Al-Rayyan Sports Club () is a Qatari multi-sports club fielding teams in a number of sports such as

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 ...

, futsal, basketball, volleyball,

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

, athletics, table tennis, and swimming. It is based at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Umm Al Afaei in the city of Al Rayyan. The club was founded in 1967 after merging the old Rayyan team with ''Nusoor Club''. The official team colours are red and black. They have won numerous titles in all sports, including two Asian championships in basketball, the Arab championship in handball, futsal domestic titles, table tennis, and volleyball, as well as numerous GCC basketball, handball, and volleyball championships. Both the basketball and handball teams have qualified for the world championships. However, the football team gets the most attention from the club officials, media, and fans.

History

1967–1973: Founding

Al Rayyan's history goes back to the mid-1960s when it was known as ''Old Al Rayyan''. Old Al Rayyan, though an amateur football team, competed in matches arranged throughout the whole country, not being limited to the city in which it was based. Their headquarters was in a two-bedroom house, and they played their matches on a football field in a school based in the New Rayyan area. The club relied on donations from the fans during this period. In 1967, Al Rayyan began as a combination of two groups called " new Al Rayyan’sons and old al-Rayyan’son". In 1967, Al-Rayyan started its factory. From 1967 until now, Al-Rayyan has won many trophies not only in soccer even in the rest of the games such as handball, basketball and volleyball. The people who contributed to build Al Rayyan knew that this team would not be a regular team, but it will also represent the culture of the city of Al Rayyan outside of Qatar. In 2008, the club established magazine called SOUT AL RAYYAN (The Voice of Al Rayyan) which is the first magazine that cares about Al Rayyan news, and it is the only team's magazine in Qatar. They applied to be a member club of the

Qatar Football Association The Qatar Football Association ( ar, الاتحاد القطري لكرة القدم, al-Ittiḥād al-Qaṭariyy li-Kurat al-Qadam) is the governing body of football in Qatar. President Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Bin Ahmed Al-Thani is currently ...

, but were rejected with the QFA proposing that they merge with Al Nusoor, a local sports club also based in Al Rayyan. In 1967, after an announcement by the Al Rayyan Sports Committee that Old Al Rayyan would merge with Al Nusoor, Al Rayyan SC was officially founded. A new headquarters was established to accommodate increased size demands as a result of the merger. The first head coach of Al Rayyan was Ashour Salem, a Sudanese national, who, besides working as a local physical education coach, trained the first team and youth team. In the early years, the club branched out to other sports, notably basketball and handball. As a result of donations from the club supporters, Al Rayyan was able to establish their home grounds in Doha Stadium, the largest stadium in Qatar at that time.

1973–1988: Early history

The club had success in the

Qatar Stars League The Qatar Stars League ( ar, دوري نجوم قطر), or the QSL, also called QNB Stars League for sponsorship reasons, is the top level football league in Qatar football league system. Contested by 12 teams, it operates on a system of promotio ...

within the first decade of its formation, with the club participating in their first official season in 1972–73. In the 1974–75, after a mass brawl between the fans and players of Al Rayyan and Al Sadd, the QFA relegated Al Rayyan, who were in 2nd place at the time, to the second division. They won back promotion the following season and achieved their first league title 1976. In the 1977 season, the QFA annulled the results of Al Rayyan due to actions which took place in a match against Al Arabi. The perpetrator, who was an Al Arabi player by the name of Yassin Mustafa, was banned permanently from all league matches whereas the two clubs were warned. In 1983, under the leadership of Mohammed Bin Hammam Al Abdulla, a new club headquarters and home stadium were constructed. They won the league with a negative goal difference in 1983–84, making them one of the only 6 teams in the world and the only Qatari team in history to achieve this feat.

1988–2000: Relegation and return to glory

In the 1987–88 season, much to the surprise of critics and fans, they got relegated for the first time in league history. The relegation was preceded by a 0–1 loss to Al Sadd, as Hassan Jowhar scored a header goal which would prove to be the final nail in the coffin of Al Rayyan. They won back promotion to the premier league in their first season in the second division. They would go on to win the league in 1990, the same season they were promoted back to the first division, beating out rivals Al Sadd. They won an additional league title in 1995.

2000–2013: League title drought

They inaugurated their home ground, Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, in 2003 during the reign of Sheikh Mishaal Al Thani. The first match held on the grounds was the 2003 Emir Cup finals. The club has not experienced much league success as of late, with the last successful league campaign being in 1994–95; however they finished third in the 2010–11 season under Paulo Autuori. Nonetheless, they faced great success in the Emir's Cup and Heir Apparent Cup winning eight cups in total in 14 years.

2014–: Return to success

In 2014–15 the club won the Qatargas League and returned to

. On 28 November 2015, Al-Rayyan Broke the record of most consecutive league matches won to 11. On 5 March 2016, after 21 years Al-Rayyan won the league once again, and became the first ever team to win both leagues in two years.

Supporters

Al-Rayyan one of the most popular clubs in Qatar and supported throughout the entire

Gulf region The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bo ...

, as well as other parts of the world due to their high-profile signings. In 2010, they had the highest attendance in the

. The fan club won the QFA-sanctioned award of "best fans" in the 2008/09 season, and shared the award with Al Sadd in the 2012/13 season.

Honours

**Champions (8): 1975–76, 1977–78, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1989–90, 1994–95, 2015–16 * Emir of Qatar Cup **Champions (6): 1998–99, 2003–04, 2005–06,

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

* Qatar Crown Prince Cup **Champions (4):

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 ...

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

, 2001,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

* Qatar Super Cup/Shiekh Jassem Cup **Champions (5): 1992, 2000,

, 2018

Continental record

Stadium

Ahmed bin Ali Stadium (), popularly known as the Al-Rayyan Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Al-Rayyan, Qatar which serves as the home stadium for Al Rayyan's football section. It will be used as a venue for the

2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup is an international association football, football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations. The 22nd FIFA World Cup is taking place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022 ...

Players

''As of

:''

Out on loan

Technical staff

Last update: February 2022.

First team

Notable players

''This list includes players whom have made significant contributions to their national team and to the club. At least 90 caps for the club or 100 caps for their national team is needed to be considered for inclusion.''

Managerial history

Present and past managers of Al-Rayyan from 1967 (incomplete): * Salem Ashour (1967–??), (1973–??)¹ *

Saleh Youssef Saleh Youssef Fathy (born ) is a former Egyptian male volleyball player. He was part of the Egypt men's national volleyball team at the 2008 Summer Olympics. On club level he played for Zamalek. He is an outside hitter and is 194 cm tall. Cl ...

(ca. 1976)² * Powell (1976–??)³ * Abdul Moneim Al Haj (1981–83) * Eid Mubarak (1984) * Vavá (1984–85) * Wayne Jones (1985) * Eid Mubarak (1985) * Colin Dobson (1985–87) * Vavá (ca. 1989) * Alan Dicks (1989–90) * Abdul Moneim Al Haj (1990) *

René Simões René Rodrigues Simões (born December 17, 1952) is a Brazilian retired professional football manager. Coaching career Born in Rio de Janeiro, he guided Jamaica national team to the World Cup in France in 1998. This was Jamaica's first, and ...

(1 July 1990–91) * Luis Alberto (1991–92) *

(1992 – 30 June 1993) * Cabralzinho (1993–94) *

Jørgen E. Larsen Jørgen Erik Larsen (25 July 1945 – 7 February 2020) was a Danish association football, football coach and player. He spent most of his playing career at Herfølge Boldklub, playing 197 games for the club. In 1978, he was named sports directo ...

(1 July 1994 – 30 June 1995) * Evaristo de Macedo (1995) *

Benny Johansen Benny Johansen (born 18 March 1949) is a Danish former football player and manager. He won the Danish championship twice as a player for B 1903 and once as a manager of FC Copenhagen. He played one game for the Denmark national under-21 footbal ...

(1 July 1995–96) * Eid Mubarak (1996–97) * Antoni Piechniczek (1997) *

Zdzisław Podedworny Zdzisław Podedworny (born 13 April 1941 in Żabińce) is a Polish football coach. Career Coaching career He managed Górnik Zabrze, Olimpia Poznań, GKS Katowice, Ruch Chorzów, Espérance de Tunis :''See also Esperance (disambiguation)'' Esp ...

(1997–98) * Allan Jones (1998) * Roald Poulsen (1998–99) *

(1 July 1999 – 30 June 2000) * Dutra (2000) *

Paulo Campos Paulo C. Campos (July 27, 1921 – June 2, 2007) was a Filipino physician and educator noted for his promotion of wider community health care and his achievements in the field of nuclear medicine for which he was dubbed as ''"The Father of Nuclea ...

(2000) * Santos (2000–01) * Paulo Henrique (2001–02) * Amarildo (2002) *

Jean Castaneda Jean-Luc Castaneda (born 20 March 1957 in Saint-Etienne, Loire) is a French former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for France. Castaneda began his professional career with AS Saint-Étienne in 1975. He also played for the Fr ...

(2002–04) *

Bosse Nilsson Bo Tommy Leonard "Bosse" Nilsson (born 18 August 1944) is a Swedish football manager and former footballer (defender). He played for Tjörnarps BoIF, IFK Hässleholm and Djurgårdens IF. He coached IFK Hässleholm, Mjällby AIF, Helsingb ...

(2004) *

(1 July 2004 – 30 June 2005) * Ron van den Berg (2005) * Luis Fernández (26 June 2005 – 15 Nov 2005) * Hassan Hormatallah (Nov 2005–05) *

Ladislas Lozano Ladislas Lozano (born 24 June 1952 as Ladislao Lozano Léon) is a French-Spanish football coach and retired player. He is most remembered for guiding amateur team Calais RUFC to the Coupe de France Final 2000. Managerial career On 22 January 2 ...

(2005–06) * Rabah Madjer (2006 – 30 June 2006) *

Pierre Lechantre Pierre Lechantre (born 2 April 1950) is a French footballer coach and former player. He won the 2000 African Cup of Nations with the Cameroon national team. Career On 27 April 2012, Lechantre was named as the head coach of Senegal, but failed ...

(2006–07) * Paulo Autuori (2 May 2007 – 17 May 2009) *

Marcos Paquetá Marcos César Dias de Castro (born 27 August 1958), known as Marcos Paquetá, is a former Brazilian footballer who played as a central midfielder and a current manager. Career Born in Rio de Janeiro but raised in the Paquetá Island, he started ...

(1 July 2009 – 30 June 2010) * Paulo Autuori (21 Nov 2009 – 30 June 2011) * Diego Aguirre (Sept 6, 2011 – 3 Nov 2013) * Rastko Stojkovic (2013) * Manuel Jiménez (4 Nov 2013 – 20 May 2015) *

Jorge Fossati Jorge Daniel Fossati Lurachi (born 22 November 1952 in Montevideo) is a Uruguayan football manager and former player who played as a goalkeeper. He is the current manager of Peruvian club Universitario. Club career Fossati played mainly in Pe� ...

(20 May 2015 – 3 October 2016) * Michael Laudrup (26 September 2016 – 30 June 2018) * Rodolfo Arruabarrena (5 July 2018 – 8 October 2018) * Bülent Uygun (10 October 2018 – 5 March 2019 ) * Gilson (6 March 2019 – 30 June 2019) * Diego Aguirre (28 May 2019 – 11 December 2020) *

Fábio César Fábio César Montezine ( ar, فابيو سيزار مونتيزين; born 24 February 1979 in Londrina, Brazil) is a naturalized Qatari football player who is currently playing for Umm Salal in the Qatari league and for the Qatar national ...

(10 December 2020 – 18 December 2020) * Laurent Blanc (19 December 2020 – 13 February 2022) * Nicolás Córdova (13 February 2022 – Present)

Administrative managers

* Ashraf Mehdi (1984–85) * Saad Abu El Dahab (1985–) ;Notes *1. Non-professional coach; worked as local physical education teacher. *2. First professional coach. *3. First non-Arab coach.

Al-Rayyan in Asia

They participated in the

AFC Champions League 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 ...

in 2005, 2007, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

References

External links

Official website

Al Rayyan Club at QFA
{{Qatari League

Rayyan Al Rayyan (; also spelled as ''Ar Rayyan'') is the third-largest municipality in the state of Qatar. Its primary settlement is the city of the same name, which occupies the entire eastern section and largely surrounds Metropolitan Doha and funct ...

Association football clubs established in 1967 Multi-sport clubs in Qatar Sport in Al Rayyan 1967 establishments in Qatar