Al-Shorta SC

Al-Shorta
Full nameAl-Shorta Sports Club
Nickname(s)Al-Qithara (The Harp)
Founded1932; 92 years ago (1932)
GroundAl-Shaab Stadium
Capacity35,700
PresidentAbdul-Halim Fahem
Head coachMoamen Soliman
LeagueIraq Stars League
2022–23Iraqi Premier League, 1st of 20 (champions)
WebsiteClub website
Current season
Active departments of Al-Shorta SC
Football Basketball Handball
Futsal Volleyball Beach volleyball
Archery Athletics Bodybuilding
Boxing Footvolley Judo
Show jumping Swimming Taekwondo
Water polo Weightlifting Wrestling

Al-Shorta Sports Club (Arabic: نادي الشرطة الرياضي, lit.'Police Sports Club') is an Iraqi sports club based in Al-Rusafa, Baghdad. It has teams in 18 different sports, and the best known section of the club is the football team, whose origins date back to 1932. Al-Shorta was established as a sports club after a clubs-only policy was introduced to Iraqi football in 1974.

Al-Shorta's football team is one of the most successful in Iraq,[1] having won the Iraq Stars League six times, including in both the 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons. Al-Shorta were crowned the inaugural Arab Club Champions Cup winners in 1982 and are one of only two Iraqi clubs to have won the tournament.[2] Al-Shorta are the only team to win the Umm al-Ma'arik Championship three times in a row, while they have reached the final of the Iraq FA Cup on five occasions, losing each time.[3]

Al-Shorta hold the Iraq Stars League records for the joint-longest unbeaten run (39 games) and the most consecutive wins in a season (11 wins). In the 2021–22 season, Al-Shorta set records for the earliest league title win (seven rounds remaining) and the largest title-winning margin (21 points), and also became the first club to win all Baghdad derbies home and away in one season.[4]

History[edit]

The first Al-Shorta (Police) football team was formed in 1932 by Mudhafar Ahmed, the director of the Police Schools in Baghdad.[5] Al-Shorta participated in the second edition of the Prince Ghazi Cup in the 1932–33 season, and claimed their first trophy in 1938 by winning the Taha Al-Hashimi Cup, followed by victories in the Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya Cup and Al-Olympi Club Cup in 1939.[6] The team later became known as Madaris Al-Shorta (Police Schools) after a new Police team called Al-Quwa Al-Siyara (Mobile Force) was formed.[7]

The Iraq Football Association was established in 1948 and it was decided that an Al-Shorta Select XI (Montakhab Al-Shorta) would compete in the inaugural Baghdad top-flight league season in 1948–49.[8] The Al-Shorta Select XI were relegated from the top-flight that season, and therefore competed in the second division in the 1949–50 season.[7] In the 1950–51 season, Madaris Al-Shorta entered the newly-formed third division and Al-Quwa Al-Siyara competed in the second tier instead of the Al-Shorta Select XI,[9] and the two teams were both leading their respective divisions before the season was abandoned.[10]

The team lining up before a match in 1937.

From the 1951–52 season, Madaris Al-Shorta and Al-Quwa Al-Siyara combined to form the Al-Shorta Select XI 'A' and 'B' teams to compete in the region's top-flight and second division respectively.[7] Al-Shorta Select XI 'A' finished as runners-up of the top-flight in 1957–58, while Al-Shorta Select XI 'B' finished as runners-up of the second division in 1958–59.[11] In 1960, the Police Games Committee was formed to control Police sports in Iraq, and they decided to expand the Police force's sporting activities for the 1960–61 season. Al-Quwa Al-Siyara re-entered the IFA's football pyramid as an individual team, joining the regional second division along with newly-formed Police teams Aliyat Al-Shorta and Shortat Al-Najda,[12] while the Al-Shorta Select XI 'A' and 'B' teams continued to compete in the top-flight and second division respectively.[13][14] After finishing as Iraq Central FA Premier League runners-up again in 1960–61, Al-Shorta Select XI 'A' won the league title for the first time in the 1962–63 season.[15]

At the end of that season, Aliyat Al-Shorta secured promotion to the top-flight, meaning there were two Police teams in the top division.[16] As a result, the Al-Shorta Select XI 'A' team were replaced in the top-flight by Madaris Al-Shorta from the 1963–64 season, while the Al-Shorta Select XI 'B' team were disbanded. From this point, the Al-Shorta Select XI would only compete in the Republic Championship and in matches against visiting foreign teams.[17] Formed from the best players of the individual Police teams, the Al-Shorta Select XI won the Republic Championship in both 1968 and 1969. The Al-Shorta Select XI was led by the coach of Aliyat Al-Shorta, Mohammed Najeeb Kaban, and included many of the star players from Aliyat Al-Shorta, a team that went on to win four league titles and reach the final of the 1971 Asian Champion Club Tournament where they refused to face Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv.[18]

Timeline of league participation
  • 1948–1949: Al-Shorta Select XI (L1)
  • 1949–1950: Al-Shorta Select XI (L2)
  • 1950–1951: Select XI not in league
  • 1951–1963: Al-Shorta Select XI 'A' (L1);
    Al-Shorta Select XI 'B' (L2)
  • 1963–1974: Select XI not in league
  • 1974–present: Al-Shorta Sports Club (L1)
L1 = Level 1 of the league system; L2 = Level 2 of the league system

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 the individual Police teams.[19] 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 established on 18 August 1974 by the Iraqi Olympic Committee, being attached to the Ministry of Interior.[17] The Police Games Directorate, which controlled Police sports in Iraq, were strongly opposed to the IFA's new clubs-only policy and decided to field a team of amateurs for Al-Shorta to compete in the inaugural 1974–75 season in protest.[6] After suffering heavy defeats in their first two games,[20] the amateur players were replaced by players from the Shortat Al-Najda and Kuliyat Al-Shorta teams for the remainder of the season.[6] Ten Aliyat Al-Shorta players joined the team for the 1975–76 season,[21] and the club was officially registered with the Ministry of Youth and Sports in 1978.[22] Al-Shorta won their first national league title in the 1979–80 season, finishing ahead of rivals Al-Zawraa on goal difference under the leadership of former player Douglas Aziz.[23] This qualified them for the inaugural Arab Club Champions Cup in 1981–82, and Al-Shorta became the first ever Arab champions with a 4–2 aggregate win over Al-Nejmeh in the final.[2]

Khudhor
Hameed
A. Ogla
Abbas
M. Ogla
Jawad
Majeed
Assem
Starting line-up for 3–2 win against Al-Sulaikh which secured the 1997–98 league title.[24]

In 1983, the club changed their name to Qiwa Al-Amn Al-Dakhili (Internal Security Forces) while Iraq was at war; that name only lasted for one season before they returned to the name Al-Shorta.[25] In 1985, Al-Shorta won the Arab Police Championship for the third and final time while representing the Iraq Police team, having previously won in 1976 and 1978.[26] On 23 December 1990, Al-Shorta played their first match at their new Al-Shorta Stadium, which was built with the help of volunteers and club workers, beating Al-Tijara 3–2.[27] In the 1993–94 season, Al-Shorta striker Younis Abid Ali scored 36 league goals which remains an Iraqi record for most goals scored by a player in one league season.[28]

There were three contenders for the 1997–98 Iraqi Premier League title going into the final day of the season; Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya were on top of the league with Al-Shorta in second and Al-Zawraa third. Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya were playing Al-Zawraa at the same time as Al-Shorta were playing Al-Sulaikh. Al-Shorta were 2–1 down to Al-Sulaikh before an 84th-minute goal from Mufeed Assem and a 91st-minute penalty kick from league top scorer Mahmoud Majeed earned a dramatic 3–2 victory, which was enough to overtake Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (who had drawn 1–1 with Al-Zawraa) and achieve their second Premier League title and first for eighteen years. In the process, Al-Shorta broke the Iraqi records for most consecutive wins in a league season (11) and most consecutive league games scored in (37).[29][30] That season also saw them reach the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup Winners' Cup, earning wins over Al-Seeb and Bargh Shiraz before being eliminated in the quarter-final.[31]

Al-Shorta reached the quarter-finals of the 1999–2000 Asian Club Championship before making history by becoming the first club to win the Umm al-Ma'arik Championship three times in a row, winning the trophy in the 2000–01, 2001–02 and 2002–03 seasons. They were also in the lead of the 2002–03 league competition before it was cancelled due to the Iraq War.[32] In April 2003, the club's former goalkeeper and captain Raad Hammoudi became Al-Shorta's president and saved the club from bankruptcy after the war.[33] Al-Shorta participated in the 2003 edition of the Arab Club Champions Cup and the 2004 and 2005 editions of the AFC Champions League but were knocked out at the group stage each time.[34][35]

Starting line-up for 3–0 win against Al-Talaba which secured the 2012–13 league title.

After an unstable post-war period which culminated in a relegation battle in the 2010–11 season,[36] Al-Shorta returned to the top of Iraqi football in the 2012–13 season, securing their third Iraqi Premier League title with a final-day 3–0 victory over rivals Al-Talaba at Al-Shaab Stadium. Al-Shorta finished in first place in the Premier League in 2013–14 under Brazilian coach Lorival Santos but the season was ended prematurely due to the worsening war situation in the country. Al-Shorta also appeared in the 2014 AFC Champions League qualifiers, losing 1–0 to Al-Kuwait, and they were eliminated at the group stage and the round of 16 at the 2014 and 2015 AFC Cups, respectively. Al-Shorta won the Premier League title again in 2018–19, led by Montenegrin coach Nebojša Jovović, equalling the Iraqi record for most consecutive league games unbeaten (39) in the process.[37] Al-Shorta won the Iraqi Super Cup for the first time in 2019 with a penalty shootout win over Al-Zawraa, before reaching the quarter-finals of the 2019–20 Arab Club Champions Cup and being eliminated from the group stages of the 2020 and 2021 AFC Champions Leagues, the former on goal difference.[38][1]

Under the management of Egyptian coach Moamen Soliman, Al-Shorta enjoyed one of the best league seasons in their history in 2021–22. Al-Shorta set a record for the earliest Iraqi Premier League title win with seven rounds of the competition remaining, finishing a record 21 points clear at the top of the table, and became the first club to beat all other teams in a 20-team season and the first club to win all Baghdad derbies home and away in one season. Their tally of 91 points equalled the record for the most points in a 38-game season in Iraq.[39] Al-Shorta went on to win the 2022 Iraqi Super Cup with a 1–0 victory over Al-Karkh,[40] and then retained their Iraqi Premier League crown by clinching the 2022–23 title with a 3–0 win away to Naft Maysan in the penultimate round of the season.[41] Al-Shorta also reached the semi-finals of the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup, defeating CS Sfaxien and Al-Sadd before losing 1–0 to Al-Nassr from a penalty scored by Cristiano Ronaldo.[42]

Emblem[edit]

Al-Shorta's first logo was based on the logo of the Iraqi Police (pictured).

Al-Shorta adopted their first club crest in 1978 after being registered with the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The logo was the same as the logo of the Iraqi Police, with the addition of the Olympic rings at the bottom alongside the club's name and year of registration.[43] Al-Shorta began to wear a harp on their shirts in the 1992–93 season, after television presenter Majid Abdul-Haq coined the now-popular nickname Al-Qithara (The Harp) to refer to the club on his program Letter of the League by likening the team's attractive style of play to the tunes of a musical instrument.[44] In 2002, laurel leaves were added either side of the harp on the shirt, and the Olympic rings were added underneath it.[43]

In 2005, Al-Shorta adopted a new emblem which was blue with a green outline, with a harp featuring in the centre of the crest along with the Iraq flag. At the time, the club considered 1975 to be its year of foundation, as this was the year in which the Police Games Directorate accepted the new clubs-only policy in Iraqi football and integrated its top players into Al-Shorta Sports Club which had been established along with the Iraqi National Clubs First Division a year prior. Thus, 1975 was written on either side of the logo in English and Arabic, and this remained the club's crest for the next seven years. In 2012, the club's administration decided to recognise 1932 as the club's year of foundation, as the club's origins date back to the football team that formed in 1932 and went on to compete in the Iraq Central FA Premier League. This came with a change to the club's logo in the form of a new white circular crest with a green outline, which contained the harp, laurel leaves and Olympic rings inside it along with the club's name and year of foundation at the bottom.[43]

On 12 December 2013, before the start of 2014 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off, Al-Shorta announced the change to a new logo which was designed by Luay Abdul-Rahman, the artistic director of Al-Shorta's newspaper. The centre of the logo features a golden harp on a green and white backdrop, and the club's year of foundation and the Iraq flag feature at the top and bottom of the logo respectively. The club's name in English is displayed in a golden banner towards the bottom of the logo.[45]

On 18 November 2020, the club revealed a brand new crest as part of a ceremony to celebrate its 88th anniversary. However, the logo change was abandoned after a negative reception from supporters.[46]

Kits[edit]

Amjad Kalaf wearing Al-Shorta's home kit in the 2013–14 season.

In 1958, the Al-Shorta Select XI had a yellow and brown kit,[47] and also had an all-white kit.[48] The team began to wear purple kits under the leadership of coach Mohammed Najeeb Kaban in the 1960s. Since 1978, Al-Shorta have mainly worn green home kits, white away kits and purple third kits,[49] with the exception of the 1983–84 season when they wore a black home shirt while playing under the name Qiwa Al-Amn Al-Dakhili (Internal Security Forces).[50]

Since the 2016–17 season, Al-Shorta have worn purple as the away kit colour rather than white. In August 2020, Al-Shorta launched their own clothing brand called Qitharah to manufacture kits and other apparel for the club.[51]

Shirt sponsors[edit]

Al-Shorta's shirts have featured a number of different sponsors' logos over the years:[52][53][54][55]

Period Shirt sponsor
1995 Abu Saif Markets
1998–1999 Al-Mansour Tea
1999–2003 Samsung
2003 Peugeot
2003 New Iraq Charitable Foundation
2005 Motorola
2005–2006 Lay's
2006 Kotsons
2007 MTC-Vodafone
2008 Asia Cell (on front)
IraqCom (on back)
2014–2015 Royal Arena Sport

Supporters[edit]

Al-Shorta playing in front of their supporters at Al-Shaab Stadium in 2022.

Ultras Green Harp is an ultras group that was formed in 2012 at the start of the 2012–13 season and has grown to become one of Iraq's largest fan groups. It is a self-financed group that travels to both home and away matches across Iraq, providing flags and banners for fans to wave during the game. Before kickoff, the Ultras Green Harp members often hold up a large banner which can vary depending on the opposition.[56] Another prominent fan group called Majaneen Al-Qithara was founded in 2017.[57]

Rivalries[edit]

Al-Shorta are one of the top four clubs in Baghdad. The club compete in Baghdad derbies with the other three big clubs in Baghdad: Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Al-Zawraa, and Al-Talaba.[58] Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya are considered to be Al-Shorta's local rivals as the two clubs' stadiums are both located on Falastin Street.[59]

Stadiums[edit]

Al-Shorta Stadium[edit]

Al-Shorta Stadium in 2012.

In their early years, the Al-Shorta Select XI played their home matches on the playing field at the team's headquarters, located on what would become Falastin Street in the early 1960s. After the establishment of the Iraqi National Clubs League, the club played their home games at the Local Administration Stadium in Al-Mansour and later at Al-Furusiya Stadium owned by the Ministry of Interior. In the 1980s, the club decided to build their own stadium, with construction of the four stands being overseen by president Abdul-Qadir Zeinal and work being carried out by club workers and volunteers. Al-Shorta Stadium was opened for its first match on 23 December 1990 with Al-Shorta beating Al-Tijara 3–2. The stadium was able to hold 8,634 people, while the white hall on the side of the field (named the Abid Kadhim Hall in honour of former player and manager Abid Kadhim) can hold approximately 2,000 people.[43]

Al-Shorta Sports City Stadium[edit]

In the 2012–13 season, Al-Shorta announced plans to build a sports complex called Al-Shorta Sports City, which will include a new all-seater stadium with natural grass, a training pitch with an artificial surface and athletics tracks. The complex is being constructed by Swedish company Nordic Sport through its regional partner Nynord, along with Emirati company AKG Engineering.[60] Börje Österberg, the owner of Nordic Sport, announced the initiation of construction of Al-Shorta Sports City on 16 December 2013.[61]

On 7 January 2015, AKG Engineering released a video showing what the sports complex should look like once construction is completed.[62] The stadium will have a capacity of 10,218 and will have green seats. Also at Al-Shorta Sports City will be a hotel, a club office, an indoor swimming pool with 1,500 seats, a multi-purpose closed hall with 2,500 seats, a full-quality relaxation club (with sports facilities), restaurants, theatres and a shopping centre.[60][63][64][65]

Construction work was suspended in December 2015 before resuming in November 2022, with work on the all-seater stadium and training pitch scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024.[66]

Al-Shaab Stadium[edit]

Al-Shorta currently play their home matches at Al-Shaab Stadium in Baghdad.[67]

Players[edit]

First-team squad[edit]

As of 13 February 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Iraq IRQ Samir
3 DF Iraq IRQ Karrar Amer
4 DF Iraq IRQ Manaf Younis
6 MF Iraq IRQ Sajjad Jassim
7 FW Syria SYR Mahmoud Al-Mawas
8 FW Iraq IRQ Zidane Abdul-Jabbar
9 MF Iraq IRQ Hussein Ali
10 FW Iraq IRQ Alaa Abdul-Zahra (captain)
11 MF Iraq IRQ Bassam Shakir
12 GK Iraq IRQ Yassin Karim
13 MF Iraq IRQ Ali Husni
14 MF Niger NIG Abdoul Madjid Moumouni
15 DF Iraq IRQ Ahmed Yahya
16 MF Iraq IRQ Mohammed Mezher
17 FW Iraq IRQ Ahmed Farhan
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 FW Iraq IRQ Mohanad Ali (vice-captain)
20 MF Senegal SEN Idrissa Niang
22 GK Iraq IRQ Mohammed Karim
24 DF Iraq IRQ Faisal Jassim
25 MF Iraq IRQ Abdul-Razzaq Qasim
27 DF Iraq IRQ Ameer Sabah
28 FW Brazil BRA Lucas Santos
30 MF Syria SYR Fahd Al-Youssef
31 DF Iraq IRQ Ahmed Zeero
32 GK Iraq IRQ Abbas Karim
33 DF Iraq IRQ Haidar Adel
34 DF Iraq IRQ Ali Jassim Zayer
36 DF Cameroon CMR Salomon Banga
37 MF Guinea GUI Ousmane Coumbassa

Out on loan[edit]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
MF Iraq IRQ Ammar Ghalib (on loan at Al-Naft until the end of the 2023–24 season)
MF Iraq IRQ Atheer Salih (on loan at Naft Al-Basra until the end of the 2023–24 season)
FW Iraq IRQ Aso Rostam (on loan at Esteghlal Khuzestan until the end of the 2023–24 season)
FW Iraq IRQ Dhulfiqar Younis (on loan at Duhok until the end of the 2023–24 season)
FW Iraq IRQ Mohammed Dawood (on loan at Al-Najaf until the end of the 2023–24 season)

Personnel[edit]

Technical staff[edit]

Position Name Nationality
Head coach: Moamen Soliman Egypt
Assistant coach: Amrou Fathi Egypt
Assistant coach: Hussein Abdul-Wahed Iraq
Fitness coach: Haidar Abdul-Qadir Iraq
Goalkeeping coach: Amrou Abdul-Salam Egypt
Physiotherapist: Tonello Marilia Brazil
Team manager: Hashim Ridha Iraq

Management[edit]

Position Name Nationality
President: Abdul-Halim Fahem Iraq
Vice-president: Ghalib Al-Zamili Iraq
Board secretary: Uday Al-Rubaie Iraq
Financial secretary Ghazi Faisal Iraq
Member of the Board: Sadeq Faraj Iraq
Member of the Board: Abdul-Wahab Al-Taei Iraq
Member of the Board: Ali Al-Shahmani Iraq
Member of the Board: Alaa Bahar Al-Uloom Iraq
Member of the Board: Tahseen Al-Yassri Iraq

Managers[edit]

In 1958, the Al-Shorta Select XI appointed their first foreign manager in Palestinian coach Dennis Nasrawi. Since 1974, Al-Shorta have been coached by nine foreign managers from seven countries. The first of these was Yugoslavian coach Rajko Menista who took charge of Al-Shorta from 1982 to 1983.[25]

Since 2013, Al-Shorta have hired two Brazilian managers (Lorival Santos and Marcos Paquetá), two Egyptian managers (Mohamed Youssef and Moamen Soliman), one Jordanian manager (Haitham Al-Shaboul as caretaker), one Montenegrin manager (Nebojša Jovović), one Serbian manager (Aleksandar Ilić) and one Tunisian manager (Chiheb Ellili). The rest of the club's managers throughout history have been of Iraqi nationality.[16]

Notable managers[edit]

The following managers won at least one major trophy when in charge of the team:

Name Period Trophies
Select XI
Iraq Fahmi Al-Qaimaqchi 1951–1955,
1960–1966
Iraq Central FA Premier League
Sports club
Iraq Douglas Aziz 1979–1982, 1983,
1987–1989,
1990–1991, 1993
Iraq Stars League, Arab Club Champions Cup
Iraq Abdelilah Abdul-Hameed 1997–1998,
2002–2003
Iraq Stars League
Iraq Ahmed Radhi 1999–2001 Umm al-Ma'arik Championship
Iraq Yassin Umal 2001–2002 Umm al-Ma'arik Championship
Iraq Basim Qasim 1994, 1996, 2002, 2003,
2011–2012
Umm al-Ma'arik Championship
Iraq Thair Jassam 2012–2013,
2015, 2018
Iraq Stars League
Montenegro Nebojša Jovović 2018–2019 Iraq Stars League
Serbia Aleksandar Ilić 2019–2020,
2020–2021
Iraqi Super Cup
Egypt Moamen Soliman 2021–2023 Iraq Stars League, Iraqi Super Cup
Iraq Ahmed Salah 2018, 2019, 2023 Iraq Stars League

Honours[edit]

Major[edit]

Type Competition Titles Seasons
Sports club
Domestic
(national)
Iraq Stars League 6 1979–80, 1997–98, 2012–13, 2018–19, 2021–22, 2022–23
Umm al-Ma'arik Championship 3s 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03
Iraqi Super Cup 2 2019, 2022
International Arab Club Champions Cup 1 1981–82
Select XI
Domestic
(regional)
Iraq Central FA Premier League 1 1962–63
  •   record
  • S shared record

Minor[edit]

The team with the Taha Al-Hashimi Cup that they won in 1938.
Competition Titles Seasons
Sports club
Baghdad Cup 1 2013
Al-Quds International Championship 1 2002
Baghdad Day Cup 1 2000
Great Victory Championship 1 1996
Al-Qadisiya Championship 1 1988
President's Gold Cup 1 1983
Select XI
Republic Championship 2 1968, 1969
Hilla Mutasarrif Cup 1 1957
Al-Olympi Club Cup 1 1939
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya Cup 1 1939
Taha Al-Hashimi Cup 1 1938

Records[edit]

Matches[edit]

Nashat Akram (pictured) scored a hat-trick in Al-Shorta's record league win on 18 October 2002 (8–0 against Duhok).
Firsts
Wins
  • Record win: 11–0 against Al-Samawa, FA Cup round of 32, 16 November 1998[70]
  • Record League win: 8–0 against Duhok, First Division League, 18 October 2002[71]
  • Record League qualifying win: 10–1 against Al-Hudood, 25 September 2000
  • Record Umm al-Ma'arik Championship win: 7–1 against Salahaddin, group stage, 5 December 2000
  • Record win in an AFC competition: 5–0 against Al-Wahda, Asian Club Championship second round, 18 November 1999
  • Record win in an UAFA competition: 5–0 against FC Nouadhibou, Arab Club Champions Cup second round, 25 November 2019
  • Most goals scored in one half of a win: 10, in a 10–1 win against Al-Bahri, FA Cup round of 16, 14 December 1998[72]
Defeats
Consecutive results
  • Record consecutive League wins: 11, Premier League, from 13 March 1998 to 22 May 1998
  • Record consecutive League matches scored in: 37, Premier League, from 13 October 1997 to 13 November 1998
  • Record consecutive League defeats: 6, Elite League, from 15 July 2012 to 10 August 2012
  • Record consecutive League matches without a defeat: 39, Premier League, from 21 May 2018 to 23 May 2019[3]

Attendances[edit]

Appearances[edit]

Goals[edit]

Al-Shorta's Younis Abid Ali set a national record for the most goals scored in one league season (36) in 1993–94.

Top goalscorers[edit]

Iraq Stars League (1974–present) matches only.[30]

# Name Goals First year Last year
1 Iraq Younis Abid Ali 135 1983 1999
2 Iraq Hashim Ridha 99 1998 2011
3 Iraq Alaa Abdul-Zahra 76 2014 Present
4 Iraq Ali Hussein Mahmoud 60 1974 1983
5 Iraq Amjad Kalaf 58 2007 2016
6 Iraq Saad Qais 45 1983 2001
7 Iraq Mohanad Ali 44 2014 Present
8 Iraq Faisal Aziz 42 1977 1989
Iraq Mufeed Assem 1996 2003
Syria Mahmoud Al-Mawas 2021 Present

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Iraq's Al Shorta stun former runners-up Al Ahli for maiden Asian Champions League win". beIN Sports. 17 September 2020. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Arab Club Champions Cup". RSSSF. 8 December 2016. Archived from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  3. ^ a b "How Al-Shorta became an unstoppable force in Iraqi football". FIFA.com. 28 July 2023.
  4. ^ "موسم الإنجاز وأرقام قياسية ... تفاصيل مباريات الشرطة في موسم 2021-2022" (in Arabic). Kooora. 9 July 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Al-Fartoosi, Amir. "The Second Prince Ghazi Cup". Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  6. ^ a b c Al-Ahmad, Abu Baqir (7 January 2014). "Al-Shorta SC History (Arabic)" (in Arabic). Kooora.com. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. ^ a b c 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.
  8. ^ a b "Baghdad Football League games start on Friday". The Iraq Times. 2 November 1948. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  9. ^ "How leagues stand". The Iraq Times. 5 January 1951. Archived from the original on 21 March 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  10. ^ George, George (18 December 1951). "A review of the sporting year". The Iraq Times. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  11. ^ "Spinning & Weaving win 2nd Div. Cup". The Iraq Times. 16 June 1959. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  12. ^ "Draw for soccer championships takes place in capital". The Iraq Times. 19 February 1961. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  13. ^ "Iraq Football Association". The Iraq Times. 9 October 1961. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  14. ^ "Iraq First Division games on league system". The Iraq Times. 16 October 1961. Archived from the original on 4 April 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  15. ^ Al-Ahmad, Abu Baqir (11 February 2007). "Story of the Iraqi Football League" (in Arabic). Kooora.com. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  16. ^ a b Mubarak, Hassanin (5 November 2020). "Various Baghdad Police Clubs - Coaches". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  17. ^ a b Hashim, Refel (25 May 2002). "Iraq 1974/75". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  18. ^ "Roll of honour". Asian Football Confederation. 21 February 2011. Archived from the original on 23 May 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  19. ^ "Iraqi Football League History" (in Arabic). NIIIIS.com. 9 January 2017. Archived from the original on 28 October 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  20. ^ a b c Mahmoud, Shukri (31 December 2011). "Al-Naqil score on average every 8 minutes in 11–0 win over Al-Shorta in 1974". Kooora.com. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  21. ^ Hashim, Refel (19 May 2002). "Iraq 1975/76". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
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