Al-Najaf SC

Al-Najaf Al-Ashraf Sports Club (Arabic: نادي النجف الأشرف الرياضي), commonly known as Najaf SC, is an Iraqi professional football club based in Najaf. They are members of the Iraq Stars League. Al-Najaf has competed in the 2007 AFC Champions League.

Al-Najaf

Full name	Al-Najaf Al-Ashraf Sports Club
Nickname(s)	Ghizlan Al-Badiah (Desert Gazelles)
Founded	1961; 64 years ago (1961)
Ground	Al-Najaf International Stadium
Capacity	30,000
Chairman	Ali Nayef Al-Ghazali
Manager	Abdul-Ghani Shahad
League	Iraq Stars League
2024–25	Iraq Stars League, 14th of 20
Home colours Away colours

History

In 1960, the city of Najaf began an active movement to establish a sports club after the athletes then felt the need of the city to a sports club that absorbed the energies of young people and their creations which are almost lost in the amateur leagues. Some of the dignitaries of the city were contacted for this purpose.^[1] The request was submitted to the Ministry of the Interior, which was responsible for the authorisation of sports clubs in Iraq at that time. The name of Al Ghiri Sports Club was proposed for this institution. In 1961, the Ministry of the Interior approved their request to establish the club and thus wrote the birth certificate of the first sports club in the city of Najaf and consisted of the first administrative body of Messrs. Naji Hassan Hasswa as president and Maki Hadi Maala Vice-President and Alwan Elsafer as secretary.^[2] At the beginning of the establishment of the club, the Ministry of the Interior allocated an annual grant of 60 dinars divided into two instalments, and the club relied on this grant and monthly subscriptions from its members.

Stadiums

New Najaf Stadium is a purpose built football stadium that is the current home stadium of Al-Najaf. It opened in 2018, with a capacity of 30,000 people. Until 2018, the club played its home matches at An-Najaf Stadium (Arabic: ستاد النجف).

Current squad

First-team squad

As of 20 September 2024

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 0 MF  ETH Gathouch Panom 1 GK  IRQ Ridha Abdulaziz 3 DF  IRQ Ahmed Maknzi 4 DF  IRQ Ali Faez 5 DF  TOG Magnime Agbotcho FGN 7 MF  IRQ Mohammed Saleh 8 MF  SEN Dominique Mendy FGN 10 MF  IRQ Mohammed Qasim 11 FW  IRQ Ridha Mohammed 12 GK  IRQ Ali Kadhem 13 MF  YEM Omar Al-Dahi 14 DF  IRQ Mohammed Jassim (captain) 15 DF  IRQ Ahmed Naeem

No. Pos. Nation Player 19 FW  IRQ Younis Humood 21 GK  IRQ Sarhang Muhsin 32 DF  IRQ Zainulabdeen Raad 34 DF  IRQ Mustafa Maan 42 MF  FRA Sofian El Moudane FGN 55 MF  IRQ Murtadha Ali 70 DF  IRQ Mohammed Hassan 77 FW  IRQ Zidane Abdul-Jabbar 80 FW  TUN Bechir Ghariani FGN 88 FW  NGA Iyayi Atiemwen FGN 90 FW  TUN Nassim Sioud FGN 99 MF  IRQ Shubbar Ali

Current technical staff

Position	Name	Nationality
Coach:	Abdul-Ghani Shahad
Assistant coach:	Dhiyya Falih
Goalkeeping coach:	Mohammed Abdul-Zahra
Fitness coach:	Salah Hashim
Team supervisor:	Fadhel Mohammed
Team manager:	Mohammed Abdul Hussein
Team Doctor:	Haitham Abdul Amir
U-19 Coach:	Haider Lafta

Updated to match played 25 September 2020
Source: Alsabaah.iq

Managerial history

Since the club's promotion to the Iraqi Premier League in the 1987–88 season so far, twenty-six coaches have led the team:^[3][4]

• Mohammed Hussein Ismail (1974–1976)
• Alwan Mena (1976–1977)
• Nasrat Nasser (1977–1978)
• Mohammed Hussein Ismail (1978–1982)
• Alwan Mena (1982–1985)
• Hatif Shamran (1985–1986)
• Alwan Mena (1986–1988)
• Najeh Humoud (1988–1991)
• Wathiq Naji (1991–1992)
• Hatif Shamran (1992)
• Noman Kadhim & Raheem Jassim (1992–1993)
• Najeh Humoud (1993–1998)
• Hadi Mutanish (1998–1999)
• Ali Kadhim (1999)
• Abdul Ghani Shahad (1999)
• Najeh Humoud (1999–2002)
• Abdul Ghani Shahad (2002–2008)
• Hatif Shamran (2008–2009)
• Majed Najem (2009–2010)
• Abdul Ghani Shahad (2010–2012)
• Hatif Shamran (2012)
• Abdul Ghani Shahad (2012–2013)
• Yahya Alwan (2013)
• Hassan Ahmed (2013)
• Qahtan Chathir (2013–2014)
• Salman Hussein (2014)
• Haider Yahya (2014)
• Hatif Shamran (2014)
• Haider Yahya (2014)
• Hameed Salman (2014–2015)
• Ali Wahab (2015)
• Emad Mohammed (2015–2016)
• Hatif Shamran (2016)
• Emad Mohammed (2016–2017)
• Nadhim Shaker (2017–2018)
• Ali Hashim (2018)
• Ahmed Khalef (2018)
• Mudhafar Jabbar (2018)
• Thair Jassam (2018–2019)
• Chasib Sultan (2019)
• Hassan Ahmad (2019–2021)
• Haidar Aboodi (2021)
• Hatif Shamran (2021)
• Haidar Aboodi (2021–present)

Honours

Domestic

• Iraq Stars League
  • Runners-up (3): 1995–96, 2005–06, 2008–09
• Baghdad Championship
  • Winners (1): 1997–98

Friendly

• Victory and Peace Championship
  • Winners (1): 1992
• Love Championship
  • Winners (1): 2003

Performance in AFC Competitions

• AFC Champions League: 1 appearance

2007: Group stage

Statistics

In domestic competitions

Year	Stars League	Iraq Cup	Super Cup	Baghdad Ch'ship
1987–88	16	Round of 32	not held	Started in 1991
1988–89	7	Round of 32	not held
1989–90	8	Quarter-final	not held
1990–91	7	Quarter-final	not held
1991–92	6	Round of 16	not held	Group stage
1992–93	15	Second round	not held	Group stage
1993–94	4	-	not held	did not qualify
1994–95	3	-	not held	4
1995–96	Runner-up	-	not held	Group stage
1996–97	4	Quarter-final	did not qualify	3
1997–98	4	Round of 16	did not qualify	Winner
1998–99	8	Round of 32	not held	Group stage
1999–2000	9	Round of 16	did not qualify	Group stage
2000–01	6	not held	did not qualify	did not qualify
2001–02	5	Semi-final	did not qualify	Group stage
2002–03	not finished	Quarter-final	did not qualify	Group stage
2003–04	not finished	not held	not held	Group stage
2004–05	6	not held	not held	Abolished in 2004
2005–06	Runner-up	not held	not held
2006–07	3	not held	not held
2007–08	5	not held	not held
2008–09	Runner-up	not held	not held
2009–10	11	not held	not held
2010–11	11	not held	not held
2011–12	9	not held	not held
2012–13	11	not finished	not held
2013–14	15	not held	not held
2014–15	17	not held	not held
2015–16	13	did not enter	not held
2016–17	9	Round of 16	not held
2017–18	6	not held	did not qualify
2018–19	12	Round of 16	not held
2019–20	not finished	not finished	did not qualify
2020–21	3	Round of 16	not held
2021–22	7	Round of 16	did not qualify
2022–23	7	Round of 32	did not qualify
2023–24	4	Round of 16	not held
2024–25	14	Quarter-final	not held

See also

• Iraqi clubs in the AFC Champions League
• 2007–08 Arab Champions League