Al Wasl F.C.
Al Wasl Football Club (Arabic: نادي الوصل لكرة القدم) is an Emirati professional football club based in Dubai, that competes in the United Arab Emirates Football League. It is a part of the multi-sports club Al Wasl SC. Argentina legend Diego Maradona was the manager of the club in 2011 and 2012. The club has a supporters group, named as the Ultras Junoon.
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| Full name | Al Wasl Sports Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Al Fuhud (The cheetahs/panthers) Al Imbrator (The emperor)[1] | ||
| Founded | 1960 (as Zamalek) | ||
| Ground | Zabeel Stadium Dubai, United Arab Emirates | ||
| Capacity | 8,439 | ||
| Owner | Ahmed Bin Rashed[2] | ||
| Chairman | Ahmad Bin Shafar | ||
| Manager | Waleed Al Shaibani | ||
| League | UAE Pro League | ||
| 2022–23 | UAE Pro League, 4th | ||
| 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.[3] 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 elected Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to be their club president. Around 1966 Zamalek would beat Al Shabab in a Canada dry championship which was their first achievement.[4] In 1974 Al Orouba agreed to merge with Zamalek to form Al Wasl Club.[5]
Club of the Century
Al Wasl Club was ranked in 2009 by IFFHS (International Federation of Football for History and Statistics) as the Club of the Century (1901-2000) in UAE because of the club performance in international competitions.[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]
Current squad
As of UAE Pro-League:
Unregistered players
|
Out on loan
|
Honours and achievements
Domestic competitions
- Winner: 1987, 2007
- Winner: 1992/93
Regional competitions
Performance in AFC competitions
- AFC Champions League: 3 appearances
- Asian Club Championship: 4 appearances
Coaching staff
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Managers |  Juan Antonio Pizzi |
| Assistant Managers | Iván Moreno y Fabianesi |
| Youth Coaches |  Admir Adžem |
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 1999)
Henryk Kasperczak (Sept 1999 – Feb 2000)- Alain Laurier (2000 – May 2000)
Josef Hickersberger (2000–2001)
Johan Boskamp (2001–2002)
Martín Lasarte (2002)- Khalifa Mubarak Obaid Al Shamsi (March 2003)
- Arthur Bernardes[14] (March 2003 – May 2004)
Vinko Begović (2004–2005)- Zé Mário (2006–2007)
Miroslav Beránek (2007–2008)
Alexandre Guimarães (1 July 2009 – May 2010)[15]- Khalifa Mubarak Obaid Al Shamsi (April 2010 – June 2011)
- Sérgio Farias (1 Aug 2010 – 19 April 2011)[16]
Diego Maradona (16 May 2011 – 10 July 2012)- Bruno Metsu (17 July 2012 – 26 October 2012)
- Guy Lacombe (7 Nov 2012 – 18 February 2013)[17]
- Eid Barout (17 Feb 2013 – 30 May 2013)[18]
- Laurent Banide (2013)[19]
- Héctor Cúper (2013–2014)[20]
- Jorginho (2014)
- Gabriel Calderón (2014–2016)
- Rodolfo Arruabarrena (2016–2018)
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Gustavo Quinteros (2018)
Laurențiu Reghecampf (2018–2020)- Salem Rabie (2020)
- Odair Hellmann (2020–2022)
- Juan Antonio Pizzi (2022–present)
Pro-League Record
| Season | Lvl. | Tms. | Pos. | President's Cup | League Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | 1 | 12 | 7th | Round of 16 | First Round |
| 2009–10 | 1 | 12 | 5th | Round of 16 | First Round |
| 2010–11 | 1 | 12 | 6th | Semi-Finals | Semi-Finals |
| 2011–12 | 1 | 12 | 8th | Quarter-Finals | Semi-Finals |
| 2012–13 | 1 | 14 | 9th | Round of 16 | First Round |
| 2013–14 | 1 | 14 | 12th | Quarter-Finals | First Round |
| 2014–15 | 1 | 14 | 6th | Round of 16 | First Round |
| 2015–16 | 1 | 14 | 6th | Quarter-Finals | Semi-Finals |
| 2016–17 | 1 | 14 | 2nd | Quarter-Finals | Semi-Finals |
| 2017–18 | 1 | 12 | 3rd | Runner-ups | Runner-ups |
| 2018–19 | 1 | 14 | 9th | Semi-Finals | Quarter-Finals |
| 2019–20a | 1 | 14 | 8th | Quarter-Finals | Quarter-Finals |
| 2020–21 | 1 | 14 | 9th | Quarter-Finals | Semi-Finals |
| 2021–22 | 1 | 14 | 6th | Semi-Finals | Quarter-Finals |
| 2022–23 | 1 | 14 | 4th | Semi-Finals | First Round |
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
- Lvl. = League
References
- "Al Wasl – Clubs – UAE Pro League Committee". uae.agleague.ae.
- HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; www.alwaslsc.ae
- "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.
- "IFFHS". www.iffhs.com. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
- "Arabian Gulf Cup Quarter-finals: Fight breaks out after Bur Dubai Derby between Al Nasr and Al Wasl". Goal.
- "UAE Clasico to be hosted at Zabeel Stadium by Al Wasl against Al Ain". Goal.
- 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". 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". The National. Abu Dhabi. 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: 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: Abu Dhabi Media. Retrieved 31 March 2015.