Al-Ittihad Club (), commonly known as Al-Ittihad or simply Ittihad, is a Saudi professional
football club
In association football, a football club (or association football club, alternatively soccer club) is a sports club that acts as an entity through which association football teams organise their sporting activities. The club can exist either as ...
based in
Jeddah
Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...
. It was founded in 1927.
The club has spent its entire history in the top flight of
football in Saudi Arabia, currently known as the
Saudi Pro League. Ittihad has won 52 championships from which 37 are official championships.
Ittihad matches are played at Jeddah's main stadium
King Abdullah Sports City, which is the second-largest stadium in Saudi Arabia, accommodating 62,345 spectators.
Al Ittihad has a long-standing rivalry with
Al-Hilal, which is referred to as ''
Saudi El Clasico'', and is considered the most prominent and most watched annual match.
It is the oldest sports club still surviving in Saudi Arabia, as the club was founded in 1927.
The most successful period in the club history was the 1990s and the 2000s,
when the club achieved a large number of titles and achievements domestically, regionally, and globally, culminating in the club securing the 4th place in the
2005 FIFA Club World Championship.
Ittihad is one of the most successful Asian club at domestic and continental level, as they have achieved the
AFC Champions League title twice in a row (the first to do so), the
Asian Cup Winners' Cup, the
GCC Champions League and the
Arab Champions League title each once.
Domestically, Ittihad is also one of two successful clubs in Saudi Arabia, having won fifteen
league titles, six
King's Cup titles, eight
Crown Prince Cup titles, three
Saudi Federation Cup titles and one
Saudi Super Cup.
History
Creation (1927–1949)
The club was founded after a meeting of some of the notable football enthusiasts of the city of
Jeddah
Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...
, on 26 December 1927.
They met in the offices of a radio broadcasting company and discussed the idea of forming a football club to compete with various travelling teams and be a source of entertainment for inhabitants and an outlet for the city's youth to practice organised sport.
Everyone agreed that they should create the team that unites them and Ittihad Jeddah was born. The attendees were Hamza Fitaihi, Abdulrazag Ajlan, Abdullah Bin Zagor, Fahad Badkook, Abdulsamad Najeeb Alsaady, Ismail Zahran, Ali Yamani, Abdulaziz Jameel,
Abdul Latif Jameel, Abdulateef Linjawi, Othman Banajah, Ahmad Abu Talib, Ali Sultan, Ahmed Almir and Saleh Salamah.
The name of the club was quoted from this wisdom, Mazen Mohammed words which created the current club name. Club owners agree with him to put the club name Ittihad (United or Union, jointly) in Arabic.
Ali Sultan became the first official president of the club. Ittihad did not find at first a strong support, there wasn't an official clubs (communities) such as Al Riyadhi, because the presence of powerful culture in the city of Jeddah only. In their first meeting with Al-Riyadhi, Ittihad make it victory with 3–0 won. The club has achieved a historic first tournament, which was called ''The Cup of Nishan Nazer'', counted as an official tournament at the time, The cup have formed a popularity of Ittihad, Because of a challenge between them in the final. Depending on the narrator, the winner can burn the Embassy wood's. The Championship attended by several of the clubs, communities, was fought by Ittihad where several games had to be won to achieve access to the final against Al-Mukhtalat. The weather was dust, did not complete the first half, the match was stopped about 10 minutes. the referee stopped the game to rest for 8 minutes, the weather was changed for the better with the second half, Al-Mukhtalat squad had led to fail, it was a low attacking level. The most prominent player in the game is the club's defender Safwan which was sacrificed for his team. the club won the championship by 3–0 against Al-Mukhtalat. The most important characteristic of this tournament is the first sporting event held in the reign of the founder
King Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud The period of 1940 to 1950 remained difficult, as the
Football Association was not established until 1956.
The Start of The Official Tournaments, The First League Title, The Treble (1950–1999)
In late 1950s, it is considered as the first club to achieve both the
Crown Prince Cup and the
King's Cup for two consecutive times. On 2 May 1960, Ittihad faced their traditional rivals
Al-Ahli in the King's Cup, which ended with a big 7–0 victory, which is
the largest victory in the derby. The tournament ended and the club became champions for the third time in a row over
Al-Wehda, which completed the 1958, 1959, and 1960 series. The club went through its worst period since its founding, after winning the King's Cup in 1967, with the exception of achieving the Saudi Association Cup in 1974, after defeating
Al-Hilal on penalties. In the following decade, the
Saudi Pro League and the First Division were merged due to the many matches of the national team in 1982, which Ittihad won its
first league title in its history, which is the first and only club to achieve it. After an absence for 21 years, the club won the King's Cup after defeating
Al Ettifaq in 1988.
In mid 1990s, Which is considered as the beginning of the golden age of the club, where a numerous of titles were achieved. In 1996–97, the club delivered a
cup treble, winning the Premier League, Crown Prince Cup, and
Federation Cup. After two seasons, the club won the league title for the third time in its history after eliminating rivals Al-Hilal in the final 2–0. The
first continental championship was also achieved after winning 3–2 over
Jeonnam Dragons with a golden goal, scored by
Ahmed Bahja.
GCC Champions League was also achieved, as the season ended with winning four trophies. In 1999, The club was a runner-up in the
Asian Super Cup, after losing 2–3 on aggregate to
Júbilo Iwata.
New Century, A Miracle, Two Champions League Titles (2000–2010)
With the beginning of the new century during the period of president Ahmed Masoud, which is considered one of the most successful periods, winning 8 titles within 3 years. The
1999–2000 league season was achieved at the beginning of the century, after a 3–1 win over Al-Ahli in the final, also,
Hamza Idris scored an unprecedented 33 goals, a record in that period, which made him the league's top scorer, and the most scored in a single season. In the following season - the club winning the League for fifth time, and Crown Prince Cup. In the 2001–02 season, on May 1, 2002, Ittihad lost the league final to Al-Hilal, a cross from a corner kick went to
Al Hasan Al-Yami, who hit it and the ball entered the goal clearly before Al Hilal's Mohammed Al-Nazhan took it out with his hand. A goal was not awarded by the referee, even as a penalty kick, which in turn ended with a loss 1–2, where the referee was suspended six months after the final - and later apologized, declaring, "I am innocent of your defeat, and God bears witness to that." The match created a great controversy at all levels, as it faced a lot of criticism, which was considered by many and critics as a "robbery".
When Ahmed Masoud left the club, Mansour Al-Balawi became president, which is considered by many including the fans as the most prominent and successful period in the club's history. In the 2002–03 season, many players have been brought in, such as
Tukar,
Saud Kariri,
Muhammad Al-Khilaiwi, and
Tcheco; who is considered as one of the greatest deals in the club's history, while both the League and the Crown Prince Cup were achieved. Despite leading the league and ending it without a loss, Ittihad lost the league final to
Al-Shabab in the championship-playoff finals. In the
2004 AFC Champions League, Ittihad finished the group in first place with only one loss. In quarter-finals, it was successfully passed with a 1–1 draw in
Dalian
Dalian ( ) is a major sub-provincial port city in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, and is Liaoning's second largest city (after the provincial capital Shenyang) and the third-most populous city of Northeast China (after Shenyang ...
, followed by a home 1–0 victory scored by Tukar, against
Chinese Dalian Shide, of which led them to reach the semi-finals. Both matches ended in the last minutes, as
Hamad Al-Montashari finished the first leg's 2–1, and
Osama Al-Muwallad scored the deadly equalizer in the second leg, with a 4–3 aggregate over
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, as the club qualified for the final for the first time.
The final was out of the ordinary; Ittihad were thrashed at home 1–3 by Korean side
Seongnam in the first leg—leading to the sacking of Croatian coach
Tomislav Ivić, as assistant coach
Dragan Talajić was given the opportunity. Who, in turn, started the return match in Seongnam, Redha Tukar opened the scoring, rising to a ball from a corner kick to score the first goal, Idris scored the second late minute goal in the first half,
Mohammed Noor scored the two decisive goals in the second half, before
Abushgeer scored the fifth and the last goal.
Overcoming the 1–3 loss with a miraculous 5–0 victory, to achieve the first title,
Dragan Talajić achievement was unforgettable and almost impossible, this second leg match became one of the most surprising and unforgettable comebacks in
AFC Champions League history, which was called "the miracle".
Recalling the tournament, Talajić said, "I was initially an assistant to the compatriots Tomislav Ivic, and I learned a lot from him, and I considered the opportunity to work with a great team as a wonderful thing, which is why I agreed to work with him, I was with the team eight months after we arrived at the beginning of the season, and I knew all about the players." and continued, "I was young at the time, and maybe I was crazy by playing with five strikers, I told everyone before the match that we would win, I always knew we would win, but I didn't know if the difference would be enough."
Ittihad achieved its
first Arab championship, after defeating Tunisian
Club Sportif Sfaxien in the final. On 5 November 2005, Ittihad won the Champions League for the second time in a row, after a 5–3 victory over
Al-Ain.
Mohammed Kallon, which loaned from
AS Monaco, became the top scorer of the tournament with six goals; of which two were in the final—which helped to achieve the second title. Mohammed Noor, was awarded the best player in the tournament. The club remaining as the only to win back-to-back AFC Champions League titles in its current edition.
The club qualified for the
FIFA Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup (FIFA CWC) is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global sports governing body, governing body. The compe ...
for the first time, in the edition that was held in
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, after achieving the Champions League title—as it became the second Saudi team to qualify for the tournament. On December 11, 2005, Ittihad defeated African champions
Al-Ahly after Mohamed Noor's only goal, to qualify for the semi-finals. Ittihad faced the
CONMEBOL
CONMEBOL ( ) or CSF (; ; ), is the continental governing body of football in South America and it is one of FIFA's six continental confederations. The oldest continental confederation in the world, its headquarters are located in Luque, Parag ...
champion
São Paulo
São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
, and it was ended by a 2–3 loss. Ittihad played the match to determine the third place against the Costa Rican club
Deportivo Saprissa and lost with a 2–3, were two goals scored by Mohamed Kallon and
Joseph-Désiré Job—to end the Club World Cup in the 4th place. Former
FIFA President Sepp Blatter
Joseph Sepp Blatter (born Josef Blatter; 10 March 1936) is a Swiss former association football, football administrator who served as the list of Presidents of FIFA, eighth president of FIFA from 1998 to 2015. He has been banned from participatin ...
expressed his admiration, saying, "In 25 years, I have not seen an Asian team this great." Ittihad's success is not limited only to football, but also in
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
,
water polo
Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...
,
table tennis
Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...
,
volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
, and
swimming
Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...
, amongst others. In total, Ittihad has won 8,649 trophies. However, football remains the primary sport.
Rivalries
Jeddah Derby
The Jeddah derby between Ittihad and
Al-Ahli is known to be one of the most competitive games in the Saudi League. From the start of national competitions both clubs were seen as representatives of two rivals from the same city:
Jeddah
Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...
. This rivalry continued annually for more than 70 years, until Al-Ahli were relegated to the first division in 2022. The derby was back on October sixth 2023.
Saudi Clasico
''Saudi El Clasico'', or simply the Clasico, is a long-running competitive match in
Saudi football, between Ittihad and
Al-Hilal. The competition represents the largest and most important two clubs in the city of
Jeddah
Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...
and the capital,
Riyadh
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...
, the largest and most culturally prominent cities in the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The two clubs are considered the most successful at domestic and continental level. Ittihad is the oldest sports club still surviving in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and is seen as the ''People's Club''. While Al-Hilal represents the culture of the Capital Club, it is called by the masses ''the Leader''. The two teams meet twice a year in the
league, as they may also meet in the
King's Cup or the
Saudi Super Cup or the
AFC Champions League. It is considered as the most prominent and most watched match in Saudi football.
The first meeting between the two teams was held on July 27, 1962, a friendly match, in the capital, Riyadh, and ended with a 2–0 victory for Ittihad. The first official meeting between the two teams was on January 10, 1964, the King's Cup Final, which in turn also ended with a 3–0 victory for Ittihad.
Together with
Al-Nassr, they are the only 3 teams that have not been relegated to the
Second Division since its founding.
Present-day
Ittihad is based in Sahafa street, Mushrefa district, in southeastern Jeddah, where they have a large sports complex. Senior teams play official games at the
King Abdullah Sports City, north of the city, while youth teams play at the club's headquarters.
Fanbase
Ittihad is the highest-attended club in Saudi Arabia. In the
2014-15 Saudi League, Ittihad's attendance during 12 home games averaged 42,371 per match. In 2016, American website The Sportster ranked Ittihad fans the 12th most influential football fans in the world. Ittihad has built a strong fan-base across Saudi Arabia, amongst the
Arab League
The Arab League (, ' ), officially the League of Arab States (, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world. The Arab League was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945, initially with seven members: Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt, Kingdom of Iraq, ...
and in Asia. Since its opening on 1 May 2014, Ittihad shares the
King Abdullah Sports City Stadium with local rival
Al-Ahli, while their previous home the
Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium faced construction until it was renovated in 2022.
Sponsorship
Official sponsor
In a press conference on 9 January 2006, president of the club Mansour Albalawi announced that
Sela Sport Co (which is the sponsor of
Saudi National Team) will pay 350 million
riyals to sponsor Ittihad for 5 seasons. Ittihad was later on sponsored by the
Saudi Telecom Company, however the team has not renewed STC's contract.
Honours
Ittihad is one of the most of successful clubs in Saudi Arabia, it has 37 official honours, 32 of which are domestic. In addition to their continental successes, the club is one of the only three Asian clubs to have won the AFC Champions League twice in a row.
*
* shared record
Statistics
Other records
:
League records
Performance in AFC competitions
*
AFC Champions League: 13 appearances
Top scorers in the AFC Champions League
Asian record
Players
Unregistered players
Out on loan
Notable players
Players with senior international caps:
Staff
Current Managers Team
Board Directors
Managerial history
See also
*
List of football clubs in Saudi Arabia
*
Al-Ittihad Club (women)
*
Al-Ittihad Jeddah (basketball)
*
Al-Ittihad Club Stadium
References
External links
*
Eighty years of Al Ittihadint.soccerway.com* Arabic Site
Al Ittihad Club on Super.aeArabic Site
Al Ittihadat the
AFC Champions League Official website
League of the Ittihad Club Fans on the InternetAlittihad in Languages
* Al Ittihad at the
Arab Champions League Official website
Arabicnbsp;�
Englishnbsp;�
Francais
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ittihad
Football clubs in Saudi Arabia
Association football clubs established in 1927
1927 establishments in Saudi Arabia
Football clubs in Jeddah
AFC Champions League Elite winning clubs
Asian Cup Winners Cup winning clubs