Summary
Aliyat Al-Shorta Sport Club (Arabic: نادي آليات الشرطة الرياضي, lit. 'Police Machinery Sport Club') is an Iraqi sports club based in Baghdad. Its football team plays in the Iraqi First Division League, the third tier of Iraqi football.
 | |||
| Full name | Aliyat Al-Shorta Sport Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1961 (as a team) 2017 (as a club) | ||
| Ground | Al-Walaa Stadium | ||
| Chairman | Majid Falih Al-Moussawi | ||
| Manager | Azhar Tahir | ||
| League | Iraqi First Division League | ||
| 2022–23 | Iraqi First Division League, 4th in Baghdad Group 2 | ||
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| |||
History edit
The Aliyat Al-Shorta (Police Machinery) football team was founded in 1961 by the Police Games Committee. They were promoted to the Iraq Central FA First Division, the top division for teams in Baghdad and its neighbouring cities, in 1963 after winning the third and second divisions in succession. They clinched promotion with a 3–1 win over Al-Omma after extra time on 29 June 1963.[1] Aliyat Al-Shorta went on to become one of the strongest teams in the region under the management of Mohammed Najeeb Kaban, winning three top-flight league titles in a row (1967–68, 1968–69 and 1969–70) and leading the league in the 1966–67 season before it was cancelled.[2]
In 1971, Aliyat Al-Shorta became the first Iraqi team to take part in Asia's main club competition, the Asian Champion Club Tournament, and made history by becoming the first Arab side to reach the final.[3] They won all the games they took to the field for en route to the final of the tournament, including two wins against the competition's defending champions Taj Tehran, but refused to face Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv for political reasons, waving the Palestinian flag around the field during the award ceremony and taking the runner-up spot.[4] They were regarded as champions by the Iraqi media and were greeted with a heroes' welcome upon their return to the country, holding an open top bus parade.[5][6] Aliyat Al-Shorta won the league title again in 1971–72, followed by two consecutive league runner-up finishes.
In 1974, the Iraq Football Association (IFA) decided to implement a clubs-only policy for domestic competitions, forming the Iraqi National Clubs League which was only open to clubs and not institute-representative teams such as Aliyat Al-Shorta.[7] With the IFA dictating that only a single club would be allowed to represent the Police in the new top-flight, Al-Shorta Sports Club was provisionally established on 18 August 1974 by the Iraqi Olympic Committee,[8] replacing Aliyat Al-Shorta, Shortat Al-Najda, Kuliyat Al-Shorta and Shortat Erbil in the top-flight. As a result, Aliyat Al-Shorta were consigned to competing in non-IFA tournaments, and the team finished in third place in the Armed Forces League in the 1974–75 season.[9]
After that season, a proposal was made by former international referee Ghani Hussein Al-Jabouri for Aliyat Al-Shorta to enter the National Clubs League under the name Al-Dakhiliya SC but it was not approved. Ten players from Aliyat Al-Shorta subsequently joined Al-Shorta Sports Club to compete in the National Clubs League in the 1975–76 season, and from 1975, Aliyat Al-Shorta participated in the Iraqi Police Football League, which the team won on twelve occasions.[10]
In 1989, Aliyat Al-Shorta registered to enter the Ministry of Interior tournaments for the first time.[11] In 1992, Aliyat Al-Shorta were eliminated from the semi-finals of the National Security Championship with a 2–1 loss to Shorta Baghdad. In 2009, Aliyat Al-Shorta participated in the Minister of Interior Cup but were beaten 5–0 by Al-Jinsiya.[12] In 2011, the Baghdad Police Command decided to dissolve the Aliyat Al-Shorta team but reversed its decision after appeals from team members.[13][14]
On 12 June 2017, Aliyat Al-Shorta were granted a preliminary foundation permit by the Ministry of Youth and Sports for a period of six months, allowing them to be established as a sports club once the foundation requirements were met.[15] In November 2017, Aliyat Al-Shorta were granted the full permit and were registered as a sports club, entering the lower divisions of Iraqi club football organised by the IFA. In 2022, the club was promoted to the Iraqi Second Division League for the first time after a 2–1 win over Al-Atheer in Baghdad Group 2 of the 2021–22 Iraqi Third Division League.[16]
Managers edit
| Dates[10] | Name |
|---|---|
| 1961–1973 |  Mohammed Najeeb Kaban
|
| 1973–1974 | Shaker Ismail
|
| 1983–1985 | Sabah Hatim
|
| 1985–1986 | Riyadh Nouri
|
| 1987–1988 | Sabah Luaibi
|
| 1988–1991 |  Hassan Allawi
|
| 1991–2003 | Nasser Noumi
|
| 2017–2018 |  Atta Hassan
|
| 2018–2019 | Kadhim Yousef
|
| 2019–2020 | Mustafa Mahmoud
|
| 2021–2023 | Kadhim Yousef
|
| 2023–2024 | Mustafa Mahmoud
|
| 2024– | Azhar Tahir
|
Honours edit
Major edit
| Type | Competition | Titles | Winning years | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic (national) |
Iraqi National First Division | 0 | – | 1973–74 |
| Domestic (regional) |
Iraq Central FA Premier League/First Division | 4 | 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1971–72 | 1964–65, 1970–71, 1972–73 |
| Iraq Central FA Second Division | 1 | 1962–63 | – | |
| Iraq Central FA Third Division | 1 | 1961–62 | – | |
| Iraq Central FA Perseverance Cup | 0 | – | 1965 | |
| Independent Baghdad Tournament | 0 | – | 1973 | |
| Continental | Asian Champion Club Tournament | 0 | – | 1971 |
Minor edit
- Iraqi Police Football League
- Winners (12): including 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
- Police Perseverance Cup
- Winners (1): 2000
- Police Director General Cup
- Winners (2): 1965, 1972
- Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces Cup
- Winners (1): 1970
- Alexandria International Summer Tournament
- Winners (1): 1967
- Police Cup Championship
- Winners (1): 1965
Statistics edit
In domestic competitions edit
Regional edit
| Year | Central League | Baghdad Cup | Perseverance Cup |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961–62 | Promoted (Div. 3) | Started in 1974 |
did not qualify |
| 1962–63 | Promoted (Div. 2) | ||
| 1963–64 | Seventh place | ||
| 1964–65 | Runner-up | Runner-up | |
| 1965–66 | Fourth place | did not qualify | |
| 1966–67 | not finished | Abolished in 1966 | |
| 1967–68 | Winner | ||
| 1968–69 | Winner | ||
| 1969–70 | Winner | ||
| 1970–71 | Runner-up | ||
| 1971–72 | Winner | ||
| 1972–73 | Runner-up | ||
| 1973–74 | Folded in 1973 |
Quarter-final |
National edit
| Year | National First Division |
|---|---|
| 1973–74 | Runner-up |
References edit
- ^ "Sports Briefs: Local". The Iraq Times. 1 July 1963. Archived from the original on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
- ^ "Aliyat win Police Cup". Baghdad News. 7 December 1965. Archived from the original on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
- ^ "Asian champions Maccabi Tel Aviv return to Israel" (in Hebrew). Davar. 6 April 1971. Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
- ^ Amitsur, D. (22 August 1971). "The Arabs' leg up to Israel in Asian football" (in Hebrew). Davar. Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
- ^ "The 46th anniversary of Al-Shorta giving the title to an Israeli team and honouring the Arabs". Mondial. 2 April 1971. Archived from the original on 17 August 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
- ^ "Al-Mal'ab Newspaper - April 1971 - Champions of Asia Return to Baghdad". Kooora (in Arabic). April 1971. Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
- ^ "Iraqi Football League History" (in Arabic). NIIIIS.com. 9 January 2017. Archived from the original on 28 October 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
- ^ Mubarak, Hassanin (2020). Birth of the Lions of Mesopotamia: The early years of football in Iraq. Amazon Digital Services LLC - KDP Print US. ISBN 979-8670555623.
- ^ Abdul-Wahab, Muhammad (12 January 2017). "The championship that has been forgotten - 1974/75 Armed Forces League" (in Arabic). Kooora.com. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
- ^ a b Mubarak, Hassanin (5 November 2020). "Various Baghdad Police Clubs - Coaches". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
- ^ Al-Mayali, Uday (2020). المفهوم والمصداق للبت في تأريخ دوري العراق. Iraq.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "منتسبو آليات الشرطة يؤكدون رفضهم قرار قيادة شرطة بغداد حل فريقا الجنسية وشرطة الكوت في نهائي كأس وزير الداخلية بكرة القدم". Kooora. 5 July 2009. Archived from the original on 6 January 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
- ^ "منتسبو آليات الشرطة يؤكدون رفضهم قرار قيادة شرطة بغداد حل الفريق". Al-Sumaria TV. 6 October 2011. Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ "عاجل.. عاجل وحصري: الغاء قرار حل فريق الآليات الكروي". Kooora. 6 October 2011.
- ^ "Aliyat Al-Shorta initial foundation permit". Ministry of Youth and Sports. 12 June 2017. Archived from the original on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
- ^ "تأهل نادي اليات الشرطة الى دوري الدرجة الثانية". Baghdad Police Command. 22 March 2022. Archived from the original on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2022.