page_title: Portsmouth F.C.
section_title: 2003–2010: FA Premier League
hierarchical_section_title: Portsmouth F.C. / History / 2003–2010: FA Premier League
caption_attribution_description: facupfinal2008fulltimescore
context_page_description: Portsmouth Football Club is an English professional association football club in Portsmouth, Hampshire, which currently plays in EFL League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 5 April 1898 and home matches are played at Fratton Park in Milton, Portsmouth. The football club is nicknamed Pompey; a local nickname for both the city of Portsmouth and HMNB Portsmouth, which has also become associated with Portsmouth Football Club.
  Portsmouth have been the top tier League Champions of England twice; in the consecutive 1948–49 and 1949–50 seasons. Portsmouth have also won the FA Cup twice; in 1939 and 2008, the FA Charity Shield once in 1949 and the EFL Trophy once in 2019. The EFL Cup is the only major domestic cup competition that Portsmouth has yet to win.
  Portsmouth have also won the second tier division title once in 2002–03, the third tier division title three times in 1923–24, 1961–62, 1982–83 and the fourth tier division title once in 2016–17. In the early twentieth century, Portsmouth were also champions of the Southern Football League in 1901–02 and 1919–20.
context_section_description: In Portsmouth's Premiership debut season in 2003–04, the "Harry & Jim" partnership of Harry Redknapp and Jim Smith resulted in a 13th place final position at the end of the season.
  Almost halfway through the following 2004–05 season in the Premiership, Harry Redknapp unexpectedly walked out on Portsmouth on 24 November 2004 after a row with chairman Milan Mandarić over the appointment of new Director of Football Velimir Zajec at the club. Shortly afterwards on 8 December 2004, Harry Redknapp was announced by Southampton F.C. chairman Rupert Lowe as their new manager, with Jim Smith as his assistant. Velimir Zajec then replaced Redknapp as Portsmouth manager, but in April 2005, Zajec was replaced by Frenchman Alain Perrin. Perrin managed to secure Portsmouth's Premiership status with a few games of the season left, including a South Coast Derby 4–1 win over Harry Redknapp's Southampton side, who were eventually relegated at the end of the season.
  During the 2005–06 season and after achieving only four wins from a total of 20 games as Portsmouth manager, Alain Perrin was sacked on 24 November 2005, exactly one year to the day since Harry Redknapp left Portsmouth. Harry Redknapp then made a surprise return to manage Portsmouth again after leaving relegated Southampton. In January 2006, Portsmouth were sold by Milan Mandarić and bought by businessman Alexandre Gaydamak. New signings included a quartet from Tottenham Hotspur, then record signing Benjani and Argentine international Andrés D'Alessandro on loan from VfL Wolfsburg. The club survived their third season in the Premier League one place above the relegation zone in 17th position. With large amounts of money available for Redknapp to make record signings, the club finished the 2006–07 season in the top half of the table for the first time, in ninth position, only one point short of European qualification.
  The following 2007–08 season saw Portsmouth finish eighth in the Premier League and reach the FA Cup final for the first time since 1939. They eliminated Manchester United at Old Trafford in the quarter-finals, and on 5 April 2008, Portsmouth beat Championship side West Bromwich Albion 1–0 at Wembley Stadium in the semi-finals, coincidentally the same day that the club celebrated its 110th birthday.
  On 17 May 2008, Portsmouth played Cardiff City in the second FA Cup final to be played at the newly rebuilt Wembley Stadium. Portsmouth won 1–0, with Nwankwo Kanu scoring the only goal. It was the second time Portsmouth had won the FA Cup.
  The FA Cup win had also earned Portsmouth a place in the 2008–09 UEFA Cup, the club's first time playing European football. Their first European match was a 2–0 victory over Vitória de Guimarães in the first round on 18 September. Portsmouth went on to win the tie 4–2 on aggregate, progressing to the group stage. On 25 October 2008, Redknapp suddenly left Portsmouth for a second time, leaving his assistant Tony Adams to be promoted to the managerial role. On 27 November 2008, Portsmouth drew 2–2 with Milan, going 2–0 up through goals from Younès Kaboul and Nwankwo Kanu, but conceding two goals later in the game.  Adams was dismissed in February 2009. Youth team coach Paul Hart took over as manager until the end of the season, and Portsmouth were guaranteed Premier League safety on 16 May 2009. Portsmouth finished the 2008–09 Premier League season in 14th place. On 26 May, Portsmouth accepted a bid from Emirati businessman Sulaiman Al Fahim to purchase the club.
  Because of the financial problems suffered by the club, Portsmouth were forced to sell several of their top players and high earners, including Peter Crouch, Sylvain Distin, Glen Johnson and Niko Kranjčar. On 21 July 2009, Al Fahim was appointed non-executive chairman of Portsmouth. On 19 August 2009, Portsmouth announced on their website that a rival consortium headed by current CEO Peter Storrie had also made a bid for the club; unknown at the time, this was backed by Ali al-Faraj. Despite this, Al Fahim completed the takeover on 26 August 2009; al Faraj moved to review a takeo
caption: The scoreboard at the end of the 2008 FA Cup Final, in which Portsmouth beat Cardiff City 1–0
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