Al-Talaba Sports Club ( ar, نادي الطلبة الرياضي, lit=''Students Sports Club'') is an Iraqi
sports club
A sports club or sporting club, sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association, is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports.
Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and ...
based in
Al-Rusafa,
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
. Its
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
team competes in the
Iraqi Premier League
The Iraqi Premier League ( ar, الدوري العراقي الممتاز) is the top level of the Iraqi football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it is operated by the Iraq Football Association (IFA) and operates on a system of promotion ...
, the top flight of
Iraqi football. Founded in 1977, it was merged with another club called Al-Jamiea ahead of the
1978–79 season. Their home stadium is
Al-Talaba Stadium.
Al-Talaba are one of Iraq's most successful teams having won five league titles, with the most recent being in the
2001–02 season. They have also achieved two
FA Cups, one
Super Cup and a joint-record three
Elite Cups. The club's best achievements on the continental stage include finishing fourth at the
1986 Asian Club Championship and finishing second and fourth at the
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
and
1998–99 editions of the
Asian Cup Winners' Cup
The Asian Cup Winners' Cup was an association football competition run by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The competition was started in 1991 as a tournament for all the domestic cup winners from countries affiliated to the AFC. The winne ...
respectively.
The club was owned by the National Union of Iraqi Students from 1977 until 1993, when the owner of the club became the
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
{{Unreferenced, date=March 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot)
A Ministry of Higher Education is a government department that focuses on the provision or regulation of institutions of higher education. In some countries these exist as ministries compounde ...
with the minister being the honorary president of the club.
History
Al-Jamiea SC (1961–1977)
In 1961, the
University of Baghdad
The University of Baghdad (UOB) ( ar, جامعة بغداد ''Jāmi'at Baghdād'') is the largest university in Iraq, tenth largest in the Arab world, and the largest university in the Arab world outside Egypt.
Nomenclature
Both University ...
formed a football team made of the best football-playing students in the university, under the name of ''Montakhab Jamieat Baghdad'' (University of Baghdad XI), to compete in the 1960–61 Iraq Central FA Second Division, the second-tier league in the Baghdad region. The team was eliminated in the first round after losing 2–1 to the Railway Workers' Union on 22 February 1961. The team participated in the 1964 Republic Championship and also entered the Universities of Iraq League. The first president of the team was Hassan Kanah and the first technical staff consisted of the manager, Ghani Askar, and his two assistants, Moayad Al-Badri and Sami Al-Saffar.
On 17 December 1969, the Jamieat Baghdad team was formed as the University of Baghdad re-entered the official
Iraq Football Association
The Iraq Football Association (IFA) ( ar, الاتحاد العراقي لكرة القدم) is the governing body of football in Iraq, controlling the Iraqi national team and the Iraqi Premier League. The Iraqi Football Association was founded ...
(IFA) league pyramid.
By a special resolution from the IFA, the team's first participation was in the regional second tier without needing to compete in either the third or fourth tiers. In their first season, 1970–71, the team under the management of
Thamir Muhsin
Thamir Muhsin (1938–1995) was a senior lecturer at the Baghdad University, and a respected football coach in the Iraqi top division having managed at Al-Jamiea and the Iraq. He was born, and died, in Baghdad.
The trainer worked closely with fo ...
finished top of the second-tier league and were promoted to the
Iraq Central FA First Division. However, in the
1971–72 season, they finished in last place and were relegated back to the second-tier. In 1974, the team was banned from competing in the
Iraq FA Baghdad Cup
The Iraq FA Baghdad Cup was a regional knockout cup competition organised by the Iraq Central Football Association (IFA) in the 1973–74 season for teams from Baghdad and its neighbouring cities. Only one edition was played because the IFA decid ...
competition due to events that took place in, and their withdrawal from, their match against
Kahrabaa Al-Wusta B in a second-tier league game.
After three seasons, Muhsin left the team and
Jamal Salih
Jamal Salih ( ar, جمال صالح) is a former Iraq national football player and coach, and currently as a sports director for Sharjah FC, and has been in the role since march of 2018.
Career
He began his career as a player with Al-Omma Sport ...
became the new manager, and the Jamieat Baghdad team became known as Al-Jamiea Sports Club with the introduction of the national club system in Iraq. Jamal Salih led the team to promotion to the top division in the 1974–75 season, after which the club acquired its own headquarters and elected an administrative body.
After finishing eighth in their first
Iraqi National League season in
1975–76, Al-Jamiea were the runners-up in the
1976–77 season without a single loss, finishing five points behind the league leaders
Al-Zawra'a, who also did not lose a match.
Al-Talaba SC merger (1977–1980)
On 27 December 1977, a new club named Al-Talaba Sports Club (which translates to ''The Students'') was formed under the same institution as Al-Jamiea Sports Club. Less than a year later, ahead of the 1978–79 season, the
Ministry of Youth and Sports
A Ministry of Sports or Ministry of Youth and Sports is a kind of government ministry found in certain countries with responsibility for the regulation of sports, particularly those participated in by young people.
The Ministry of Youth and Sp ...
decided to merge Al-Jamiea with Al-Talaba in order to unify the institution's sporting activity, with the merger club retaining Al-Jamiea's place in the top division. The club took the Volleyball Training Centre on Al-Maghrib Street in Baghdad as its headquarters. Mohammed Debdeb, the president of the National Union of Iraqi Students, was named president of the club and Hadib Majhoul was named as vice-president, while nine other board members were also named.
The board decided to replace manager Jamal Salih with Abdul Wahab Abdul Qadir, who led the team through the
1978–79 season, Al-Talaba's first in the top-flight after the merger. Al-Talaba finished in third place in the league, an improvement on Al-Jamiea's eighth place finish the previous season.
For the first time, an Al-Talaba player was among the league's top three goalscorers with
Hussein Saeed
Hussein Saeed Mohammed ( ar, حسين سعيد محمد, born 21 January 1958) is an Iraqi former footballer who played as a forward for the Iraqi Premier League club Al-Talaba and the Iraqi national team and is a former president of the Iraq ...
scoring six goals and
Haris Mohammed
Haris Mohammed Hassan (born 3 March 1958) is an Iraqi football midfielder who played for Iraq in the 1986 FIFA World Cup. He also played for Al-Rasheed Club.
Haris Mohammed was a skilful and creative right sided attacking midfielder, born ...
scoring five.
Al-Talaba were disqualified from the
1978–79 Iraq FA Cup due to participating in an Arab University tournament without the approval of the
Iraq Football Association
The Iraq Football Association (IFA) ( ar, الاتحاد العراقي لكرة القدم) is the governing body of football in Iraq, controlling the Iraqi national team and the Iraqi Premier League. The Iraqi Football Association was founded ...
. In 1979, Al-Talaba represented Iraq at the
1979 Summer Universiade
The 1979 Summer Universiade, also known as the X Summer Universiade, took place in Mexico City, Mexico.
Sports
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Medal table
{{Universiade
1979
U
U
U
Multi-sport events in Mexico
Sports competitions in Me ...
in Mexico, finishing in 17th place out of 26 teams.
In the
1979–80 Iraqi National League, under the management of Khalaf Hassan, Al-Talaba finished in third place again with 27 points. Two of their most significant wins that season were beating the eventual league champions, Al-Shorta, 2–0 in the second round of matches on 26 September 1979 and beating
Al-Tayaran
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya ( ar, نادي القوة الجوية الرياضي, lit=Air Force Club) is an Iraqi sports club based in Rusafa District, Baghdad that competes in the Iraqi Premier League, the top-flight of Iraqi football. Founded in 1931 ...
1–0 in the 20th round on 24 April 1980. In the
1979–80 Iraq FA Cup, Al-Talaba reached the final for the first time but they were defeated on 7 April 1980 by
Al-Jaish Al Jaish is Arabic for army, and may refer to:
* Tala'ea El Gaish SC, a football club based in Cairo, Egypt
* Al-Jaish FC (Iraq), a football club based in Baghdad, Iraq
* Al-Jaish SC (Syria), a football club based in Damascus, Syria
* El Jaish SC, ...
4–2 on
penalties
Penalty or The Penalty may refer to:
Sports
* Penalty (golf)
* Penalty (gridiron football)
* Penalty (ice hockey)
* Penalty (rugby)
* Penalty (rugby union)
* Penalty kick (association football)
* Penalty shoot-out (association football)
* Penalty ...
after drawing 1–1.
Golden years (1980–1986)
Under the management of
Ammo Baba
Emmanuel Baba Dawud (27 November 1934 – 27 May 2009), better known as Ammo Baba ( ar, عمو بابا, syr, ܥܡܘ ܒܒܐ), was an Iraqi Assyrian football player and coach of the Iraq national football team.
He scored the first international ...
, known as the "Sheikh of Coaches", Al-Talaba won their first Premier League title in the
1980–81 season (while it was known as the National League). Before the last round of matches, Al-Talaba had 17 points and Al-Shorta had 15. Al-Talaba avoiding defeat in the last round or Al-Shorta failing to win would secure the title for Al-Talaba but, in the last match, they lost 1–2 against Al-Tayaran and Al-Shorta won 3–0 against Al-Zawra'a to create a tie on points (17) and goal difference (+14), which was the first time such a phenomenon had happened in Iraqi football.
Al-Talaba were awarded the title on number of wins as they had eight wins and Al-Shorta had six. Hussein Saeed was the top goalscorer of the league with eleven goals.
After achieving their first league title, Al-Talaba succeeded in winning it again in the
1981–82 season under Jamal Salih. They finished the season as the league leaders with 34 points, two points ahead of second-placed Al-Tayaran. Hussein Saeed was the second top goalscorer with eleven goals behind Al-Zawra'a's
Thamir Yousif, who scored fourteen.
In the
1982–83 season,
Akram Salman was appointed as the team's new manager. Al-Talaba started the season with confidence having won the league in the last two seasons, but finished in second place, only one point behind the league leaders,
Salahaddin.
Salahaddin were undefeated in the league while Al-Talaba had a single loss, by 2–0 loss to
Al-Sinaa
Al-Sinaa Sport club ( ar, نادي الصناعة الرياضي, lit=''Industry SC'') is a football club based in Thawra District, East Districts of the Tigris River, Baghdad, that plays in Iraqi Premier League.
History Premier League Play Ove ...
in the second round of matches. The championship was decided in the last match of the season when Al-Talaba met Salahaddin with only one point between them, so Salahaddin needed a win or a draw to secure the title. Al-Talaba scored first and dominated the match until, in the last thirty minutes, Salahaddin managed to equalise. The score remained 1–1, which won Salahaddin the championship for the first time in their history.
Hussein Saeed was the top goalscorer with 17 goals, eight goals ahead of another Al-Talaba player,
Rahim Hameed
Abdul-Rahim Hameed Aufi (born 23 May 1963) is an Iraqi football forward who played for Iraq in the 1986 FIFA World Cup. He also played for Al-Jaish.
Rahim Hamed was a prolific goalscorer who was leading goalscorer in the Iraqi league for thr ...
.
Al-Talaba again finished second in the
1983–84, with 36 points, three behind league leaders, Al-Jaish.
In 1984, Al-Talaba won its first international club competition, the 1984 Stafford Cup, winning four games and drawing one out of the five games they played in the tournament, which was hosted in
Bangalore
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
The
1984–85 Iraqi National League was abandoned halfway through due to a perceived decline in public interest, described as becoming "non-existent", after the performances of the
Iraq national football team
The Iraq national football team ( ar, منتخب العراق لكرة القدم) represents Iraq in international Association football, football and is controlled by the Iraq Football Association (IFA), the governing body for football in Ira ...
in the
1986 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) and winning the
1985 Arab Nations Cup and the
1985 Pan Arab Games.
Al-Talaba were in third place with 29 points before the stoppage.
They then participated in the Al-Rasheed Cup which was set up by
Al-Rasheed
Al-Rasheed Sports Club ( ar, نادي الرشيد الرياضي) was an Iraqi sports club based in Karkh, Baghdad. Its professional football team played in the Iraqi Premier League, the top tier of the Iraqi football, from 1984 until 1990. ...
after the abandonment of the league. The Al-Rasheed Cup contained twelve of the fourteen top division clubs as well as four lower division clubs. Al-Talaba reached the quarterfinals of the tournament but were knocked out by the eventual winners Al-Rasheed.
After Al-Rasheed was promoted to the top division, most of Iraq's
national team
A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport.
The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...
players signed for them, which made it difficult for the other teams to compete. Even so, in the
1985–86 Iraqi National League and under the management of
Yahya Alwan, Al-Talaba won their third league title against all expectations. They finished the season with 25 points, two points ahead of the favourites Al-Rasheed.
On 27 December 1985, one of the most important matches of the season, which could have decided the championship, was played between Al-Talaba and Al-Rasheed in front of 50,000 spectators at the
Al-Shaab Stadium
Al-Shaab International Stadium ( ar, ملعب الشعب الدولي, lit=The People's Stadium) is an all-seater multi-purpose stadium in Baghdad, Iraq. The 34,200-seater was the home stadium of the Iraq national football team, as well as the lar ...
.
The match ended in a 1–0 win for Al-Talaba with the goal being from a penalty taken by Hussein Saeed in the 63rd minute.
Saeed was the season's joint top goalscorer along with
Ahmed Radhi
Ahmed Radhi Humaiesh Al-Salehi, ( ar, أحمد راضي هميش الصالحي, 21 April 1964 – 21 June 2020) was an Iraqi footballer who played as a forward.
Regarded as one of Iraq and Asia's best players of all-time, Radhi scored the onl ...
and Rahim Hameed.
Al-Talaba participated in the
1986 Asian Club Championship where they reached the final round but finished last in the table with a single point.
Al-Talaba also participated in the Saddam International Tournament in 1986, hosted in Baghdad, but finished third in their group and failed to reach the semi-finals.
By winning the league, Al-Talaba qualified for the
1986 Iraqi Perseverance Cup
The 1986 Iraqi Perseverance Cup ( ar, كأس المثابرة العراقي 1986) was the 1st edition of the Iraqi Super Cup. The match was contested between the 1985–86 Iraqi National League winners and runners-up respectively, Al-Talaba and ...
but were defeated 2–1 by Al-Rasheed.
Ups and downs (1986–1992)
Due to managerial changes and instability, the
1986–87 Iraqi National League ended with Al-Talaba in sixth place, having totaled 49 points, under the consecutive management of Ahmed Subhi, Yahya Alwan and Jamal Salih.
The season after, Al-Talaba under the management of Yousif Abdul-Ameer finished in eighth place with only 30 points.
After that season, they participated in the Saddam Qadisiya Championship (a tournament for the four Popular Teams of Baghdad) but failed to win the tournament.
Al-Talaba returned to winning ways under the management of
Jamal Ali
Jamal Ali Hamza (born 2 February 1956) is an Iraqi football midfielder who played for Iraq in the 1986 FIFA World Cup. He also played for and now coaches Al Minaa.
Jamal Ali played for the Iraqi Olympic team at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. ...
in the
1988–89 season, which was played in a different format to previous seasons. They finished fourth in the Baghdad Group, just ahead of Al-Shorta, to qualify for the final tournament, where they finished second in Group 1, behind Al-Zawraa, to qualify for the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, Al-Talaba defeated Al-Tayaran 6–5 on penalties after a 1–1 draw.
In the final, Al-Talaba faced their rivals,
Al-Rasheed
Al-Rasheed Sports Club ( ar, نادي الرشيد الرياضي) was an Iraqi sports club based in Karkh, Baghdad. Its professional football team played in the Iraqi Premier League, the top tier of the Iraqi football, from 1984 until 1990. ...
, at the Al-Shaab Stadium. The match ended 1–1 at full time with their goal scored by
Ali Hussein.
It went to penalties where Hussein Saeed missed his penalty and enabled Al-Rasheed to win 5–4.
That season, Al-Talaba also finished as runners-up in the Al-Intisar Cup, behind Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya.
In the
1989–90 Iraqi National League
The 1989–90 Iraqi National Clubs First Division was the 16th season of the competition since its foundation in 1974. The name of the league was changed from ''Iraqi Pan-National Clubs First Division'' back to ''Iraqi National Clubs First Divisio ...
, which returned to the normal league format, Al-Talaba finished in sixth place with 31 points, having won twelve matches, drawn seven and lost seven. In the cup, they reached the fifth round when they won at home to
Al-Sulaikh 1–0 and lost 3–1 away.
This was Hussein Saeed's final season with Al-Talaba before he retired. In the next season, under the management of the club's first foreign coach,
Eddie Firmani
Edwin Ronald "Eddie" Firmani (; born 7 August 1933) is a former professional football player and manager. A former forward, he spent most of his career in Italy and England. Born in South Africa, he represented the Italy national team internat ...
, and Yahya Alwan, they finished second with 41 points.
In the
1991–92 season, Al-Talaba finished in fourth place with 55 points.
The vice-president of Al-Talaba, Salim Rasheed, organised a competition called the
Umm Al-Ma'arik Championship
The Umm al-Ma'arik Championship ( ar, بطولة أم المعارك, lit=''Mother of all Battles Championship''), known as the Baghdad Championship ( ar, بطولة بغداد) in its last edition, and also referred to as the Iraqi Elite Cup, was ...
(also known as Iraqi Elite Cup), meaning Mother of all Battles Championship, in which only the top six teams in the league could participate with all the matches being played at the Al-Shaab Stadium. Al-Talaba won their first match against Al-Shorta 1–0 and lost their second match against Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 1–0, qualifying them for the semi-finals where they lost to Al-Zawra'a 1–0 after an early goal by Mohammed Jassim Mahdi. In the third-place match, Al-Talaba faced Al-Karkh whom they defeated 4–3 on penalties after a 2–2 draw. The
1991 Iraqi Elite Cup ended with Al-Zawra'a as winners.
Stability and Asian prominence (1992–2001)
During the longest season in Iraqi football, the
1992–93 season, when every club played 69 matches, Al-Talaba had Yahya Alwan as their manager in the first stage of the league, in which they won 14 matches, drawn seven and lost two, 1–0 against
Kirkuk
Kirkuk ( ar, كركوك, ku, کەرکووک, translit=Kerkûk, , tr, Kerkük) is a city in Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate, located north of Baghdad. The city is home to a diverse population of Turkmens, Arabs, Kurds, ...
and the same score against
Samarra
Samarra ( ar, سَامَرَّاء, ') is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Saladin Governorate, north of Baghdad. The city of Samarra was founded by Abbasid Caliph Al-Mutasim for his Turkish professional army ...
. They completed the stage in third place with 35 points.
Before the start of the second stage, Al-Talaba signed
Ayoub Odisho
Ayoub Odisho Barjam ( ar, أيوب اوديشو; born 15 December 1960), is an Iraqi Assyrian former football player and coach of Al Zawraa in the Iraqi Premier League.
Playing career
Ayoub was a tough tackling full-back, who played for Al-Ta ...
as their new manager, and he led them through the second stage to have exactly the same statistics as the first one, finishing with 70 points and in second place. In the third stage, the team won 18 matches, drew four and lost only once against
Al-Khutoot. After 69 matches, Al-Talaba finished top of the league with 110 points, having scored 130 goals and conceded 34.
In the
1992 Iraqi Elite Cup
The Second Mother of all Battles Championship ( ar, بطولة أم المعارك الثانية), commonly referred to as the 1992 Iraqi Elite Cup ( ar, كأس النخبة العراقي 1992), was the second occurrence of the Iraqi Elite Cup. ...
which was organised by the Iraq FA, Al-Talaba finished the group stage as the Group Two leaders with four points.
In the semi-finals, they had to face Al-Zawra'a in a match which was considered a replay of the 1991 semi-final which Al-Zawra'a won 1–0.
In this match, Al-Talaba won 3–2 with a golden goal in the 100th minute during extra time. In the final against Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, the match ended in a 0–0 draw which led to extra time when
Alaa Kadhim
Alaa Kadhim (born 1 July 1970) is an Iraqi football striker who played for both the Iraq and Talaba SC, where he was also the club president.
Alaa was one of the best Iraqi strikers during the 90s during Iraq’s 1994 World Cup qualifying camp ...
scored the winning goal in the 104th minute.
In the
1992–93 Iraq FA Cup, Al-Talaba reached the final after defeating
Haifa
Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
, Salahaddin, Al-Salam and Samarra. In the final, they lost to Al-Zawra'a 2–1.
After almost achieving a
treble in the 1992–93 season, Al-Talaba were managed by Hussein Saeed in the first half of the
1993–94 season and Ayoub Odisho in the second; they finished in third place with 75 points. In the
1993 Iraqi Elite Cup, they came second in the Group One table behind Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya. In the semi-finals, Al-Talaba met Al-Zawra'a for the third time in a row and won 3–1.
In the final, they faced Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya for the second time and defeated them 2–1 at the Al-Shaab Stadium, winning their second successive Iraqi Elite Cup under the management of Saeed.
In the
1993–94 Iraq FA Cup, Al-Talaba again faced Al-Zawra'a in the final but lost this time by a score of 1–0.
In the
1994–95 Iraqi National League, Al-Talaba finished fourth with 106 points, one point behind Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya in second place and
Najaf
Najaf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف) or An-Najaf al-Ashraf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف ٱلْأَشْرَف), also known as Baniqia ( ar, بَانِيقِيَا), is a city in central Iraq about 160 km (100 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated popula ...
in third. In the last round, Al-Talaba faced Al-Zawra'a needing a win to finish second, but they lost 2–1. In the
fourth edition of the Iraqi Elite Cup, Al-Talaba reached the final against Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya but lost 4–3 on penalties after a 0–0 draw.
In the
1995–96 season, Al-Talaba finished in sixth place with 31 points, having won eight matches, drawn seven and lost seven. They reached the final of the
1995 Iraqi Elite Cup, coming up against Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya for the fourth time in a row in this competition, and Al-Talaba won with a single goal scored by
Abdul-Wahab Abu Al-Hail
Abdul-Wahab Abu Al-Hail Labid Al-Zirjawi ( ar, عبد الوهاب أبو الهيل لابد الزيرجاوي; born 21 December 1975) is an Iraqi professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Iraqi club Zakho.
Club ...
, achieving their third Iraqi Elite Cup success.
After Al-Zawra'a achieved a double in the 1993–94 season, the Iraq FA chose the FA Cup runners-up, Al-Talaba, as Iraq's representative in the
1995 Asian Cup Winners' Cup. Under the management of Ayoub Odisho, they defeated
Al-Gharafa
Al-Gharafa Sports Club ( ar, نادي الغرافة الرياضي) is a Qatari multisports club based in the Al Gharrafa district of Al Rayyan. It is best known for its football team, although it also has teams for other sports. It was estab ...
in the first leg in
Doha
Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the coun ...
5–3 and lost in the second leg 1–0 at the Al-Shaab Stadium.
In the second round, they came up against
Yangiyer
, settlement_type = City
, image_skyline =
, imagesize = 300px
, image_caption =
, image_flag =
, image_seal =
, image_map =
, map_caption ...
and lost 2–1 in
Tashkent
Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of ...
before they turned it around to win 2–0 in Baghdad with goals from Muhannad Mohammed and
Qahtan Chathir
Qahtan Chathir is an Iraqi football forward who played for Iraq in the 1996 Asian Cup. He also played for Al Talaba, Al Karkh, Al Ittihad, Al-Thaid, Al Sinaa.
Career
Playing career
Qahtan Chathir played for Al Talaba, Al Karkh, Al Itti ...
.
In the quarter-finals, Al-Talaba won their first leg against
Bahman
Bahman ( fa, بهمن, ) is the eleventh and penultimate month of the Solar Hijri calendar, the official calendar of Iran and Afghanistan. Bahman has thirty days. It begins in January and ends in February of the Gregorian calendar. The month is ...
in
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
1–0 with a goal by
Sabah Jeayer
Sabah Jeayer, (born 26 May 1970) is an Iraqi football forward who played for Iraq in the 2000 Asian Cup, Talaba SC, and Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya.
Sabah Jeayer was a talented forward, who is great in the air and also a goalscorer capable of rising t ...
. At the Al-Shaab Stadium, Bahman won 1–0 for a 1–1 draw on aggregate. The match went to a golden goal decider which was scored by Chathir. Al-Talaba had now qualified for the semi-finals where they were drawn to meet
Kazma SC
Kazma Sporting Club ( ar, نادي كاظمة الرياضي) is a Kuwaiti professional association football club. Founded in 1964, the club competes in the Kuwaiti Premier League.
Club history
Naming
The club is named after the area of Kathma. ...
of Kuwait but Kazma withdrew from the tournament, refusing to play against Al-Talaba because of political tensions between Iraq and other
Persian Gulf countries
The Arab states of the Persian Gulf refers to a group of Arab states which border the Persian Gulf. There are seven member states of the Arab League in the region: Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. ...
, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, in the aftermath of the
1991 Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
. The
AFC directed Al-Talaba to play against
Al-Riyadh
Al-Riyadh Saudi Club () is a football team based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that is currently playing in the Saudi Second Division (third level). It was established in 1953 as Ahli Al-Riyadh, then changed to Al-Yamamah and finally to Al-Riyadh. ...
of Saudi-Arabia but they too withdrew for the same reason, and that meant Al-Talaba had a
walkover
John_Carpenter_was_disqualified,_prompting_his_teammates_John_Taylor_(athlete).html" ;"title="John_Carpenter_(athlete).html" "title="Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres">men's 400 metres running in a walkover. Americ ...
through the semi-finals.
In the final, Al-Talaba faced
Bellmare Hiratsuka
is a Japanese professional football club based in Hiratsuka, in the west of Kanagawa Prefecture, part of the Greater Tokyo Area. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. Their home stadium is Hiratsuka ...
in
Kanagawa
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...
where they were beaten 2–1 after the winning goal was scored in the 81st minute by
Hidetoshi Nakata
is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest Asian players of all time.
Nakata began his professional career in 1995 and won the Asian Football Confederation Player ...
.
In 1996, the league was renamed to the Iraqi Premier League, and Al-Talaba finished third in the
1996–97 Iraqi Premier League, winning 17 matches, drawing nine and losing four. In August 1996, they participated in the Al-Nasr Al-Adheem Cup, but they did not win the tournament, losing 3–1 to eventual winners Al-Shorta. They reached the round of 16 in the
1996–97 Iraq FA Cup and didn't get past the group stage in the
1996 Iraqi Elite Cup.
In the
1997–98 season, Al-Talaba finished in fifth place with 61 points, one point behind fourth placed Najaf FC. In the
1997 Iraqi Elite Cup, they reached the semi-finals but were defeated by Najaf 3–1 on penalties. In the third place match against Al-Zawra'a, Al-Talaba were beaten 7–0 which is the most goals ever conceded in a match by Al-Talaba.
In the
1998–99 season, now under the management of Akram Salman, Al-Talaba finished in second place, only one point behind the league leaders, Al-Zawra'a, with 75 points. Had Al-Talaba won their final match of the league against
Al-Naft, they would have won the league, but they only managed a goalless draw.
In the
1998–99 Iraq FA Cup, they reached the final after beating Al-Shorta in the semi-finals. They were defeated by Al-Zawra'a in the final 1–0. Because of Al-Zawra'a achieving the double, the
1999 Perseverance Cup was played between Al-Zawra'a and the league and cup runners-up, Al-Talaba, where they were defeated for the third time that season by Al-Zawra'a, who won 5–4 on penalties after a 2–2 draw. In the
1998 Iraqi Elite Cup, Al-Talaba reached the semi-finals where they were beaten by Al-Naft. In the third-place match, Al-Talaba defeated
Al-Mina'a
Al-Minaa Sports Club ( ar, نادي الميناء الرياضي, lit=Port Sports Club) is an Iraqi multi-sport club based in Al-Maqal, Basra that participates in the Iraq Division One, the second tier of Iraqi football. It is one of the mo ...
3–1.
In the
1998–99 Asian Cup Winners' Cup
The winners of the 1998–99 Asian Cup Winners' Cup, the association football competition run by the Asian Football Confederation, are listed below.
First round
West Asia
1 Al Nejmeh withdrew.
East Asia
1 Police SC withdre ...
, they managed to reach the semi-finals where they lost to
Al-Ittihad Al-Ittihad (Arabic: الاتحاد "The Union"), sometimes transliterated as Al-Etihad or Al-Ettihad may refer to:
Sports Football Libya
*Al-Ittihad Club (Tripoli), a football club based in Bab Ben Gashier
* Al Ittihad Gheryan, a football club bas ...
and they then lost the third-place play-off to
Kashima Antlers
are a football club in Kashima, Ibaraki, currently playing in the J1 League, top tier of Japanese professional football leagues. The name ''Antlers'' is derived from the city name, Kashima, which literally means "deer island". The club has fi ...
. Al-Talaba finished fourth in the
1999–2000 season with 100 points.
They also finished in the same position in the
2000–01 season with 60 points.
They finished in fourth place in the
1999 Iraqi Elite Cup after a 3–0 loss against Al-Karkh in the third-place play-off.
They qualified for the
2000–01 Asian Cup Winners' Cup but were knocked out in the first round by
Al-Sadd
Al Sadd Sports Club ( ar, نادي السد الرياضي, lit=Dam Sports Club) is a Qatari sports club based in the Al Sadd (Qatar), Al Sadd district of the city of Doha. It is best known for its association football team, whic ...
on away goals. In addition, they lost the 2000 Baghdad Day Cup to Al-Shorta with a 2–1 defeat, and also reached the final of the 2000 Al-Quds International Championship but lost to Al-Zawra'a by 4–3 on penalties after a 1–1 draw.
Thair Ahmed era (2001–2007)
Al-Talaba participated in the 2001 Al-Wehdat Arabian Championship before the start of the 2001–02 season; they played four games, winning one, drawing two and losing one, finishing third in the tournament.
After eight years without winning the league and six years without any trophy,
Thair Ahmed
Thair Ahmed (born 1 July 1959) is an Iraqi football coach, who coaches Al-Talaba.
Coaching career
Ahmed began the 2018-2019 season with leading of Amanat Baghdad for 14 games, then he moved to his glory club Al-Talaba SC. He is coaching t ...
led Al-Talaba to the
2001–02 championship with 91 points from 29 wins, four draws and five losses. They started the season by defeating Kirkuk FC 8–0 at
Al Karkh Stadium
Al-Saher Ahmed Radhi Stadium ( ar, ملعب الساحر احمد راضي, lit=''Magician Ahmed Radhi Stadium'') is a multi-use stadium in Baghdad, Iraq. It is used mostly for football matches and serves as the home stadium of Al-Karkh. The sta ...
, which is one of the biggest wins by Al-Talaba, and ended it with a 6–0 win over
Duhok at Al-Shaab Stadium. They reached the final of the
2001–02 Iraqi Elite Cup, after defeating Al-Karkh 1–0 in the semi-finals, against Al-Shorta where they lost with a single goal after
extra time
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...
.
Younis Mahmoud
Younis Mahmoud Khalaf ( ar, يونس محمود خلف; born 3 February 1983) is an Iraqi former professional footballer who played as a forward for the Iraq national football team and is currently the second vice-president of the Iraq Footbal ...
was the top goalscorer of the tournament.
Al-Talaba also won their first-ever
Iraq FA Cup
The Iraq FA Cup, known as the Iraq Cup ( ar, كأس العراق) in Arabic, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Iraqi football. First held in the 1948–49 season for clubs and institutions before returning in 1975–76 ...
that season, after meeting Al-Shorta again in the final and defeating them with Qusay Hashim's late 85th-minute goal. Al-Talaba also won the 2001 Baghdad Day Cup by defeating Al-Zawra'a 2–1 and won the
2002 Perseverance Cup against the league runners-up,
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya ( ar, نادي القوة الجوية الرياضي, lit=Air Force Club) is an Iraqi sports club based in Rusafa District, Baghdad that competes in the Iraqi Premier League, the top-flight of Iraqi football. Founded in 193 ...
, 2–1 after extra time.
Al-Talaba were contending for the
2002–03 title before the league was cancelled due to war. In the
2002–03 Iraqi Elite Cup, they reached the final but were defeated 1–0 by Al-Shorta again. Al-Talaba's
Ahmad Salah was named the best player of the tournament. They retained the
Iraq FA Cup
The Iraq FA Cup, known as the Iraq Cup ( ar, كأس العراق) in Arabic, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Iraqi football. First held in the 1948–49 season for clubs and institutions before returning in 1975–76 ...
by defeating Al-Mina'a 1–0 with Alaa Kadhim's goal in the closing minutes and then defeating Al-Shorta in the final 1–0 at the
Franso Hariri Stadium
Franso Hariri Stadium ( Kurdish: یاریگای فرانسۆ ھەریری, Yarîgay Franso Herîrî; Arabic: ملعب فرانسوا حريري) is a multi-purpose stadium in Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. It is currently used mostly for football ...
with Ahmad Salah's goal in the 26th minute.
In the wake of the
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...
, all of Al-Talaba's matches in the
2003–04 season were postponed and then cancelled, except two games which they won against Al-Sinaa before the league was abandoned for the season. Al-Talaba were the runners-up of the
2003 Baghdad Championship (the new name of the Umm Al-Ma'arik Championship, also known as Iraqi Elite Cup), defeating Al-Shorta 2–1 in the semi-finals and losing to Al-Zawra'a 5–4 on penalties after a 2–2 draw in the final, a match that saw three red cards in total.
In the
2002–03 AFC Champions League
The 2002–03 AFC Champions League was the twenty-second edition of Asia's premier football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and the first edition under the AFC Champions League title.
Sixteen teams competed in this ed ...
, Al-Talaba finished third in Group D with three points from three games after one win and two losses.
Al-Talaba participated in the
2003–04 Arab Champions League, reaching the proper group stage where they finished in third place with three points.
Before the start of the 2004–05 season, Al-Talaba participated in the
2004 Damascus International Championship. They played three games in the tournament, winning two and losing one, being knocked out in the group stage.
They also participated in the 2004 Tishreen Cup, one week after they were knocked out of the Damascus International Championship. In the Tishreen Cup, they finished top of their group to qualify for the semi-finals. They defeated
Tishreen SC
Tishreen Sports Club ( ar, نادي تشرين الرياضي) is a Syrian professional football club based in Latakia. The club was founded in 1947 and currently competes in the Syrian Premier League. Its home ground is Al-Assad Stadium. Tish ...
1–0 to reach the final, which they lost by 3–2 to fellow Iraqi club Al-Zawra'a.
In the
2004–05 Iraqi Premier League, Al-Talaba finished the first phase as leaders of Group Three with 28 points, having won eight matches, drawn four and lost four. They also became leaders of Group Two in the second phase with eight points, ahead of Al-Naft who had seven points, after winning two matches and drawing two. In the semi-finals, Al-Talaba came up against Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya; they were beaten in the first leg 1–0 and drew the second leg 2–2. Al-Talaba won the third-place play-off against Al-Zawra'a 4–1 on penalties after a 1–1 draw.
Al-Talaba maintained their performance in the
2005–06 Iraqi Premier League by finishing the first phase as the leaders of Group Four with 24 points from seven wins, three draws and two losses. In the second phase, they finished in second place with seven points behind Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, who had the same number of points but a better goal difference of +4 against Al-Talaba's +1. In the last match of the second phase, Al-Talaba faced Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya with a chance to retain the league leadership, but they lost 3–1.
From 2–9 September 2005, Al-Talaba participated in the
2005 Damascus International Championship, reaching the final against fellow Iraqi club Al-Zawra'a. Al-Talaba won 5–4 on penalties.
In the
2005–06 Arab Champions League, Al-Talaba won their first round tie against
Al-Shabab by 3–1 in the first leg and 4–1 in the second leg. They faced
Al-Qadisiyah in the second round and were defeated 1–0 in the first leg and 2–1 in the second leg to be eliminated the competition.
On 30 November 2006, the club's president, Hadeeb Majhoul, was kidnapped by an unknown terrorist group in Baghdad and, after three days, his body was found in the morgue.
The administrative board elected the team's striker at the time, Alaa Kadhim, as the new interim president until the club's elections in which he won with 93 votes out of 97 existing on 15 March 2007.
Alaa Khadim was the club's player-president through 2006–07. Aged 35 at the end of the season, he retired from playing in order to focus on administrating the club.
Before the start of the 2006–07 season, Al-Talaba participated in the 2006 Shabab Al-Ordon Arab Championship, a tournament organised by
Shabab Al-Ordon Club
Shabab Al-Ordon Club ( ar, نادي شباب الأردن, lit=''Jordan Youth Club'') is a Jordanian professional football club based in Amman, that competes in the Jordanian Pro League. The club was established in 2002 and is considered as ...
. Al-Talaba played three matches in the tournament and drew all three of them, being knocked out in the group stage.
In the
2006–07 Iraqi Premier League, Al-Talaba finished the first phase in second place with 13 points, behind Al-Zawra'a with 14 points, with three wins, four draws, and one loss. Al-Talaba managed to finish second in the elite stage with eight points from two wins, two draws and one loss, just ahead of
Karbalaa
Karbala or Kerbala ( ar, كَرْبَلَاء, Karbalāʾ , , also ;) is a city in central Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad, and a few miles east of Lake Milh, also known as Razzaza Lake. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governor ...
with seven points. In the semi-finals, Al-Talaba lost to Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 2–0 and then lost 2–1 to Najaf FC in the third-place play-off.
Instability and crisis (2007–2013)
Before the start of the 2007–08 season, Al-Talaba participated in the 2007 Press Club Championship, hosted in
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
. Al-Talaba drew both of their group stage matches, finishing second in their group to qualify for the semi-finals. In the semi-final, they lost 3–1 against
Nawair SC and were knocked out.
Al-Talaba considered withdrawing from the
2007–08 Iraqi Premier League due to a financial crisis that led to their players not being paid all their salaries on time,
but eventually decided not to withdraw. Under the management of
Karim Saddam
Karim Saddam Menshid (born 26 May 1960) is an Iraqi football forward who played for Iraq in the 1986 FIFA World Cup. , Nabil Zaki and Karim Salman, Al-Talaba finished in fifth place in the first phase of the league with 36 points, having won nine matches, drew nine, and lost four. They played poorly in the second phase, ending the phase in third place in their group with seven points with only one win, four draws, and three losses.
They were knocked out in the round of 32 in the
2007–08 Arab Champions League, losing 4–0 on aggregate to
USM Alger
Union Sportive de la Médina d'Alger ( ar, الإتحاد الرياضي لمدينة الجزائر); known as USM Alger or simply USMA for short, is a football club based in the inner suburbs of Algiers. The club was founded in 1937 and its co ...
. In the
2008–09 Iraqi Premier League, with
Abdul Ghani Shahad as Al-Talaba's manager, they finished in third place in their group with 47 points, only three points behind Najaf FC, with 14 wins, five draws, and five losses.
In the
2009–10 Iraqi Premier League, under the management of
Radhi Shenaishil
Radhi Shenaishil Swadi ( ar, راضي شنيشل سوادي; born 11 August 1969) is a former Iraqi footballer and former coach of the Iraq national football team, and currently manages Iraq U23.
Playing career
Radhi Shenaishil was born and ...
, Al-Talaba finished as the leaders of Group B in the first stage with 68 points, having won 19 matches, drew 11, and lost four. They withdrew in the twelfth round due to a ruling from the
Iraqi Olympic Committee where they were set to face
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
that awarded the win. In the elite stage, Al-Talaba ended up in second place of Group One as the best runners-up of the three groups where they had ten points, the same number of points as the first place, Al-Zawra'a, but they had the goals difference of +2 and Al-Talaba the goals difference of +1. If either Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya had beaten
Naft Al-Janoob or Al-Shorta had beaten Najaf FC, Al-Talaba would not have qualified for the semi-finals, but Jawiya drew 0–0 and Al-Shorta drew 2–2. In the semi-finals, Al-Talaba won 1–0 to
Erbil
Erbil, also called Hawler (, ar, أربيل, Arbīl; syr, ܐܲܪܒܹܝܠ, Arbel), is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It lies in the Erbil Governorate. It has an estimated population of around 1,600,000.
Hu ...
in the first leg and drew with no goals in the second leg. They lost in the final to Duhok SC with a late goal in the 82nd minute.
With Yahya Alwan as their manager, Al-Talaba had one of the worst seasons in their history in the
2010–11 Iraqi Elite League, finishing the season in eighth place of the Southern group with 38 points, only one point away from relegation, with nine wins, eleven draws, and six losses.
In the
2011 AFC Cup, Al-Talaba finished in third place in their group with five points, having won one match, drew two, and lost three, therefore they were knocked out at the group stage.
In the
2011–12 Iraqi Elite League
The 2011–12 Iraqi Elite League (known as the Asiacell Elite League for sponsorship reasons) was the 38th season of the competition since its establishment in 1974. The season began on 29 October 2011 and ended on 20 August 2012. It was played in ...
, Al-Talaba with Jamal Ali, Khalaf Hassan, and Karim Salman as their consecutive managers, finished the season in fourth place with 68 points, winning in 19 matches, drawing in 11, and losing in eight.
In the
2012–13 Iraqi Elite League
The 2012–13 Iraqi Elite League was the 39th season of the competition since its establishment in 1974. The season began on 19 October 2012 and finished on 4 September 2013. Al-Shorta were crowned champions for the third time, finishing on 72 po ...
, under the management of
Nazar Ashraf
Nazar Ashraf (born 2 November 1953) is a former Iraq national player and coach, who was the assistant coach of Iraq. He also competed in the men's tournament at the 1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Ол ...
, Al-Talaba returned to their poor performance of the 2010–11 season, finishing in the 14th place with 35 points, only one point away from relegation, with only nine wins, eight draws, and 17 losses. They saved the club from being relegated in the 33rd round against Al-Naft where they won 2–1 and also because of
Al-Kahraba
Al-Kahrabaa Sports Club ( ar, نادي الكهرباء الرياضي, lit=Electricity Club) is an Iraqi professional football club based in the Al-Rusafa, Iraq, Rusafa District, near the Tigris river, Baghdad, that plays in Iraqi Premier Leagu ...
's loss to
Zakho
Zakho, also spelled Zaxo ( ku, زاخۆ, Zaxo, syr, ܙܵܟ݂ܘܿ, Zākhō, , ) is a city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, at the centre of the eponymous Zakho District of the Dohuk Governorate, located a few kilometers from the Iraq–Turkey bo ...
in the last round. Al-Talaba passed the round of 32 of the
2012–13 Iraq FA Cup where they were up against Al-Zawra'a, drawing 0–0 in the first leg and winning 3–1 in the second leg before the tournament was abandoned.
Recent history (2013–)
Al-Talaba finished the
2013–14 Iraqi Premier League, under the management of Abdul-Wahab Abu Al-Hail, in eighth place with 31 points from 22 matches.
The season after, Al-Talaba finished in fifth place of Group Two with four wins, five draws, and seven losses before Abu Al-Hail was sacked.
In that season, they also participated in a friendly cup, the
Tournament for the Armed Forces
The Tournament for the Iraqi Armed Forces ( ar, بطولة دعم قوات المسلحة العراقية) was a friendly football competition in Iraq hosted by Al-Shaab Stadium on 21 March 2015 and contested between the four biggest clubs in B ...
, which was played between the big four clubs of Baghdad. The mini-tournament started at the semi-final stage and each match was only 30 minutes long. Al-Talaba were knocked out in the semi-final by Al-Zawra'a, 4–2 on penalties after a 0–0 draw.
In June 2015, the board signed Ayoub Odisho as the team's new manager again after almost two decades.
The team also signed Younis Mahmoud, the captain of the
Iraq national team, twelve years after he left the club in 2004, with a free contract to get ready for the
2015–16 season.
The team finished the group stage in fourth place of Group One with 27 points with seven wins, six draws and four losses, getting qualified to the final stage,
where they finished in third place with three wins, three draws and a loss.
The following season saw Al-Talaba finish in seventh place in the league with 54 points from 36 games.
In the
2016–17 Iraq FA Cup, Al-Talaba defeated
Al-Kadhimiya and
Al-Najda to reach the quarter-final, but they had to withdraw from the quarter-final game against
Naft Al-Wasat
Naft Al-Wasat Sports Club ( ar, نادي نفط الوسط الرياضي, lit=''Midland Oil'') is an Iraqi sports club based in Najaf, Iraq. Its professional football team plays in the Iraqi Premier League, the top tier of Iraqi football. The c ...
after their players went on strike in protest at their unpaid wages.
Stadiums
In the 1980s, a stadium to hold 8,000 spectators was built at Hai Al-Qahira in Baghdad to host Al-Talaba's home matches.
Al-Talaba currently hold their training sessions at the
University of Baghdad Stadium in
Jadraya, Baghdad, 15 km away from their main stadium.
In early 2014, the owner of the club, the
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
{{Unreferenced, date=March 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot)
A Ministry of Higher Education is a government department that focuses on the provision or regulation of institutions of higher education. In some countries these exist as ministries compounde ...
, gave the project of building a new sports city to the Spanish company TriArena. They are constructing a main football stadium with a capacity of 16,000 spectators and an area of 71,150 m². The project also includes two tennis courts, a basketball court, a volleyball court, a fustal pitch, a handball court, a hotel, restaurants, and a covered swimming pool. Al-Talaba is defined as a sports club, not just a football one, and it has supported other sports at minor level only in the past.
The foundation stone was laid by the former minister of higher education and scientific research,
Ali al-Adeeb, in February 2014. The cost of the project is estimated to be $84 million and the duration of construction was expected to be 30 months, meaning that by 2017 the Al-Talaba Sports City should have been open.
Due to the financial crisis in Iraq, the project was scratched after spending $4 million on designs.
Rivalries
Al-Talaba is one of the four "Popular Teams" in Baghdad, the others being
Al-Zawra'a,
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya ( ar, نادي القوة الجوية الرياضي, lit=Air Force Club) is an Iraqi sports club based in Rusafa District, Baghdad that competes in the Iraqi Premier League, the top-flight of Iraqi football. Founded in 193 ...
and
Al-Shorta.
All the four Popular Teams have rivalries with each other. Al-Talaba's arch rivals are Al-Zawra'a and Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya because of their constant battles to win the
Iraqi Premier League
The Iraqi Premier League ( ar, الدوري العراقي الممتاز) is the top level of the Iraqi football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it is operated by the Iraq Football Association (IFA) and operates on a system of promotion ...
over the years.
Statistics
Recent seasons
The season-by-season performance of the club over the recent years:
.
Rank = Rank in the league; P = Played; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points; Cup = Iraq FA Cup
The Iraq FA Cup, known as the Iraq Cup ( ar, كأس العراق) in Arabic, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Iraqi football. First held in the 1948–49 season for clubs and institutions before returning in 1975–76 ...
.
''in'' = Still in competition; — = Not attended; 1R = 1st round; 2R = 2nd round; 3R = 3rd round; R16 = Round of sixteen; QF = Quarterfinals; SF = Semifinals.
1 The league was not completed and was cancelled.
2 Al-Talaba had not yet been eliminated from the cup but it was abandoned midway through.
In international competitions
:
Current squad
First-team squad
Captains
Personnel
Current technical staff
Managerial history
Current board
Recent presidents
Honours
National
{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="font-size:95%; text-align:center;"
!Competition
!Titles
!Winning years
!Runners-up
, -
! scope=col,
Iraqi Premier League
The Iraqi Premier League ( ar, الدوري العراقي الممتاز) is the top level of the Iraqi football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it is operated by the Iraq Football Association (IFA) and operates on a system of promotion ...
, 5
, ,
1981–82,
1985–86,
1992–93,
2001–02
, {{nowrap,
1982–83,
1983–84,
1988–89,
1990–91,
1998–99,
2009–10
, -
! scope=col,
Iraq FA Cup
The Iraq FA Cup, known as the Iraq Cup ( ar, كأس العراق) in Arabic, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Iraqi football. First held in the 1948–49 season for clubs and institutions before returning in 1975–76 ...
, 2
,
2001–02,
2002–03
,
1979–80,
1980–81,
1981–82,
1992–93,
1993–94,
1998–99
, -
! scope=col,
Iraqi Elite Cup
The Iraqi Elite Cup ( ar, كأس النخبة العراقي), known officially as the Baghdad Championship ( ar, بطولة بغداد) and previously known as the Mother of all Battles Championship ( ar, بطولة أم المعارك, ''Botola ...
, bgcolor="DCE5E5", 3{{smallsup, s
,
1992
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,
1993
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,
1995
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,
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
,
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
,
2002
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,
2003
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, -
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Iraqi Super Cup
The Iraqi Super Cup ( ar, كأس السوبر العراقي), previously called Iraqi Perseverance Cup ( ar, كأس المثابرة العراقي), is Iraqi football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Iraqi Premier ...
, 1
,
2002
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,
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
,
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
International
{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="font-size:95%; text-align:center;"
!Competition
!Titles
!Winning years
!Runners-up
!Third place
!Fourth place
, -
! scope=col,
Asian Club Championship
The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition ...
, 0
, –
, –
, –
,
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
, -
! scope=col,
Asian Cup Winners' Cup
The Asian Cup Winners' Cup was an association football competition run by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The competition was started in 1991 as a tournament for all the domestic cup winners from countries affiliated to the AFC. The winne ...
, 0
, –
,
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
, –
, {{nowrap,
1998–99
, -
* {{legend, DCE5E5, record
* {{smallsup, S shared record
Friendly
*
Damascus International Championship The Damascus International Championship, also known as ''Syriatel Cup'' for sponsorship reasons. Was a sporting event where clubs from UAFA member countries participated in the competition, which was administered by the Syrian Arab Federation for F ...
**Winners (1): 2005
*Baghdad Day Cup
**Winners (1): 2001
*Stafford Cup
**Winners (1): 1984
See also
*
List of football clubs in Iraq
{{Portal bar, Association football, Iraq
References
{{Reflist, 30em
{{Al-Talaba SC
{{Al-Talaba SC seasons
{{Iraqi Premier League
Football clubs in Iraq
Sport in Baghdad
1977 establishments in Iraq
Football clubs in Baghdad
University and college association football clubs