# Duhok SC

Duhok Sports Club (Kurdish: یانه‌یا وه‌رزشی یا دهوکێ, Arabic: نادي دهوك الرياضي) is an Iraqi professional sports club, based in Duhok, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. Founded in 1970, the club competes in the Iraq Stars League. Duhok SC's biggest rivals are also their neighbours Zakho, always producing the most passionate and fierce matches every season, with whom they contest the "Badinan Derby".

## Club history

Duhok Football Club (Duhok FC) was founded by the youth of Duhok city when three teams joined together to establish the club on 14 December 1970.
Duhok football club began its football in rural leagues class until in 1974–75 the club decided to suspend its activities in order to support the post nationalistic struggle to defend the rights of Kurdish people in Iraq. In 1976, Duhok football team participated in the Iraqi third division, from 1978 the team was in second division, During the 1990–91 season the team did not participate in the league because of a major uprising. The football team resumed its participation in the 1992–93 season of the fourth division, and went up to the third division a year later. In the 1993–94 season, the club participated in the third division. The club was promoted yet again this time to the second division. The 1994–95 season was a very triumphant season for Duhok SC, as they claimed the second division and qualified to the Iraqi first division in the 1995–96 season. Duhok remained in the first division during the 1996–97 season. In the 1997–98 season, Duhok SC secured promotion to the Iraqi premier league by winning the first division. since then Duhok SC spent many years in mid-table obscurity occasionally challenging the top Iraqi sides. However all this changed after the invasion of Iraq, with this came liberation and freedom for all Kurdish sport teams and personalities who have excelled in both domestic and international competitions. Duhok Sc finally realized its full potential during the 2009–10 season, as Duhok SC won their first ever Iraqi premier league championship beating Talaba SC 1–0 to become the champions for the first time. Since then Duhok, SC became runners-up in 2011–12 season, thus qualifying to the AFC cup for the second time in its history. The last time Duhok SC played in the AFC cup in 2010–11, they reached the quarter-finals.

## Official sponsors

* Asia cell 2006/2007.
* Korek Telecom 2009/2010.
* Newroz Telecom 2012/2013.
* Adidas, even though it is not a legitimate sponsor, because the club only took one of the Adidas World Cup designs 2013/2014
* Fastpay 2022/2023
* First Iraqi Bank 2024/Present

## Stadium

Duhok Stadium is the stadium where Duhok Sport Club play their home games. It is a multiuse stadium in Duhok, Kurdistan. The stadium originally held 10,000 people, but after reconstruction it now holds 25,000 people, making it one of the largest in Iraq. It was built in 1992. It is located on Raza Road, Duhok.

## Rivalries

Duhok FC fans consider Zakho FC and Erbil SC to be their main rivals. Zakho FC are the club's traditional rivals with whom they contest the "Duhok Derby" but differing fortunes have somewhat diluted the clubs' dislike of each other, even though now Zakho FC are back in the Iraqi Premier League and the rivalry is set to continue and to be more heated than ever. Erbil SC and Duhok SC also share very heated rivalries, as the two main Kurdish teams in the Iraqi league both teams are very much still rivals, even though these clubs are bitter rivals, the number of incidents and violence has decreased incredibly now these clubs share very safe but still heated encounters. The match between the two is known as the "Iraqi Kurdistan Derby", or alternatively, the "North Iraq Derby".

## Crest and nickname

The Duhok SC logo is yellow and blue, reflecting the club's colours. The logo consists of a hawk, representing Duhok SC's nickname which is the Mountains' Hawks (صقور الجبال). The logo features the letters "DSC" at the top, which stands for Duhok Sports Club, and features the club's year of foundation at the bottom.

## Kits
### Playing kit

Duhok's home shirts are now always yellow and blue, in 2012 Duhok Sc introduced a new home kit for the season 2012/2013, a yellow kit with sky blue hoops. Traditionally the home kit has always been yellow, the away kit would usually be blue or blue and white. Duhok SC has made the colours yellow and blue the club's prime colours.

### Past Kits
## Current squad
### First-team squad

    As of 12 February 2025
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 95 | GK | IRQ | Mohammed Salih |
| 12 | GK | IRQ | Ahmed Bashar |
| 33 | GK | IRQ | Zana Jawzal |
| 2 | DF | IRQ | Najm Shwan |
| 3 | DF | IRQ | Masies Artien |
| 52 | DF | BRA | Moisés $^{FGN}$ |
| 96 | DF | BRA | Lucas Turci $^{FGN}$ |
| 27 | DF | IRQ | Bayar Abubakir (captain) |
| 23 | DF | IRQ | Rebaz Raheem |
| 20 | DF | IRQ | Mohammed Saeed |
| 30 | DF | IRQ | Mustafa Owaid $^{CZN}$ |
| 45 | MF | GHA | Reuben Acquah $^{FGN}$ |
| 55 | MF | IRQ | Ali Mohsin |
| 5 | MF | IRQ | Ako Hzair |
| 10 | MF | IRQ | Haron Ahmed Zubair |
| 25 | MF | IRQ | Zana Allée $^{CZN}$ |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 21 | MF | IRQ | Bewar Fariq |
| 17 | MF | IRQ | Hassan Emad |
| 99 | FW | IRQ | Siyaband Ageed |
| 7 | FW | IRQ | Peter Gwargis $^{CZN}$ |
| 80 | FW | CIV | Yannick Zakri $^{FGN}$ |
| 29 | FW | BRA | Marlon $^{FGN}$ |
| 18 | FW | IRQ | Dhulfiqar Younis |
| 28 | FW | LBN | Karim Darwiche $^{FGN}$ |
| 88 | FW | IRQ | Ibrahim Ghazi |
| 11 | FW | IRQ | Pashang Abdulla |
| — | FW | IRQ | Mustafa Nawaf |

## Club managers

* Mesut Meral (2024-)
* Ahmed Khalaf (2023-2024)
* Sulaiman Ramadhan (2020-2023)
* Thair Jassam (2014-2015), (2015-2016)
* Basim Qasim (2007–2011), (2014-2015)
* Fajr Ibrahim (2013–2014)
* Jamal Ali (2012–2013)
* Ayman Hakeem (2011–2012)
* Akram Salman (2010–2011)
* Nadhim Shaker (1996–1997), (2004–2005)
* Namat Mahmoud
* Hamid Mahmoud
* Hussain Hassan
* Ameer Abdul-Aziz
* Rasan Bunian
* Hadi Mutansh
* Mohammed Tabra
* Natiq Hashim
* Faisal Aziz
* Shaker Mahmoud
* Kadhim Mutashar

## Recent history

| Season | Pos. | Pl. | W | D | L | GS | GA | P | AFCC | FA Cup | Notes |
| 2000–01 | 5 | 30 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 44 | 24 | 55 | | | |
| 2001–02 | 7 | 38 | 19 | 13 | 6 | 61 | 38 | 70 | | Round 1 | |
| 2002–03 | — | 27 | 9 | 7 | 11 | 30 | 40 | 34 | | Round 3 | League abandoned due to war |
| 2003–04 | — | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 6 | | | | League abandoned due to war |
| 2004–05 | 2nd round | 20 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 25 | 16 | | | | |
| 2005–06 | 2nd round | 16 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 13 | 10 | | | | |
| 2006–07 | 2nd round | 17 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 18 | 21 | | | | |
| 2007–08 | 4th Place | 24 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 22 | 13 | | | | |
| 2008–09 | 3rd Place | 27 | 19 | 7 | 1 | 48 | 11 | | | | |
| 2009–10 | 1 | 42 | 26 | 8 | 8 | 71 | 29 | | | | |
| 2010–11 | 1st round | 26 | 12 | 4 | 10 | 36 | 28 | | Quarter-finals | | |
| 2011–12 | 2 | 38 | 21 | 13 | 4 | 57 | 21 | 76 | | | |
| 2012–13 | 5 | 34 | 16 | 10 | 8 | 54 | 35 | 58 | Round of 16 | Abandoned | |
| 2013–14 | 7 | 23 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 30 | 32 | 31 | | | |
| 2014–15 | 2nd round | 22 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 22 | 28 | | | | |
| 2015–16 | Relegated | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 15 | | | Semi-finals | |
* From 2004/05 season, the competition changed from League system to various rounds including table and knockout rounds.
* From 2011/12 season, the competition went back to the single league system.
* From 2014/15 season, the competition returned to a system with various rounds.

## Backroom staff and club officials

| Name | Position |
| Mesut Meral | Manager |
| | Assistant coach |
| Harjang Babaker | Fitness coach |
| Maan Jameel | Goalkeeping coach |
| Stefanos Anagnostou | Match Analyst |
| | Physiotherapist |

### Boardroom positions
## Honours
### National

* Iraq Stars League (top tier)
** Winners (1): 2009–10
** Runners-up (1): 2011–12
* Iraqi Premier Division League (second tier)
** Winners (1): 1997–98
* Iraqi First Division League (third tier)
** Winners (1): 1994–95

### Regional

* Kurdistan Premier League
** Winners (1): 2006–07

## Performance in AFC competitions

* AFC Cup: 2 appearances
       2011: Quarter-finals
       2013: Round of 16

## Individual honours

2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
    The following players have played in the FIFA Confederations Cup whilst playing for Dohuk :
   * 2009 – Uday Taleb