Al Dhafra FC

(Redirected from Al Dhafra S.C.C.)

Al Dhafra FC (Arabic: نادي الظفرة لكرة القدم) is an Emirati professional football club based in Madinat Zayed that competes in the UAE First Division League.[1]

Al Dhafra
logo
Full nameAl Dhafra Football Club
Nickname(s)Al Fursan Al Gharib
(The Western Knights)
Founded2000
GroundAl Dhafra Stadium
Capacity5,020
OwnerHamdan bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
ManagerPaulo Comelli
LeagueUAE First Division League
2022–23UAE Pro League, 14th (relegated)
WebsiteClub website

Their futsal club participated in AFC Futsal Club Championship.

History

Al Dhafra FC was established in 2000, as part of a policy to promote sports across the country and the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi had no team, so Al Dhafra is the first and only club to be located in the western region.[2] For most of its history the club was classified as a semi-professional club according to the UAE Pro League committee and did not have licenses to compete in the AFC competitions but the team had continued to appeal for a license since qualifying for the UAE President's Cup for the first time in 2019.[3] Around 2020 the club finally obtained their licenses, thus all pro league teams can compete in AFC competitions.[4]

Honours

Season-by-season record

SeasonLvl.Tms.Pos.President's CupLeague Cup
2008–091128thSemi-FinalsFirst Round
2009–101129thQuarter-FinalsFirst Round
2010–1111212thRound of 16First Round
2011–12284thRound of 16
2012–131148thRound of 16First Round
2013–141148thSemi-FinalsSemi-Finals
2014–1511411thSemi-FinalsFirst Round
2015–161148thRound of 16First Round
2016–171147thRound of 16First Round
2017–1811210thRound of 16First Round
2018–1911410thRunner-upsFirst Round
2019–20a1147thFinalistsFirst Round
2020–2111411thQuarter-FinalsFirst Round
2021–2211412thRound of 16First Round
2022–2311414thRound of 16Quarter-Finals

Notes^ 2019–20 UAE football season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates.

Current squad

As of 2023Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos. NationPlayer
21MF  UAEYaqoub Al Hosani
22MF  UAELahej Al-Nofali
23DF  UAEIbrahim Al-Hosani U21
24MF  MLISidiki Traore U21
25DF  UAEHamad Musalam
27MF  NGAJoel Owargoga U21
29FW  UAEAbdullah Al-Hammadi
30GK  OMAMazen Al-Harasi U21
33DF  ITAGabriel Santini (on loan from Ittihad Kalba)
36GK  UAEJarah Al-Hammadi U21
44DF  UAEMajed Abdulla
55GK  UAESaeed Al-Mesmari
80MF  GUIMansa Konate
90FW  BRADiogo Acosta
92FW  UAESaeed Jassim
93FW  CODBenik Afobe
DF  UAESaoud Al-Karbi
FW  UAEJassim Johar

Managerial history

NameNat.FromToRef.
Piet Hamberg 20032004
Sebastião Rocha 20052006
Ammar Souayah May 2007November 2007[5][6]
Ayman El Ramadi November 2007August 2008[7]
Mohammad Kwid September 2008December 2008[8]
Eid Baroot December 2008June 2009[9]
Laurent Banide July 2009February 2010[10]
Slobodan Halilović February 2010March 2010
Michel Decastel March 2010November 2010[11]
Alexandre Guimarães November 2010April 2011
Mohammad Kwid April 2011June 2011[12]
Baltemar Brito June 2011December 2011[13][14]
Magdy Mostafa December 2011May 2012
Džemal Hadžiabdić May 2012December 2012[15]
Laurent Banide December 2012April 2013[16]
Abdullah Mesfer April 2013May 2014
Anel Karabeg May 2014September 2014[17]
Marin Ion September 2014January 2015[18]
Laurent Banide January 2015November 2015[19]
Mohammad Kwid November 2015January 2018
Gjoko Hadžievski January 2018May 2018[20]
Vuk Rašović May 2018September 2020[21]
Mohammad Kwid September 2020October 2020[22]
Aleksandar Veselinović October 2020January 2021
Mohammad Kwid January 2021October 2021
Rogério Micale October 2021March 2022[23]
Badr Al Idrissi March 2022May 2022[24]
Nebojša Vignjević July 2022October 2022
Aleksandar Veselinović October 2022February 2023
Badr Al Idrissi February 2023August 2023
Abdullah Mesfer August 2023November 2023
Paulo Comelli December 2023present

See also

References