting at youth team of local FK Crvena Stijen ...
, equalling the Iraqi record for most consecutive league games unbeaten (39) in the process. Al-Shorta won the
Iraqi Super Cup
The Iraqi Super Cup ( ar, كأس السوبر العراقي), previously called Iraqi Perseverance Cup ( ar, كأس المثابرة العراقي), is Iraqi football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Iraqi Premier ...
for the first time in
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
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
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
and
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
AFC Champions Leagues, the former on goal difference.
Under the management of
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
ian coach
Moamen Soliman
Mo'men Soliman ( ar, مؤمن سليمان; born 21 March 1974) is an Egyptian football manager and former player. He currently manages Al-Shorta in the Iraqi Premier League. He played as a left-back for Zamalek SC and Suez Club in Egypt, for ...
, 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
The Baghdad derbies are a series of derby matches between four Baghdad-based football clubs: Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Al-Shorta, Al-Talaba and Al-Zawraa, collectively known as the 'Popular Teams'. They are the four most successful teams in the histor ...
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. Al-Shorta went on to win the
2022 Iraqi Super Cup with a 1–0 victory over
Al-Karkh
Karkh or Al-Karkh (Arabic: الكرخ) is historically the name of the western half of Baghdad, Iraq, or alternatively, the western shore of the Tigris River as it ran through Baghdad. The eastern shore is known as Al-Rasafa.[Olympic rings
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) uses icons, flags and symbols to elevate the Olympic Games. These symbols include those commonly used during Olympic competition—such as the flame, fanfare and theme—as well as those used throughout ...]
added underneath to signify Al-Shorta's status as a multi-sport club.
At the start of the 2005–06 season, Al-Shorta adopted a new crest which was blue with a green outline. A harp featured in the centre with the club's year of foundation and the
Iraq flag. This remained the logo for seven years until they changed to a circular white crest with a green outline in the
2012–13 season, which contained the same harp, laurel leaves and rings as before but with the addition of the club's name and year of foundation at the bottom. On 12 December 2013, before the start of
2014 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off The qualifying play-off of the 2014 AFC Champions League was played from 29 January to 15 February 2014, to decide four of the 32 places in the group stage.
Format
The bracket for the qualifying play-off was determined by the AFC based on the assoc ...
, 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 harp in the centre of the logo is gold rather than green, and gold is prevalent throughout the emblem. The club's foundation year and the Iraqi flag feature at the top and bottom respectively along with the club's name in English.
Kits
In 1958, Montakhab Al-Shorta had a yellow and brown kit as well as an all-white kit. Since 1974, Al-Shorta have mainly used green home kits, white away kits and purple third kits. However, since the
2016–17 season, Al-Shorta have worn purple as the away kit colour. In August 2020, Al-Shorta launched their own clothing brand called ''Qithara'' to manufacture kits and other apparel for the club.
Shirt sponsors
Al-Shorta's shirts have featured a number of different sponsors' logos over the years:
Supporters
''Ultras Green Harp'' is an
ultras
Ultras are a type of association football fans who are renowned for their fanatical support. The term originated in Italy, but is used worldwide to describe predominantly organised fans of association football teams. The behavioural tende ...
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. They are known for setting off fireworks and using flares, as well as using instruments such as drums and air horns. Another prominent fan group called ''Majaneen Al-Qithara'' was founded in 2017, while there are several other fan groups in provinces outside
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
.
Rivalries
Al-Shorta are one of the top four clubs in
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
. The club compete in
Baghdad derbies
The Baghdad derbies are a series of derby matches between four Baghdad-based football clubs: Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Al-Shorta, Al-Talaba and Al-Zawraa, collectively known as the 'Popular Teams'. They are the four most successful teams in the histor ...
with the other three big clubs in Baghdad:
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya ( ar, نادي القوة الجوية الرياضي, lit=Air Force Club) is an Iraqi sports club based in Rusafa District, Baghdad that competes in the Iraqi Premier League, the top-flight of Iraqi football. Founded in 193 ...
,
Al-Zawraa, and
Al-Talaba. The rivalry with Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya developed during the
Iraq Central FA League
The Iraq Central FA League, previously named the Iraq FA Baghdad League ( ar, دوري الاتحاد العراقي لمنطقة بغداد) and also known as the League of the Institutes ( ar, دوري المؤسسات, ''Dawri Al-Muassasat'') d ...
era while the rivalries with Al-Zawraa and Al-Talaba were born after the foundation of the
Iraqi Premier League
The Iraqi Premier League ( ar, الدوري العراقي الممتاز) is the top level of the Iraqi football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it is operated by the Iraq Football Association (IFA) and operates on a system of promotion ...
. Of the three, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya are the most local to Al-Shorta, as their stadium is located only 500 metres away from Al-Shorta's on the opposite side of
Falastin Street.
Stadiums
Al-Shorta Stadium
In their early years, Montakhab Al-Shorta 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 Premier League
The Iraqi Premier League ( ar, الدوري العراقي الممتاز) is the top level of the Iraqi football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it is operated by the Iraq Football Association (IFA) and operates on a system of promotion ...
, the club played their home games at the
Local Administration Stadium in
Al-Mansour
Mansour ( ar, منصور, Manṣūr); also spelled Mounsor, Monsur (Bengali), Mansoor, Manser, Mansur, Mansyur (Indonesian) or Mensur (Turkish), is a male Arabic name that means "He who is victorious", from the Arabic root ''nasr (disambiguation) ...
and later at Al-Furusiya Stadium owned by the
Ministry of Interior
An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs.
Lists of current ministries of internal affairs
Named "ministry"
* Ministry ...
. In the 1980s, the club decided to build their own stadium, with construction of the four stands being overseen by 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
Abid Kadhim (1 January 1942 – 5 January 2005) was an Iraqi football defender who played for the Iraq national football team
The Iraq national football team ( ar, منتخب العراق لكرة القدم) represents Iraq in internat ...
) can hold approximately 2,000 people. In 2008, the stands were painted green and white to match the club's colours. The stadium began to be demolished on 4 March 2014 to make way for the construction of Al-Shorta Sports City.
Al-Shorta Sports City Stadium
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 partner Nynord, along with Emirati company AKG Engineering. Börje Österberg, the owner of Nordic Sport, announced the initiation of construction of Al-Shorta Sports City on 20 December 2013.
On 7 January 2015, AKG Engineering released a video showing what the sports complex should look like once construction is completed.
The stadium, which will have a capacity of 10,218, will have purple and green seats and the words 'Police Club' alongside the club's name in Arabic will be spelled out with white seats in the main stand, which will have a roof over it. 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. Construction on the stadium was suspended in December 2015 before resuming in November 2022.
Al-Shaab Stadium
Al-Shorta currently play their home matches at the historical national stadium, Al-Shaab Stadium, which is located in the same area as the club's old ground.
Players
First-team squad
Out on loan
Personnel
Technical staff
Management
Managers
In 1958, Montakhab Al-Shorta hired their first foreign manager in Palestinian coach Dennis Nasrawi. Since 1974, Al-Shorta have been coached by eight foreign managers from six countries (Yugoslavia, Brazil (2), Egypt (2), Jordan, Montenegro and Serbia), while the rest of the club's managers have been of Iraqi nationality.
;Select team
;Sports club
Honours
Major
Sports club:
*
Iraqi Premier League
The Iraqi Premier League ( ar, الدوري العراقي الممتاز) is the top level of the Iraqi football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it is operated by the Iraq Football Association (IFA) and operates on a system of promotion ...
**Winners (5):
1979–80,
1997–98,
2012–13,
2018–19,
2021–22
**Runners-up (2):
1978–79,
1980–81
*
Iraq FA Cup
The Iraq FA Cup, known as the Iraq Cup ( ar, كأس العراق) in Arabic, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Iraqi football. First held in the 1948–49 season for clubs and institutions before returning in 1975–76 ...
**Runners-up (5):
1977–78,
1995–96,
1996–97,
2001–02,
2002–03
*
Iraqi Elite Cup
The Iraqi Elite Cup ( ar, كأس النخبة العراقي), known officially as the Baghdad Championship ( ar, بطولة بغداد) and previously known as the Mother of all Battles Championship ( ar, بطولة أم المعارك, ''Botola ...
**Winners (3):
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
,
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
,
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
(shared record)
**Runners-up (1):
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
*
Iraqi Super Cup
The Iraqi Super Cup ( ar, كأس السوبر العراقي), previously called Iraqi Perseverance Cup ( ar, كأس المثابرة العراقي), is Iraqi football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Iraqi Premier ...
**Winners (2):
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
,
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
**Runners-up (1):
1998
*
Arab Club Champions Cup
**Winners (1):
1981–82
Select team:
*
Iraq Central FA League
The Iraq Central FA League, previously named the Iraq FA Baghdad League ( ar, دوري الاتحاد العراقي لمنطقة بغداد) and also known as the League of the Institutes ( ar, دوري المؤسسات, ''Dawri Al-Muassasat'') d ...
**Winners (1):
1962–63
**Runners-up (2):
1957–58,
1960–61
*
Iraq Central FA Perseverance Cup
The Iraq Central FA Perseverance Cup, previously called Iraq Central FA Altruism Cup (Arabic: كأس الإيثار, ''Al-Ithar Cup''), was an annual Iraqi football match contested at the end of the season between the champions and the runners-u ...
**Runners-up (1):
1963
Events January
* January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...
Minor
Sports club:
*
Baghdad Cup
The Baghdad Cup ( ar, كأس بغداد) was a friendly football match hosted by Al-Shaab Stadium
Al-Shaab International Stadium ( ar, ملعب الشعب الدولي, lit=The People's Stadium) is an all-seater multi-purpose stadium in Bagh ...
**Winners (1):
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
*Al-Quds International Championship
**Winners (1): 2002
*Baghdad Day Cup
**Winners (1): 2000
*Great Victory Championship
**Winners (1): 1996
*Al-Qadisiya Championship
**Winners (1): 1988
*
President's Gold Cup
**Winners (1): 1983
Select team:
*Republic Championship
**Winners (2): 1968, 1969
*Hilla Mutasarrif Cup
**Winners (1): 1957
*Al-Olympi Club Cup
**Winners (1): 1939
*Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya Cup
**Winners (1): 1939
*Taha Al-Hashimi Cup
**Winners (1): 1938
Records
Matches
;Firsts
* First match: Al-Lasilki 1–1 Montakhab Al-Shorta, Prince Ghazi Cup, December 1932
* First Central FA League match:
Al-Kuliya Al-Askariya Al-Malakiya
Al-Kuliya Al-Askariya ( ar, فريق الكلية العسكرية, lit=''Military College''), known up until 1958 as Al-Kuliya Al-Askariya Al-Malakiya, was an Iraqi football team founded in 1937 in Baghdad. They were the runners-up of Iraq's fir ...
5–1 Montakhab Al-Shorta, 5 November 1948
* First FA Cup match: Montakhab Al-Shorta ''awd.'' (
w/o) Kuliyat Al-Huqooq, first round, January 1949
* First Premier League match:
Al-Muwasalat 3–0 Al-Shorta, 4 October 1974
* First match at
Al-Shorta Stadium
Al-Shorta Stadium ( ar, ملعب الشرطة) was a multi-use stadium in Baghdad, Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in West ...
: Al-Shorta 3–2
Al-Tijara, Premier League, 23 December 1990
;Wins
* Record win: 11–0 against
Al-Samawa, FA Cup round of 32, 16 November 1998
* Record League win: 8–0 against
Duhok, Premier League, 18 October 2002
* Record League qualifying win: 10–1 against
Al-Hudood
Al-Hudood Sports Club ( ar, نادي الحدود الرياضي, lit=''The Borders Sports Club'') is an Iraqi sports club based in Falastin Street, East Districts of the Tigris River, Baghdad. It has teams in various sports including football, b ...
, 25 September 2000
* Record Elite Cup 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
FC Nouadhibou is a Mauritanian professional football club based in the commercial centre of Nouadhibou, that competes in the Ligue 1 Mauritania, the top flight of Mauritanian football.
History
The club was founded in 1999 by a group young peop ...
, 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
;Defeats
* Record defeat: 0–11 against
Al-Naqil, Premier League, 12 October 1974
* Record FA Cup defeat: 0–4 against
Al-Zawraa, quarter-final,
1977–78
* Record Elite Cup defeat: 0–6 against
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya ( ar, نادي القوة الجوية الرياضي, lit=Air Force Club) is an Iraqi sports club based in Rusafa District, Baghdad that competes in the Iraqi Premier League, the top-flight of Iraqi football. Founded in 193 ...
, group stage, February 1996
* Record defeat in an AFC competition: 0–4 against
FK Köpetdag Aşgabat
Football Club Köpetdag ( tk, Köpetdag Futbol Kluby) is a Turkmen professional football club based in Ashgabat, currently playing in the Ýokary Liga. Their home stadium is Köpetdag Stadium which can hold 26,000 people. Köpetdag traditional ...
, Asian Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final, 13 February 1998
* Record defeat in an UAFA competition: 0–6 against
Al-Shabab, Arab Club Champions Cup quarter-final, 23 December 2019
;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, Premier 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
Attendances
* Highest attendance: 68,000, against
Al-Zawraa at
Al-Shaab Stadium
Al-Shaab International Stadium ( ar, ملعب الشعب الدولي, lit=The People's Stadium) is an all-seater multi-purpose stadium in Baghdad, Iraq. The 34,200-seater was the home stadium of the Iraq national football team, as well as the lar ...
, Premier League, 13 December 1991
Appearances
* Youngest first-team player:
Mohanad Ali
Mohanad Ali Kadhim Al-Shammari ( ar, مهند علي كاظم الشمري, born 20 June 2000), commonly known in Iraq as Mimi ( ar, ميمي), is an Iraqi professional footballer who plays as a forward for Qatari club Al-Sailiya, on loan from ...
, 13 years, 279 days (against
Al-Talaba,
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
, 26 March 2014)
* First international cap while a Montakhab Al-Shorta player: Ali Karim, for
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
in 1957
* Most international caps while an Al-Shorta player:
Raad Hammoudi
Raad Hammoudi Salman al-Aredhi ( ar, رعد حمودي سلمان العارضي; born May 1, 1958) is a retired Iraqi football player who represented his country as a goalkeeper in the Olympics and the World Cup. He is known as being the most ...
, 104 for Iraq
* First players to play at the
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
:
Raad Hammoudi
Raad Hammoudi Salman al-Aredhi ( ar, رعد حمودي سلمان العارضي; born May 1, 1958) is a retired Iraqi football player who represented his country as a goalkeeper in the Olympics and the World Cup. He is known as being the most ...
(starter) and
Basim Qasim (substitute), for Iraq against
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
on 4 June 1986
* Most players in an Iraq starting line-up: 7
** against
Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
on 22 December 2014
** against
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
on 23 December 2017
** against
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
on 29 November 2019
Goalscorers
* Most League goals in a season:
Younis Abid Ali, 36 goals in the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
,
1993–94
* Most FA Cup goals in a season:
Hashim Ridha
Hashim Ridha Mohammed Alwan Wazni ( ar, هاشم رضا محمد علوان, born May 18, 1979 in Karbala, Iraq) is a former Iraqi footballer and also former manager of Al-Shorta. He was nicknamed 'The Rocket' by Al-Shorta fans when he was a pl ...
, 14 goals,
1998–99
* Most goals in one League match:
Ahmed Khudhair
Ahmed Khudhair ( ar, أحمد خضير; born 1975) is an Iraqi people, Iraqi association football, football coach and former footballer. He played as a Forward (association football), forward. He was nicknamed Ahmed Baggio by Iraqi fans.
Interna ...
, 5 goals (against
Al-Kut, Premier League, 14 June 2001)
* Most goals in one FA Cup match: Saeed Nouri, 5 goals (against
Salahaddin, 16 May 1989)
* Most goals in AFC and UAFA competitions: 5
**
Alaa Kadhim
Alaa Kadhim (born 1 July 1970) is an Iraqi football striker who played for both the Iraq and Talaba SC, where he was also the club president.
Alaa was one of the best Iraqi strikers during the 90s during Iraq’s 1994 World Cup qualifying camp ...
(3 in the Asian Cup Winners' Cup, 2 in the Asian Club Championship)
**
Marwan Hussein
Marwan Hussein ( ar, مروان حسين, born 26 January 1992 in Baghdad, Iraq) is an Iraqi footballer as a centre forward, who plays for Al-Talaba in the Iraqi Premier League and the Iraq national team.
Club career
Al Zawraa
Marwan began hi ...
(4 in the AFC Cup, 1 in the Arab Club Champions Cup)
* First ever goalscorer: Abid Abtou (against Al-Lasilki, Prince Ghazi Cup, November 1932)
* First Premier League top scorer: Zahrawi Jaber (
1976–77)
* Most Premier League top scorer awards:
Hashim Ridha
Hashim Ridha Mohammed Alwan Wazni ( ar, هاشم رضا محمد علوان, born May 18, 1979 in Karbala, Iraq) is a former Iraqi footballer and also former manager of Al-Shorta. He was nicknamed 'The Rocket' by Al-Shorta fans when he was a pl ...
, 2 (
1998–99 and
2001–02)
* First foreign goalscorer:
Innocent Awoa
Innocent Félix Awoa Zoa (born June 26, 1988) is a Cameroonian footballer currently playing for CS Chênois. He is a defender.
Honors
Al-Shorta
*Iraqi Premier League
The Iraqi Premier League ( ar, الدوري العراقي الممتا� ...
(against
Al-Sinaa
Al-Sinaa Sport club ( ar, نادي الصناعة الرياضي, lit=''Industry SC'') is a football club based in Thawra District, East Districts of the Tigris River, Baghdad, that plays in Iraqi Premier League.
History Premier League Play Ove ...
, Premier League, 20 October 2012)
* First foreign hat-trick scorer:
Jean Michel N'Lend
Jean Michel N'Lend (born May 8, 1986) is a Cameroonian footballer.
Club career
Al-Shorta
Jean Michel N'Lend was the third foreign player to join Al Shorta in its history following the signings of fellow Cameroonian Innocent Awoa and Ivorian ...
(against
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya ( ar, نادي القوة الجوية الرياضي, lit=Air Force Club) is an Iraqi sports club based in Rusafa District, Baghdad that competes in the Iraqi Premier League, the top-flight of Iraqi football. Founded in 193 ...
, Premier League, 18 November 2012)
* First goalkeeper to score:
Raad Hammoudi
Raad Hammoudi Salman al-Aredhi ( ar, رعد حمودي سلمان العارضي; born May 1, 1958) is a retired Iraqi football player who represented his country as a goalkeeper in the Olympics and the World Cup. He is known as being the most ...
(against
Al-Samawa, Premier League,
1975–76)
* Fastest goalscorer: 9.504 seconds,
Alaa Abdul-Zahra (against
Naft Al-Junoob
Naft Al-Basra SC ( ar, نادي نفط البصرة الرياضي, lit=''Basra Oil Sport Club'') is a football club based in Al-Tamimia District, Basra, Iraq, that plays in Iraqi Premier League.
History
Name changes
The club was founded on 27 ...
, Premier League, 21 October 2018)
Top goalscorers
''Iraqi Premier League (1974–present) matches only.''
See also
*
Iraqi clubs in the AFC Club Competitions
References
External links
Al-Shorta SC Official Website
{{Iraqi Premier League
1932 establishments in Iraq
Association football clubs established in 1932
Football clubs in Iraq
Football clubs in Baghdad
Police association football clubs