Al Wasl F.C.

Al Wasl F.C.
Al Wasl Football Club (Arabic: نادي الوصل لكرة القدم) is an Emirati professional football club based in Dubai, that competes in the United Arab Emirates Football League. It is a part of the multi-sports club Al Wasl SC. The club is located in Zabeel, where it plays in Zabeel stadium. Al-Wasl is amongst the most successful teams in the UAE and Dubai, winning 7 league titles since its establishment. The club is also the host of the largest fanbase in the whole UAE.
History
Early years
Al Wasl was founded on 1960 as Zamalek Club when a group of young men gathered in Bakhit Salem's house in Zabeel to establish the club to practice their sporting hobbies. Members had to rent a small house, each paying 10 AED to support the club's budget. In 1962, the club moved to different house owned by Madia bint Sultan, and elected Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to be their club president. Around 1966 Zamalek would beat Al Shabab in a Canada dry championship which was their first achievement. In 1974 Al Orouba agreed to merge with Zamalek to form Al Wasl Club.
Club of the Century
Al Wasl Club was ranked in 2009 by IFFHS (International Federation of Football for History and Statistics) as the Club of the Century (1901-2000) in UAE because of the club performance in international competitions.
The Original Clubs
Al-Zamalek
The idea of starting a football club in Zabeel first emerged in 1958, as a result of discussions and meetings by various youths living in the area. The times were very difficult, as there were no grass pitches or fields to play on, as football was still not a popular passtime, so as a result, they relied on pitches made of sand, and in 1960, Al-Zamalek club was founded in Zabeel. Al-Zamalek proved to be a key contender in the city of Dubai, they were considered one of the stronger teams and regularly played in local tournaments. Their first taste of glory came around 1966 where they defeated Al-Shabab Club in the finals of the Canada Dry Challenge Cup.
Al-Shou’la
In 1968, Al-Shou’la in Al Fahidi merged with Al-Zamalek.
Al-Orouba
Al-Orouba Club was founded in the early 1950s in the Jumeirah area of Dubai, it was a key contender in Dubai along with Al-Zamalek. Their team colour was either blue or green
The Merges and the formations of Al-Wasl
In 1974 it would also Merge with Al-Zamalek, and a new board of directors was made from the existing bodies of each club, now joined together. A new name was chosen for the team which was Al-Wasl, which was the old name for the City of Dubai. A new logo was created for the team which essentially was a combination of the two existing club crests of Al-Orouba and Al-Zamalek, and finally, the colour yellow was chosen for the team.
In 1973, A short period before the Orouba-Zamalek Merger, the first generation of footballers began to retire and/or begin their studies abroad or locally, this was a key factor in the merging of Al-Orouba and Al-Zamalek.
The reason which caused many early clubs in Dubai had merged with one another was due to the clubs using the same sand pitches, and due to the moving of players from club to club freely, without official transfer negotiations as those were not done in the area at the time.
Al-Wasl Fans
Al-Wasl Fanbase
Al-Wasl is known for its dedicated and loyal fans. Widely considered to be the best Fan and supporter base in the United Arab Emirates, and the gulf simultaneously. Despite Al-Wasl's absence from championships for 14 years, Al-Wasl's Stands are always mostly full, whether their team is playing its games home or away. A Majority of Dubai's local population supports Al-Wasl, with Shabab Al-Ahli and Al-Nasr coming close behind.
Ultras Junoon
Al-Wasl fans have the achievement of founding the very first Ultras Group in the Arabian Gulf, which was named Ultras Junoon, Junoon meaning craziness/madness in Arabic, a description of the excitement and passion found in Al-Wasl's Stands. Ultras Junoon are also considered to be the most creative fans group in the Arabian Gulf, as their Tifos are made with nothing short of Creativity and Hard work, and frequently make headlines not only in the UAE, but also in the Middle East football scene and even all the way to Japan and Italy. Some of their most popular works include their Iconic Death Note series of tifos displayed against Bur Dubai Derby Rivals Al Nasr Home and Away, Their symbolic Peaky Blinders (TV series) Tifo displayed against Sharjah FC and even 3D fighter Jet soaring in front of the Flag of the UAE to commemorate the UAE Army's efforts.
Ultras Junoon have their very own Clothing line, which are popular amongst match attendees who make sure to back their club and supporters group. Every season they release a new shirt for each respective season.
Rivalries
Al Wasl's main competitors would be Al Nasr who they compete with in the Bur Dubai Derby and Al Ain who are they challenge in the 'UAE Classico'.
Current squad
As of UAE Pro-League:
Unregistered players
Out on loan
Honours and achievements
Domestic competitions
UAE League: 7
Winner: 1981–82, 1982–83, 1984–85, 1987–88, 1991–92, 1996–97, 2006–07
President Cup: 2
Winner: 1987, 2007
Federation Cup: 1
Winner: 1992/93
The IFFHS named Al Wasl as the UAE's Club of the 20th Century.
Regional competitions
Gulf Club Champions Cup
Winner (1) : 2009–10
Runners-up (2): 2005, 2012
Arab Club Champions Cup
Semi-finals: 1998
Quarter-finals: 2018–19
Friendly competitions
Dubai International Football Championship
Winner: 2010
Performance in AFC competitions
AFC Champions League: 3 appearances
2008: Group stage
2018: Group stage
2019: Group stage
Asian Club Championship: 4 appearances
1986: Qualifying Stage
1989–90: Qualifying Stage
1992–93: Third Place
1994–95: Quarter finals
Coaching staff
Managers
Bakhit Salem (1960–1970)
Ismail Al-Jarman (1971)
Zaki Osman (1972–73)
Dimitri Davidovic (1991–92)
Arthur Bernardes (1996–98)
Alain Laurier (1997–98)
Paulo Campos (Jan 1999 – May 1999)
Henryk Kasperczak (Sept 1999 – Feb 2000)
Alain Laurier (2000 – May 2000)
Josef Hickersberger (2000–2001)
Johan Boskamp (2001–2002)
Martín Lasarte (2002)
Khalifa Mubarak Obaid Al Shamsi (March 2003)
Arthur Bernardes (March 2003 – May 2004)
Vinko Begović (2004–2005)
Zé Mário (2006–2007)
Miroslav Beránek (2007–2008)
Alexandre Guimarães (1 July 2009 – May 2010)
Khalifa Mubarak Obaid Al Shamsi (April 2010 – June 2011)
Sérgio Farias (1 Aug 2010 – 19 April 2011)
Diego Maradona (16 May 2011 – 10 July 2012)
Bruno Metsu (17 July 2012 – 26 October 2012)
Guy Lacombe (7 Nov 2012 – 18 February 2013)
Eid Barout (17 Feb 2013 – 30 May 2013)
Laurent Banide (2013)
Héctor Cúper (2013–2014)
Jorginho (2014)
Gabriel Calderón (2014–2016)
Rodolfo Arruabarrena (2016–2018)
Gustavo Quinteros (2018)
Laurențiu Reghecampf (2018–2020)
Salem Rabie (2020)
Odair Hellmann (2020–2022)
Juan Antonio Pizzi (2022–2023)
Miloš Milojević (2023–Present)
Pro-League record
Notes 2019–20 UAE football season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates.
Key
Pos. = Position
Tms. = Number of teams
Lvl. = League
See also
List of football clubs in the United Arab Emirates
References
External links
Official Website
Football clubs in Dubai
Wasl
Association football clubs established in 1960
1960 establishments in the Trucial States