Ittihad Tanger

Ittihad Riadi Tanger (Arabic: الاتحاد الرياضي لطنجة, lit.'Sports Union of Tangier'),[2] often shortened to IR Tanger or the abbreviation IRT, is a Moroccan football club based in Tangier, that competes in Botola, Morocco's top professional football league.[3]

IR Tanger
اتحاد طنجة
Full nameIttihad Riadi de Tanger
الاتحاد الرياضي لطنجة
Nickname(s)Boughaz's Knight (team)
Hercules (supporters)
Short nameIRT
Founded1936 (1936)
as Unión Deportiva España de Tánger
officially: 1983 (1983)
GroundIbn Batouta Stadium
Capacity65,000[1]
ChairmanMohammed Cherkaoui
ManagerHilal Et-tair
LeagueBotola
2021–2213th of 16
WebsiteClub website

The club was founded in 1936 as Unión Deportiva España de Tánger (UDET); After the independence of Morocco in 1956, the club changed was renamed to Unión Deportiva de Tánger (UDT). In 1983, several local football clubs were merged into UDT, and Ittihad Riadi Tanger was formed.

IR Tanger's home games are hosted at Ibn Batouta Stadium. In the past, Stade de Marchan was their home stadium until its demolition.

IR Tanger has a large fan base in northern Morocco, particularly in the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region.

History
IR Tangier back in the late 1980s and 1990s.

IR Tanger was created by the fusion of several clubs in 1983. In the early 1990s, IR Tangier became one of the most successful clubs in the Botola. However, the club failing to win any trophies, although they came close in the 1989–90 season when they finished as runners-up. The 1989 season was considered by many to be their best season, as the team was victorious over many other notable Botola clubs, defeating Raja Casablanca 3-1 and Maghreb de Fès 3–0.

During the late 1990s, IR Tanger failed to achieve anything besides maintaining itself in the Botola. The club ended up getting relegated twice before the early 2000s, finishing unsuccessfully during the 1995–96 and 1997–98 seasons.

In July 2000, the club hired Coach Omar Raiss. He oversaw the improvement in the club's performance during the 2000–01 season, during which they scored 50 goals. Because of their performance, the club received a promotion. Their performance declined, however, with their only notable achievement in the early 2000s being a Throne Cup they won during the semi-final in the 2005–06 season. The following season became IR Tanger's last in the Botola for the next few years. During this time, the club's results were poor, and they would very often finish unsuccessfully.

During later years, after IR Tanger set up a new directive committee, it nearly made it back to the Botola during the 2013–14 season. With a series of transfers and the arrival of Coach Mohamed Amine Benhachem, the team cruised through the 2014–15 season, losing only twice and finishing first by a five-point lead.

During the 2015–16 season, the team made a comeback to the Botola Pro. The club contracted with many local and foreign players, finishing third in their first season and qualifying for the 2017 CAF Confederation Cup for the first time.

IR Tangiers team in 2015–16 Season

Home ground
Main article: Ibn Batouta Stadium

The club hosted their home matches in the Stade de Marchan, a stadium with a capacity of 15,000 seats, until it was demolished. The Stade de Marchan hosted several notable matches like the one between IR Tanger vs. Wydad Casablanca during the 1989–90 season. In 2011 the club moved to the then-new Ibn Batouta Stadium, which has a capacity of 45,000 (and a potential for a maximum of 75,000 seats).

Stadium Period
Stade de Marchan 1983–2011
Ibn Batouta Stadium 2012–present
Ibn Batouta Stadium

Crest and shirt

The official crest was designed by the club's founders. It depicts the full name of the club and the year it was founded. The blue lining represents the club's location in northern Morocco.

The official home shirts are similar to the crest, colored blue and white. IR Tanger's traditional away colors change every season but are usually based on light blue with a sponsor's logo on the top.

Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors

Supporters and rivalries

In 2003, the club's ultras, called Ultras Tanger, was founded; this group no longer exists and has instead been replaced by the ultras group named Ultras Hercules that was founded in 2007.

IR Tanger has a rivalry with Moghreb Tétouan, which belongs to the neighboring city, Tétouan.

Season results
Main article: List of IR Tanger seasons

League and cup
Season League Top goalscorer Moroccan Cup
Div. Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Name League
2015–16 1st 3rd 30 14 8 8 36 23 50 Ivory Coast Hervé Guy 7 Semi-finals
2016–17 1st 5th 30 12 9 9 33 25 45 Morocco Ahmed Hammoudan 6 Round of 16
2017–18 1st 1st 30 14 10 6 34 23 52 Morocco Mehdi Naghmi 13 Round of 16
2018–19 1st 5th 30 9 13 8 27 30 40 Morocco Mehdi Naghmi 9 Quarter-finals
2019–20 1st 14th 30 7 11 12 20 36 32 Morocco Sofian El Moudane 4 Round of 16
2020–21 1st 8th 30 10 6 14 29 36 36 Gabon Axel Méyé 12 Round of 16
2021–22 1st 13th 30 8 9 13 31 41 33 Gabon Axel Méyé 12 Round of 16

African competitions
Year Competition Round Opponent Home Away Aggregate Q
2017 CAF Confederation Cup PR Niger AS Douanes 1–0 2–1 3–1
1R Guinea AS Kaloum 3–0 0–1 3–1
PO Guinea Horoya AC 3–2 0–2 3–4
2018–19 CAF Champions League PR Chad Elect-Sport FC 1–0 0–0 1–0
1R Algeria JS Saoura 1–0 0–2 1–2
2018–19 CAF Confederation Cup PO Egypt Zamalek SC 0–0 1–3 1–3

Arab competition
Year Competition Round Opponent Score Position Q
2019–20 Arab Club Champions Cup PR Bahrain Riffa SC 0–2 2nd
Iraq Al-Zawraa SC 3–0
Somalia Horseed FC 1–6
Notes
  • PR: Preliminary round
  • 1R: First round
  • PO: Play-off round

Honours
Type Competition Titles Winning Seasons Runners-up
Domestic Botola 1 2017–18 1989–90
Botola 2 2 2000–01, 2014–15 1986–87, 1996–97,

Players

Current squad
As of 25 February 2023[4]

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 Algeria ALG Gaya Merbah (on loan from Raja CA)
3 DF Morocco MAR Hatim El Ouahabi
4 DF Morocco MAR Ismail El Alami
5 MF Morocco MAR Mohsine Moutouali (captain)
6 MF Morocco MAR Nouaman Aarab (vice-captain)
7 FW Morocco MAR Hassan Zraibi
8 MF Morocco MAR Abdelmottalib Faouzi
10 MF Algeria ALG Abdellah El Moudene
11 FW Morocco MAR Abdellatif Akhrif
13 DF Morocco MAR Oussama Al Aiz
14 MF Morocco MAR Mohamed Said Bouksyr
15 MF Morocco MAR Ayoub Jarfi
17 FW Ivory Coast CIV Joé Amian
19 FW Morocco MAR Jawad Ghabra
20 FW Morocco MAR Mouhcine Rabja (on loan from DH Jadidi)
No. Pos. Nation Player
21 DF Morocco MAR Mohamed Souboul (on loan from Raja CA)
22 DF Morocco MAR Zakaria Kiani
23 MF Morocco MAR Ahmed Chentouf (3rd captain)
27 DF Morocco MAR Ayoub El Rahmmaouy
30 FW Morocco MAR Ali El Harrak
31 MF Morocco MAR Youssef Benali
34 FW Netherlands NED Sabir Achefay
42 MF Morocco MAR Sofian El Moudane
45 FW Gabon GAB Abdou Atchabao
55 FW Morocco MAR Zakaria Benlamachi
70 MF Morocco MAR Hamza Hassani
92 DF Senegal SEN El Hadji Youssoupha Konaté
94 GK Morocco MAR Badreddine Benachour
97 FW Morocco MAR Zouhair El Ouassli
99 GK Morocco MAR Zouhair Laaroubi

From youth squad

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
2 DF Morocco MAR Ismail Laghzali
12 GK Morocco MAR Imad Askar
16 MF Morocco MAR Mahmoud El Kayssoumi
24 DF Morocco MAR Saber Yazidi
26 MF Morocco MAR Salah Cheffani
No. Pos. Nation Player
29 MF Morocco MAR Ahmed Harboul
33 FW Morocco MAR Bilal El Hankouri
61 MF Morocco MAR Badreddine Bakkali
66 MF Morocco MAR Yassine Dihaz
— MF Morocco MAR Abdelhamid Maâli

Other players under contract

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
9 FW Morocco MAR Mouad Ajandouz
18 MF Togo TOG Donou Hubert
28 DF Morocco MAR Abdelatif Noussir

Out on loan

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 Morocco MAR Abdellah Amghar (at JO Ouezzane until 30 June 2023)
— DF Morocco MAR Bilal Akhedim (at AUS Ben Tayeb until 30 June 2023)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Morocco MAR Mourad Hmamou (at AUS Ben Tayeb until 30 June 2023)
— MF Morocco MAR Abdelali Asri (at C Alam Tanger until 30 June 2023)

Former players

Managers

Personnel

Board of directors
Position Name
PresidentMorocco Mohammed Cherkaoui

Source:[9]

Current technical staff
Position Name
First team head coach Morocco Hilal Et-tair
Assistant coach Morocco Abdelouahed Benkacem
Fitness coach Morocco Rachid Blej
Goalkeeping coach Morocco Mohammed Bestara
Performance analyst Morocco Ahmed Zekhnini
Club doctor Morocco Houssine Azizi
Physiotherapists Morocco Nacereddine Jabouri
Healer Morocco Abdelmonhem Nafie
Delegate Morocco Ali Haddou
Hope's team coach Morocco Khalid Bahid
Hope's team assistant coach Morocco Youssef Sekour
Hope's Team Fitness coach Morocco Ahmed Azmi
Formation center manager Morocco Abdelhakim Ben Saddik

Last updated: 21 January 2023
Source:

Partnerships

See also

References
  1. "Stade Ibn Batouta (Grand Stade de Tanger)". StadiumDB.com. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  2. "The blue northern club of Tangiers". Archived from the original on 20 October 2016.
  3. "Ittihad Tanger". www.goalzz.com. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  4. "𝐒𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐃 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐/𝟐𝟑". clubirt. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  5. Staff writer. "Football: Zaki Officially Becomes Head Coach of IR Tangier". Morocco world news. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  6. "L'Ittihad de Tanger nomme son nouveau coach". Hespress Français (in French). 2020-01-27. Retrieved 2022-10-19.
  7. "اتحاد طنجة يفسخ عقد المدرب بادو الزاكي". Hespress - هسبريس جريدة إلكترونية مغربية (in Arabic). 2022-10-18. Retrieved 2022-10-19.
  8. "أحكان يكشف تفاصيل الانفصال عن الزاكي". Hespress - هسبريس جريدة إلكترونية مغربية (in Arabic). 2022-10-18. Retrieved 2022-10-19.
  9. "Botola: Mohamed Cherkaoui, un nouveau président au chevet de l'R Tanger" [Botola: Mohamed Cherkaoui, a new president at the bedside of IR Tanger]. sport.le360.ma. 16 January 2023.
  10. "فريق اتحاد طنجة يوقع اتفاقية شراكة وتعاون مع فريق شباب بلوزداد الجزائري" [Ittihad Tangiers signs a partnership and cooperation agreement with the Algerian club Chaba Belouizdad] (in Arabic). tanjaelkobra.com. 22 January 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  11. "وفد من فريق اتحاد طنجة يزور مدينة برشلونة لتوقيع اتفاقية شراكة مع نادي اسبانيول" [A delegation from Ittihad Tanger visits Barcelona to sign a partnership agreement with Espanyol] (in Arabic). IR Tanger. 20 September 2018. Archived from the original on 28 September 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  12. "El C.D. Leganés firma un acuerdo de colaboración con el Ittihad de Tanger" [El C.D. Leganés firma un acuerdo de colaboración con el Ittihad de Tanger] (in Spanish). CD Leganés. 2 May 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
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