Al-Arabi SC (Qatar)

Did You Know?

• The Al-Arabi Fans Club was established on 21 October 2015.
• On the day the fan club was founded, the club's management withdrew the number 1 jersey from the first team and awarded it to the fans after captain Masoud Zeraei waived his right to the number.
• The club's current crest, featuring a ceremonial falcon, is a modification of the one introduced in the early 1950s.

History

The club was founded in 1952 as Shabab Al-Sharq, renamed Al-Tahrir in 1956, and merged the following year with Al-Wehda under the name Al-Wehda. In 1972 it rebranded as Al-Arabi. Ahmed Ali Ahmed Al-Ansari served as the first president. Al-Arabi placed 14th in the IFFHS's 1901–2000 Asian Club of the Century poll. The club established itself as a leading Qatari side in the 1970s, finishing as runners-up in the 1975–76 Emir Cup before winning the Emir Cup three consecutive times: defeating Al-Wakrah in 1977–78 and 1978–79, and Al-Khor in 1979–80. During the 1980s, the squad included national team players such as Ali Zaid, Ibrahim Khalfan, Man'a Al-Barshi, Mohammed Daham, and Khamis Daham. The club won the Qatari League in 1982–83 and 1984–85, and lifted the Emir Cup in 1982–83, 1983–84, 1988–89, and 1989–90, along with the Sheikh Jassim Cup in 1980 and 1982. The 1990s saw the club assemble a strong squad with foreign players Marquinho Carioca and Richard Owebukeri, supported by domestic players Mubarak Mustafa and Adel Al Mulla. The team was nicknamed the Dream Team, after the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team. In 2003, the club signed Argentine striker Gabriel Batistuta.

Rivalries

Al-Arabi's clash with Al-Rayyan is known as the Fans Derby, as both clubs are considered to have the most passionate fan bases in Qatar. Matches against Al-Sadd are regarded as the season's biggest, contested by the country's two most successful teams. Al-Arabi traditionally saw itself as the club of Qatar's working class, in contrast to Al-Sadd's upper-class support base, though this class divide eventually diminished.