Al-Fotuwa Sports Club (Arabic: نادي الفتوة الرياضي) is a Syrian professional football club based in the city of Deir ez-Zor that competes in the Syrian Premier League, the top flight of Syrian football. Nicknamed "the Blue Knight" (Arabic: الفارس الأزرق) or Azzurri Deir ez-Zor, Al-Fotuwa have won three Premier League titles and four Cup titles. It was founded in 1930 in Deir ez-Zor.[citation needed]
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| Full name | Al-Fotuwa Sports Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Blue Knight (Arabic: الفارس الأزرق) Azzurri Deir ez-Zor | ||
| Founded | 1930 as Ghazi Club | ||
| Ground | Deir ez-Zor Municipal Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 13,000 | ||
| Chairman | Madloul Al-Aziz | ||
| Manager | Ammar Shamali | ||
| League | Syrian Premier League | ||
| 2023–24 | 1st (Champions) | ||
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History
editAl-Fotuwa was founded in 1930 as Ghazi Club and in 1950 was renamed as Al-Fotuwa Sports Club.[1] Al-Fotuwa Club dominated the 1980s at the level of the Syrian Premier League and is a record holder by reaching the final match of the Syrian Cup nine times in a row, winning four of them. They achieved a double, by winning the league and cup titles, twice in 1990 and 1991. In addition, the club won the title of the Syrian-Lebanese Super Cup, which was held only once.
In the 2022–23 season, they won their third title after 32 years and also qualified to their debut 2023–24 AFC Cup.[2] On 2 October 2023, Al-Fotuwa recorded their first ever win in the AFC Cup in a 1–0 win against Lebanon side, Al Ahed.[3] In the 2023–24 season, Al-Fotuwa achieved their third domestic double in history.[4]
Stadium
editDeir ez-Zor Municipal Stadium is located in Arifi area of Deir ez-Zor, Syria.[5] The stadium consists of a football field, and spaces that accommodate 13,000 spectators.
Colours and kits
editSince its foundation, the traditional colour of Fotuwa's home kit is yellow with various designs over the years.[citation needed]
Supporters and rivalries
editThis club is supported by fans from Deir ez-Zor Governorate, and it is considered one of the four largest fans in Syria.[6] The main rival of the club is Al-Jihad SC from Al-Qamishli.[7]
Achievements
edit- Syrian Premier League: 4
- Syrian Cup: 5
- Champion: 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 2024
- Syrian-Lebanese Super Cup: 1
- Champion: 1991
Performance in AFC competitions
edit- Asian Club Championship: 1 appearance
- 1988–89: Group stage
- AFC Cup: 1 appearance
- 2023–24: Group stage
- AFC Challenge League: 1 appearance
- 2024–25: Group stage
Records
edit- As of 1 November 2024
| Match won | Match drawn | Match lost | Champions | Runners-up |
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988–89 | Asian Club Championship | Qualifying Group |  Al-Rasheed
|
0–3 | 3rd place | |
 Al-Sadd
|
1–4 | |||||
 Al-Ansar
|
1–0 | |||||
| 2023–24 | AFC Cup | Group stage |  Jabal Al-Mukaber
|
–[a] | 3rd place | |
| Al Ahed
|
1–0 | 1–2 | ||||
 Al-Nahda
|
0–1 | 1–2 | ||||
| 2024–25 | AFC Challenge League | Group stage | Al-Seeb
|
0–5 | 3rd place | |
| Hilal Al-Quds
|
0–0 | |||||
 Al-Ahli Club
|
1–1 | |||||
Performance in UAFA competitions
edit- Arab Cup Winners' Cup: 1 appearance
- 1989: Group Stage
Records
editAccurate as of 12 June 2022
| Match won | Match drawn | Match lost | Champions | Runners-up |
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Arab Cup Winners' Cup | Group |  Al-Ittihad Jeddah
|
0–5 | 4th place | |
 Stade Tunisien
|
0–4 | |||||
| Al-Rasheed
|
0–7 | |||||
Players
editAs 11 June 2024
Current squad
editNote: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Coaches
edit- Anouar Abdul Kader (2008–2013)
- Osama Al Ghabad (2013–2015)[8]
- Anouar Abdul Kader (2015–2017)
- Mohamed Aqil (2021–2023)
- Ammar Shamali (2023)
- Ayman Hakeem (2023–2024)
- Ammar Shamali (2024–present)
References
edit- ^ Al Fotuwa SC – Weltfussballarchiv
- ^ "رسميا.. الفتوة بطلا للدوري السوري" (in Arabic). kooora.com. 30 May 2023. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
- ^ "كأس الاتحاد الآسيوي - المجموعة الأولى: الفتوة 1 - العهد 0" (in Arabic). AFC. 2 October 2023.
- ^ "الفتوة يحقق ثنائية الدوري والكأس في سوريا" (in Arabic). Kooora. 24 May 2024.
- ^ Sports facilities in Deir ez-Zor[permanent dead link]
- ^ "The Football Match That Sparked The Rojava Revolution". 25 November 2020. Archived from the original on 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
- ^ "5 Politically-Charged Football Matches that Turned into Madness". 5 January 2020. Archived from the original on 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
- ^ "identified Osama al-Abd al-Mohsen coach of Al-Fotuwa". 10 September 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-09-11. Retrieved 2015-09-11.