Al-Ain_FC

Al Ain FC

Al Ain FC

Emirati professional football club

For the Formula team, see Al Ain (Superleague Formula team).

Al Ain Football Club (Arabic: نادي العين لكرة القدم; transliterated: Nady al-'Ayn), known simply as Al Ain, is a professional football club based in the city of Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is one of many sport sections of the multi-sports club Al Ain Sports and Cultural Club (Arabic: نادي العين الرياضي الثقافي).

Quick Facts Full name, Nickname(s) ...

The club was founded in 1968 by players from Al Ain, members of a Bahraini group of exchange students and the Sudanese community working in the United Arab Emirates.[1] The team quickly gained popularity and recognition throughout the country, being the team with the most trophies (35 in total).[2]

Al Ain is by far the most successful club in the UAE.[3] Al Ain has won a record 14 UAE Pro League, 7 President's Cups, 5 Super Cups, 3 Federation Cups, two League Cup, two Abu Dhabi Championship, Joint League, Emirati-Moroccan Super Cup, Gulf Club Champions Cup and AFC Champions League. The club is the first and only UAE side so far to win the AFC Champions League.[4]

History

Foundation and early years

More information Squad of season 1975-76 ...

In the early 1960s, a group of young men learned the rules of the game by watching British soldiers playing football and formed their own team. The first pitch was very simple and small, taking the shape of a square sandy plot of land on the main street near the Clock Roundabout in Al Ain.[5] In August 1968, the club was officially established, taking its name from the city they lived. The founders thought it was necessary to have a permanent headquarters for the club and rented a house on the current Khalifa Road for club meetings. The club's founders took responsibility for all the club's affairs, from planning the stadium to cleaning the club headquarters and washing the kit.[5] Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan was approached for assistance and he provided the club
with a permanent headquarters in the Al Jahili district and a Land Rover to serve the club and the team.[6] Al Ain made a successful debut by beating a team made up of British soldiers and went on to play friendly matches against other Abu Dhabi clubs. In 1971, the team played their first match against international opposition when they were defeated 7–0 by the Egyptian club Ismaily in a friendly match for the war effort.

In 1971, a group members of the club (Hadher Khalaf Al Muhairi, Saleem Al Khudrawi, Mohammed Khalaf Al Muhairi and Mahmoud Fadhlullah) broke away and founded Al Tadhamun Club.[7] In 1971, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan provided the club with new headquarters with modern specifications: the Khalifa Stadium in Al Sarooj district.[6] In 10 November 1974, Al Ain combined with the breakaway Al Tadhamun, to form the Al Ain Sports Club. The first board of directors of the club was formed after the merger under the chairmanship Mohammed Salem Al Dhaheri.[7]

The founders were Mohammed Saleh Bin Badooh and Khalifa Nasser Al Suwaidi, Saeed Bin Ghannoum Al Hameli, Abdullah Hazzam, Salem Hassan Al Muhairi, Abdullah and Mane'a Ajlan, Saeed Al Muwaisi, Nasser Dhaen, Abdullah Matar, Juma Al Najem, Ibrahim Al Mahmoud, Ibrahim Rasool and Ali Al Maloud and Ali Bu Majeed, who were the members of the Bahraini group of exchange students and Maamoun Abdulqader, Mahmoud Fadhlullah, Al Fateh Al Talib, Hussain Al Mirghani, Abbas Ali and Nasser, Abdullah Al Mansouri from the Sudanese and Saudi community working in the UAE.[1][8]

Fahad [ar]
Abdullah
Joher (C)
Harib

First titles and Entry to the Football League (1974–1997)

On 2 February 1974, the club won its first title, the Abu Dhabi League. On 13 November 1974, Sheikh Khalifa was named honorary president of Al Ain, in recognition of his continuing support for the club.[7] On 21 May 1975, Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan was elected Chairman of Board of Directors. In 1975, Al Ain won its second Abu Dhabi League.[9] In the same year on 21 March 1975, the club played its first UAE President Cup losing 4–5 on penalties in the Round of 16 against Al Shaab after drawing 1–1 in normal time. In 1975–76 season, the team participated for the first time in the UAE Football League, finishing runners-up behind Al Ahli. Al Ain won its first League title in the 1976–77 season, after drawing 1–1 with Al Sharjah in the last match. In the following season, they finished runners-up to Al Nasr; Mohieddine Habita was the top scorer with 20 goals. In the 1978–79 season, Al Ain secure third place with 27 points in the league and defeated by Sharjah in the President Cup final.

Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan became president of Al Ain on 19 January 1979. Al Ain won the League again in the 1980–81 season and lost the President Cup final to Al Shabab of Dubai. In 1983–84, the team won Joint League Cup and followed with its third League title, becoming the second with Al Ahli to have won the championship three times. The team had the strongest attack with 35 goals, and Ahmed Abdullah, with 20 goals was the joint-winner of the Arab League Golden Boot award for top scorer, alongside Al Wasl striker Fahad Khamees. This season was the first season in which foreign players were excluded from the UAE League, a restriction which was opposed by Al Ain. After winning the League title in 1983–84 season, Al Ain failed to win any trophies until 1989 when they won the Federation Cup. In the following year they reached the final of the President Cup, losing to Al Shabab.

The 1992–93 season began with several new signings: Saif Sultan (Ittihad Kalba), Salem Johar (Ajman), Saeed Juma (Emirates). Al Ain won their fourth League title with three games left to play, after a 5–0 win at Al Khaleej. In the following season, they finished second in the Football League and were runners-up the 1993 UAE Super Cup losing 2–1 against Al Shaab. They also reached the President Cup final but were beaten 1–0 by Al Shabab, failing for the fourth time to win the Cup. In 1994 and 1995, Al Ain lost two President Cup finals, finished second in the League, won the 1995 UAE Super Cup and lost out in the Asian Cup Winners' Cup second round to the Kuwaiti team Kazma. In the 1996–97 season, Al Ain were eliminated in the round of 16 of the President Cup by Hatta and finished fourth in the Football League.

The Golden Age (1997–2003)

Before the start of the 1997–98 season, the honorary board was formed on 7 June 1997.[10] After this initiative, Al Ain won the league championship. In the following season, they won the President Cup and finished runner-up in the league and secured the third place
in their second appearance in Asian Club Championship, after the 1985. Ilie Balaci took charge in 1999. He led them to their sixth League championship, while in the Asian Cup Winners' Cup they were eliminated by Al Jaish on the away goals rule in the first round.

In 2003, Al Ain contested the AFC Champions League competition. In the Group stage they won all three matches, beating Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia, Al Sadd of Qatar and Esteghlal of Iran. In the semi-final they were matched against the Chinese side Dalian Shide over two legs.
In the first game, Al Ain won 4–2 at home, with Boubacar Sanogo scoring twice. In the return match in China Al Ain went 4–2 down with six minutes to play but won 7–6 on aggregate after a late goal by Farhad Majidi the Iranian legend. The final saw Al Ain face BEC Tero Sasana of Thailand.
In the home leg, Al Ain prevailed 2–0 with goals from Salem Johar and Mohammad Omar. At the Rajamangala Stadium on 11 October, Al Ain were beaten 1–0 by Tero Sasana, but won 2–1 on aggregate to become the first Emirati club to win the Champions League.

New Era (2016–present)

In December 2018, Al Ain which celebrated the 50th anniversary participating in the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup, representing the host nation as the reigning champions of the UAE Pro-League. Al Ain beat Team Wellington from New Zealand in the first round and Espérance de Tunis of 2018 CAF Champions League champions to enter semifinal. On 18 December 2018, Al Ain defeated Copa Libertadores champions River Plate by penalties hosted in their home stadium Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium to enter the final for the first time in team history and became the first Emirati club to reach the decisive match. The final, on 22 December, Al Ain lost 4–1 to UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Club rivalries

Abu Dhabi Classico

Main article: Abu Dhabi Classico

Al Ain–Shabab Al Ahli rivlary

Main article: Al Ain–Shabab Al Ahli rivlary

Al Ain–Sharjah rivlary

Main article: Al Ain–Sharjah rivlary

Crest and colours

Al Jahili Fort, symbol of the club since 1980.

Crests

Al Jahili Fort is considered as a symbol of the club, because it reflects the history of the city and also was the formal home of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan since 1946 when he was a ruler's representative. It officially became a crest for the club in 1980.[11]
They import a single star in their emblem because of their 2003 AFC Champions League victory.

Kits and colours

The team began playing in green and white in 1968. After merging with Al Tadhamon in 1974, their red colour became Al Ain's from season 1974–75 until the start of season 1976–77. During the first team training camp in Morocco in 1977, a friendly tournament was held by Moroccan club Wydad Casablanca with the Nice, Sporting CP, and Anderlecht. Al Ain admired Anderlecht's purple colors, and an idea came to change Al Ain's colors to purple. The idea was presented to Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, who agreed to change the club colors officially to the purple with the beginning of the season 1977–78.[12]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Al Ain FC kits.
1968–74[n1 1]
1974–77 [n1 2]
1977–78 [n1 3]
2018–19 [n1 4]
2023–24 [n1 5]
Notes
  1. [N 1]
    The club colours worn from 1968 to in 1974.[13]
  2. [N 2]
    Al Tadhamon colour became Al Ain's from 1974 to in 1977
  3. [N 3]
    Purple became the main colour of the club with the beginning of the season 1977–78.
  4. [N 4]
    The club’s 50th anniversary kits, with the number 50 emblazoned in gold stitching during the 2018-19 season
  5. [N 5]
    Al Ain had primarily worn purple and white home and away kits. In 2023–24 season, Al Ain changed home kit to black base with a purple graphic design and gold for logos, with black shorts and socks.

Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors

More information Period, Kit manufacturer ...

Grounds

Al Ain training grounds
Khalifa bin Zayed
Tahnoun bin Mohammed
Main articles: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Tahnoun bin Mohammed Stadium, and Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium

Al Ain first playground was set up on the main street near the Clock Roundabout in Al Ain. Took the shape of a square sandy plot of land.[26] In 1971, Al Ain moved to new stadium in Al Sarouj district at a cost of £40,290. On 18 June 1978, the new stadium named after honorary president Khalifa Bin Zayed known as Sheikh Khalifa International Stadium. The stadium underwent a renovation in 2002 and increased its capacity to 12,000 people and as of the 2006–07 season all the Al Ain matches are played in this stadium. The stadium went through another significant upgrade and renovation, to prepare for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, hosted in the UAE. As of 14 January 2014, Hazza bin Zayed been Al Ain home ground.[9]

Panorama view of Al Ain current ground, Hazza bin Zayed.

Honours

See also: List of Al Ain FC records and statistics, Al Ain FC in international football, List of Al Ain FC seasons, and United Arab Emirates football records

37 official Championships.[27]

More information Type, Competition ...
  •   record
  •   S shared record

Players

Main article: List of Al Ain FC players
For a list of all former and current Al Ain FC players with a Wikipedia article, see Category:Al Ain FC players.

Current squad

As of 30 August 2023[30][31][32]
Further information: 2023–24 Al Ain FC season § Players

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

More information No., Pos. ...

Unregistered players

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

More information No., Pos. ...

Out on loan

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

More information No., Pos. ...

Personnel

Current technical staff

More information Position, Name ...

Last updated: 14 November 2023
Source: 1

Management

Mohammed bin Zayed is the current club president.

Board of directors

See also: List of Al Ain FC presidents
Hazza bin Zayed, current Vice President.
More information Office, Name ...

Last updated: 7 June 2023
Source: Al Ain Club

Managerial history

See also: List of Al Ain FC managers

* Served as caretaker coach.

More information No., Nationality ...
More information No., Nationality ...

Record

Recent seasons

Main article: List of Al Ain FC seasons
More information Season, Div. ...
Champions Runners-up 3rd place Advanced to next round but the cup continued in next season

Notes

  1. [n 1]
    Starting from the 2008-09 season or whats known as the Pro Era, UAE Federation Cup was replaced with UAE League Cup.
  2. [n 2]
    Al Ain withdrew, Al Wahda replaced it.
  3. [n 3]
    2019–20 UAE football season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates.

Top goalscorers

Further information: List of Al Ain FC records and statistics

Updated 21 February 2024.
Bold indicates player is still active at club level.

More information Rank, Player ...

Note: this includes goals scored in all competitions.[39]

Top scorers in Asian competitions

Since 2002–03 AFC Champions League, includes goals scored in qualifying play-off
Statistics correct as of match played against Al Hilal on 17 April 2024

More information R, Player ...

Asian

Main article: Al Ain FC in international football

Overview

As of 23 April 2024.
More information Competition, Played ...
  • GF = Goals For. GA = Goals Against. GD = Goal Difference.
  1. [n 1]
    does not include 4 match in play-off round.

Participations

More information Competition ...
  • QS : Qualifying Stage, 1R/2R : First/Second round, GS : Group Stage, R16 : Round of 16, QF : Quarterfinals, SF : Semifinal, R : Runner-up, C : Champions

See also

References

  1. [1]
    "club Foundation3". alainclub.com. Archived from the original on 1 August 2007. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  2. [2]
    "40 years of UAE Football". EmaratAlYoum. Archived from the original on 17 July 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  3. [3]
    "Al Ain look to the future". FIFA. Archived from the original on 26 June 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  4. [4]
    "Al Ain "The Boss" with 58 titles". EmaratAlYoum. Archived from the original on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  5. [5]
    "The Beginning". alainclub.com. Archived from the original on 1 August 2007. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  6. [6]
    "club Foundation4". alainclub.com. Archived from the original on 20 August 2008. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  7. [7]
    "club Foundation5". alainclub.com. Archived from the original on 1 August 2007. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  8. [8]
    "خليفة ناصر السويدي: خليفة بن زايد أكبر داعم لتأسيس نادي العين". AlBayan.ae. Archived from the original on 11 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  9. [9]
    "club Foundation – 2". alainteam.com. Archived from the original on 27 March 2005. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  10. [10]
    "The honorary board". alainteam.com (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 11 December 2004. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  11. [11]
    "Club Emblem" (in Arabic). AlAinClub.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2004. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  12. [12]
    "The Purple Story". alainclub.com (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 14 January 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  13. [13]
    "Al Ain and Al Ahli in 1974". Mohammed Al Joker Official Instagram. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  14. [14]
    "Al Ain Club honour top achievers of season". Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  15. [15]
    "Al Ain Club finalise sponsorship deals". Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  16. [16]
    "Hazza honours Al Ain sponsors and advertisers". Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  17. [17]
    "FGB sponsors Al Ain Football Club for the second year in a row". Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  18. [18]
    "شراكة جديدة بين نادي العين الرياضي وأبوظبي الوطنية للفنادق". Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  19. [19]
    "قمصان جديدة للعين من نايكي بدل أديداس". Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  20. [20]
    "العين ونايك يوقعان اتفاقية شراكة". Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  21. [21]
    "نادي العين و"مطارات أبوظبي" يوقعان شراكة لثلاث سنوات". Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  22. [22]
    "نادي العين يجدد عقد شراكته مع مطارات أبوظبي". Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  23. [23]
    Al Ain Football Club [@alainfcae] (12 October 2015). "BMW أحدث العلامات التجارية الدولية على قمصان لاعبي نادي العين" (Tweet). Retrieved 24 December 2021 – via Twitter.
  24. [24]
    "Concluding a New Partnership Agreement With Rain". Al Ain FC. 10 March 2022. Archived from the original on 15 March 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  25. [25]
    "Al Ain Club and Ethmar International Holding sign a 2-year partnership contract". AlAinClub.ae. 28 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  26. [26]
    "first playground". alainclub.com. Archived from the original on 1 August 2007. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  27. [27]
    "Club Milestones". Al Ain FC. Archived from the original on 19 June 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  28. [28]
    "List of Cup Winners". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  29. [29]
    "Joint League" (in Arabic). UAEFA.ae. Archived from the original on 2 July 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  30. [30]
    "Team | ALAINFC". Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  31. [31]
    "UAEFA; Players". Archived from the original on 6 February 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  32. [32]
    "UAEProLeague; Squad and Manager". Archived from the original on 6 February 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  33. [33]
    "Abdullah Al Shamesi Appointed The Supervisor Of First And Reserved Football Teams". AlAinClub.ae. 1 July 2021. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  34. [34]
    "Hazza bin Zayed Appoints Sultan bin Hamdan bin Zayed to Run Al Ain Club Football Company's Affairs". AlAinClub.ae. 7 June 2023. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023.
  35. [35]
    "Under the Directives of Hazza bin Zayed.. Sultan bin Hamdan Zayed is Appointed the Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al Ain Club and Chairman of the Executive Committee". AlAinClub.ae. 25 May 2022. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023.
  36. [36]
    "ناصر ضاعن: ملعب "دوار الساعة" شاهد على الانطلاقة". Al-Ittihad. Archived from the original on 21 December 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  37. [37]
    "أفكار محمد وهزاع بن زايد وراء القفزة النوعية للبنفسج". Al Bayan. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  38. [38]
    "ناصر ضاعن أول مواطن يقود تدريب العين". Al Bayan. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  39. [39]
    "Top Scorers". alainteam.com. Archived from the original on 20 January 2004. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Al Ain FC.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Al-Ain_FC, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.