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| Full name | Al-Arabi Sports Club (Arabic: النادي العربي الرياضي) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Fareeg Al-Ahlam (The Dream Team) Century Club in Qatar | ||
| Short name | ARB | ||
| Founded | 1 April 1952 | ||
| Ground | Grand Hamad Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 13,000 | ||
| President | Sheikh Tamim Bin Fahad Al Thani | ||
| Manager | Younes Ali | ||
| League | Qatar Stars League | ||
| 2022–23 | Qatar Stars League, 2nd of 12 | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
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| |||
| Al Arabi's active sections | ||
|---|---|---|
 Football |
 Basketball |
 Handball |
_pictogram.svg){kind=small} Volleyball |
 Futsal |
Reserves |
Al-Arabi Sports Club (Arabic: النادي العربي الرياضي) is a Qatari sports club based in the capital city Doha. Founded in 1952, the most prominent team of the club is the football team that competes in the Qatar Stars League.[1] The club's home ground is the 13,000-seat Grand Hamad Stadium, where they have played since their establishment.
Al-Arabi had their first major success in 1978, winning the Emir of Qatar Cup, followed by various titles during the 1980s and 1990s. The club enjoyed their greatest period of success in those two decades, winning 17 major trophies. Domestically, Al-Arabi have won seven league titles, eight Emir of Qatar Cups, one Qatar Crown Prince Cup and six Qatar Sheikh Jassem Cups.
Al-Arabi's regular kit colours are red shirts and shorts with red socks. The club's crest has been changed several times in attempts to re-brand the club and modernise its image. The current crest, featuring a ceremonial falcon, is a modification of the one introduced in the early 1950s. They are known as having the largest fan base in Qatar. The AFC conducted a survey on their official website to determine the most prominent fan base in Qatar, revealing that Al-Arabi secured the top position with 41% of the votes, closely followed by Al-Rayyan in second place. In terms of championships won, they are the second most successful club domestically after Al-Sadd. Al-Arabi is known by various nicknames including "Dream Team", "The Red Devils", and "Century Club".
History
Foundation (1952–1990)
The club was founded in 1952 under the name "Al-Tahrir", making them the second oldest team in Qatar. In 1957, the club merged with Al-Wehda, a club founded in the same year under the leadership of Mohamed Ali Ahmed Al-Ansari, after playing a friendly. They merged under the name of Al-Wehda. Al-Wehda did not play outside of Qatar nor host any foreign clubs due to its limited budget. In 1972, the club rebranded under their current name, Al-Arabi.[2] The first president of the club was Ahmed Ali Ahmed Al-Ansari.
Al-Arabi was known for having one of the largest fan bases in all of Qatar, as well as in other Gulf states, and was well-known overseas. Their popularity outside of the Middle East was bolstered by their achievements and national team players, until 2003 when it reached its peak with the signing of Argentine legend Gabriel Batistuta.[3]
It placed 14th in the International Federation of Football History & Statistics's 1901–2000 Asian Club of the Century poll.
Founders
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Golden era (1990–2000)
The 1990s marked the start of a long streak of success for Al-Arabi. The dream team had come to fruition with the likes of Marco Antônio and Richard Owebukeri, who were the top scorers in the league at one point. Perhaps the most significant player was Mubarak Mustafa, who is considered one of the best Qatari footballers in history. The team, impressing many with its versatile squad, took the Qatari league by storm, winning it 5 times out of 10. Not satisfied merely with local success, the team achieved runners-up position in the AFC Champions League in 1995.[4]
They won their first Heir Apparent cup in 1997.[5]
Decline (2000–2011)
The new century saw a significant slump in Al-Arabi's performance. Factors which impacted this may include the departure of Mubarak Mustafa and the increase of competitiveness from local clubs. In the 2002 season, Al-Arabi finished in 7th place, the lowest position since its debut in the Qatar Stars League.
The arrival of Gabriel Batistuta in 2003 saw a glimpse of hope for Al-Arabi as they finished significantly higher in the league than the 2 previous seasons, however they ended up finishing 9th in the league at the end of the 2007 season, a new low. They did not win a single domestic title during this period, and had limited success in international competitions. Furthermore, they suffered their largest-ever defeat against Al-Sadd that season when they were beaten 7–0, which resulted in the sacking of their coach Cabralzinho.[6]
In 2006, due to popular dissent accosting the club president Sheikh Falah bin Jassim, there was an administrative change which resulted in Sheikh Faisal bin Mubarak being elected as president.
Management crisis (2011–present)
The beginning of the 2011–12 season looked bright for Al-Arabi, with the club winning its first domestic silverware in 13 years after defeating Umm Salal SC in the final of the 2011 Sheikh Jassem Cup. However, a string of bad results in the league resulted in the sacking of their coach, Paulo Silas.
They also qualified for the 2012 AFC Champions League, wherein they were the first team to be eliminated. During this period, the club had appointed 3 coaches in a span of 3 months. They infamously made history by being the first team since 2007 to lose every match of the group stage, as well as the first Qatari team to witness such failure.[7] As a result, the club's director of football, Mubarak Mustafa, announced his departure from the club.[8] Furthermore, Dr. Abdullah al-Mal, president of the club, announced his retirement from sports.[9] He was replaced by Hitme bin Ali Al-Hitmi. The fiscal budget of the club was reduced from 15 million riyals to 9 million riyals.[10]
Al-Arabi Fans Club
The Al-Arabi Fans Club was established on 21 October 2015 to help fans think of innovative ways to support the club's different sports teams throughout the season.[11] On the day the fan club was established, the club's management withdrew the number 1 jersey from the first team and awarded it to the club's fans as a symbolic gesture to acknowledge their fans' importance to the club. This was done after Captain Masoud Zeraei waived his right to the number. The move was motivated by the fact that the club enjoys the largest fanbase in Qatar.
Stadium
Grand Hamad Stadium (Arabic: استاد حمد الكبير), also known as the Al-Arabi Sports Club Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Doha, Qatar. It is currently used mostly for football matches. It is the home ground of football club Al-Arabi SC. The stadium can accommodate 13,000 people. The stadium was used extensively during the 2006 Asian Games, and was a venue for several different sports, including football, table tennis, rugby sevens and fencing. The Iraq national football team played its 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) games at the ground. The stadium was also used as a home venue for the Qatar national football team during its 2014 FIFA World qualification (AFC) campaign, but in 2023 the team moved to Al-Thumama Stadium due to its larger capacity of 44,400.
Rivalries
Al-Rayyan
Al-Rayyan and Al-Arabi are often considered the clubs with the most passionate sets of fans in Qatar. For this, their clash is known as the "Fans Derby".
Head-to-head
From 1994 to 2017.
| Head-to-head | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Competition | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | ||
| Qatar Stars League | 49 | 11 | 17 | 21 | 63 | 88 | −25 | ||
| Sheikh Jassem Cup | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 | ||
| Emir Cup | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 10 | −1 | ||
| Crown Prince Cup | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 16 | −10 | ||
| Reserve League | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 15 | −3 | ||
| Qatar Stars Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | ||
| Total | 72 | 18 | 21 | 33 | 98 | 133 | −35 | ||
Al-Sadd
Al-Arabi's clashes with Al-Sadd are considered the season's biggest as they are contested by Qatar's two most successful teams. For some fans, winning this derby is more noteworthy than winning the league itself. The derby is an important component of the country's culture.[12]
Al-Arabi always regarded itself as the club of Qatar's working class, in contrast to the more upper-class support base of Al-Sadd. The social-class divide between the two fanbases eventually diminished.[12]
Memorable matches
Bold indicates a win.
Season 
|
Result | Competition 
|
Notes 
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–82 | 0–1 | Emir Cup | |
| 1985–86 | 1–0 | Emir Cup | |
| 1992–93 | 2–0 | Emir Cup | |
| 1995–96 | 0–0 | Qatar Stars League | Al Arabi crowned champions. |
| 2009–10 | 3–3 | Qatar Stars League | Al Sadd come back from 3–0 down to deny Al Arabi an ACL spot. |
Head-to-head
From 1996 to 2017.
| Head-to-head | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Competition | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | ||
| Qatar Stars League | 49 | 13 | 12 | 24 | 54 | 91 | −37 | ||
| Sheikh Jassem Cup | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 13 | −5 | ||
| Emir Cup | 11 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 17 | −6 | ||
| Crown Prince Cup | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Reserve League | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 11 | 0 | ||
| Qatar Stars Cup | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 12 | −4 | ||
| Total | 78 | 21 | 18 | 39 | 95 | 147 | −52 | ||
