Ittihad Club facts for kids
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| Full name | Ittihad Saudi Arabian Club | ||
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| Founded | 26 December 1927 | ||
| Ground | King Abdullah Sports City | ||
| Capacity | 62,345 | ||
| Owner | Public Investment Fund (75%) Ittihad Non-Profit Foundation (25%) |
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| Chairman | Loay Mashabi | ||
| Head coach | Laurent Blanc | ||
| League | Saudi Pro League | ||
| 2023–24 | Pro League, 5th of 18 | ||
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| Ittihad's Sports Teams | ||
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 Football (men's) |
 Football (women's) |
 Basketball (men's) |
Ittihad Saudi Arabian Club (which means "Saudi Arabian Union Club" in Arabic), often called Ittihad, is a professional football club from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was started in 1927. This club has always played in the top football league in Saudi Arabia, now called the Saudi Pro League. Ittihad has won 50 championships, with 35 of them being official titles.
Ittihad plays its home games at the King Abdullah Sports City stadium in Jeddah. This stadium is the second-biggest in Saudi Arabia and can hold 62,345 fans. Ittihad has a big rivalry with Al-Hilal, and their matches are known as the Saudi El Clasico. This is one of the most important and watched football games every year.
Ittihad is the oldest sports club still active in Saudi Arabia. The club's most successful time was in the 1990s and 2000s. During these years, they won many titles in Saudi Arabia, across Asia, and even globally. They finished 4th in the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship in Japan, which was a huge achievement.
Ittihad is one of the most successful clubs in Asia. They have won the AFC Champions League twice in a row, which only two other Asian teams have done. They also won the Asian Cup Winners' Cup once, the GCC Champions League once, and the Arab Champions League once. In Saudi Arabia, Ittihad is one of the two most successful clubs (along with Al-Hilal). They have won nine league titles, nine King's Cup titles, eight Crown Prince Cup titles, three Saudi Federation Cup titles, and one Saudi Super Cup.
Contents
Club History: How It All Started
The Early Years (1927–1949)
The Ittihad club began on December 26, 1927. Some football fans in Jeddah met at a radio station office. They wanted to create a football club to play against other teams and give young people a way to play organized sports. Everyone agreed to form a team that would "unite" them, and that's how Ittihad Jeddah got its name. The word "Ittihad" means "United" or "Union" in Arabic.
The first official president of the club was Ali Sultan. At first, Ittihad didn't have much support because other clubs were already popular. But in their first game against Al-Riyadhi, Ittihad won 3–0. The club also won its first ever tournament, called The Cup of Nishan Nazer. This win made Ittihad very popular.
The final match of this tournament was very exciting. Ittihad won 3–0 against Al-Mukhtalat. This was also the first sports event held during the time of King Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud. The years from 1940 to 1950 were tough because the official Football Association wasn't created until 1956.
Winning Titles (1950–1999)
In the late 1950s, Ittihad became the first club to win both the Crown Prince Cup and the King's Cup two years in a row. On May 2, 1960, Ittihad played their rivals Al-Ahli in the King's Cup. Ittihad won with a huge score of 7–0, which is still the biggest win in that derby. They won the King's Cup three times in a row in 1958, 1959, and 1960.
After winning the King's Cup in 1967, the club went through a quiet period. They only won the Saudi Association Cup in 1974. In the 1980s, the Saudi Pro League started. Ittihad won their first league title in 1982. After 21 years, they won the King's Cup again in 1988.
The mid-1990s marked the start of the club's "golden age." In the 1996–97 season, Ittihad won three major cups: the Premier League, Crown Prince Cup, and Federation Cup. Two seasons later, they won the league title for the third time. They also won their first Asian championship by beating Jeonnam Dragons 3–2. That season, they won four trophies in total, including the GCC Champions League.
The New Century: Champions League Glory (2000–2010)
The early 2000s were a very successful time for Ittihad. Under President Ahmed Masoud, they won 8 titles in just 3 years. In the 1999–2000 league season, they won the league after beating Al-Ahli 3–1. Their player, Hamza Idris, scored an amazing 33 goals, which was a record at the time. The next season, they won the League for the fifth time and the Crown Prince Cup.
In 2002, Ittihad lost the league final in a very controversial match. A goal was not given to them, which led to their loss. This caused a lot of discussion.
When Mansour Al-Balawi became president, many fans believe it was the most successful time for the club. In the 2002–03 season, Ittihad brought in new talented players and won both the League and the Crown Prince Cup.
In the 2004 AFC Champions League, Ittihad had an amazing journey. They reached the final for the first time. In the first game of the final, they lost 1–3 at home to Seongnam from Korea. Their coach was even fired after this loss. But in the second game, Ittihad made an incredible comeback! They won 5–0, making the total score 6–3. This win was called "the miracle" and is one of the most surprising comebacks in AFC Champions League history.
Ittihad then won their first Arab championship in 2005. On November 5, 2005, they won the Champions League for the second time in a row, beating Al-Ain 5–3. Mohamed Kallon was the top scorer in the tournament. Ittihad is still the only team to win back-to-back AFC Champions League titles in its current format.
Because they won the Champions League, Ittihad played in the 2005 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan. They beat African champions Al-Ahly 1–0 to reach the semi-finals. They lost to São Paulo 2–3 and then lost the third-place match to Deportivo Saprissa 2–3, finishing 4th. The former FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, was very impressed, saying he hadn't seen such a great Asian team in 25 years.
Ittihad is not just successful in football. They also have strong teams in basketball, water polo, table tennis, volleyball, and swimming. Overall, Ittihad has won many thousands of trophies across all sports, but football is their main sport.
Big Rivalries
The Jeddah Derby
The "Jeddah Derby" is a famous match between Ittihad and Al-Ahli. Both clubs are from the city of Jeddah. For over 70 years, these games were very competitive. However, Al-Ahli was moved to a lower league in 2022, but the derby returned in October 2023.
The Saudi Clasico
The Saudi El Clasico is a major football match in Saudi football between Ittihad and Al-Hilal. These are considered the two biggest and most important clubs in Saudi Arabia. Ittihad is the oldest club in the country and is known as the "People's Club." Al-Hilal is called "the Leader." These two teams play twice a year in the league and sometimes in other cup competitions like the King's Cup or the AFC Champions League. It's the most watched match in Saudi football.
The first time these two teams played was in a friendly match on July 27, 1962, which Ittihad won 2–0. Their first official game was on January 10, 1964, in the King's Cup Final, which Ittihad also won 3–0. Ittihad, along with Al-Nassr, are the only three teams that have never been moved down to the Second Division since the league started.
Where Ittihad Is Today
Ittihad's main office and a large sports complex are located in the Mushrefa district in southeastern Jeddah. The senior football teams play their official matches at the King Abdullah Sports City stadium, which is north of the city. Younger teams play at the club's own training grounds.
Ittihad's Fans
Ittihad has the most fans attending their games in Saudi Arabia. In the 2014-15 Saudi League, about 42,371 fans came to each of their 12 home games. In 2016, a website called The Sportster said that Ittihad fans were the 12th most important football fans in the world. Ittihad has a huge fan base not just in Saudi Arabia, but also across the Arab League and in Asia. Since it opened in 2014, Ittihad shares the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium with their local rival Al-Ahli.
Club Sponsors
In 2006, the club announced a big sponsorship deal with Sela Sport Co. for 350 million Saudi riyals over 5 seasons. Later, the Saudi Telecom Company (STC) sponsored the team.
Club Achievements
Ittihad is one of the most successful clubs in Saudi Arabia. They have won 35 official titles, with 30 of them being domestic (within Saudi Arabia). They are also one of only three Asian clubs to have won the AFC Champions League twice in a row.
| Type | Competition | Titles | Seasons |
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| Domestic | Pro League | 9 | 1982, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2023 |
| King Cup | 9 | 1958, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1967, 1988, 2010, 2013, 2018 | |
| Crown Prince Cup | 8 | 1958, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1991, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2017 | |
| Super Cup | 1 | 2022 | |
| Saudi Federation Cup | 3 | 1986, 1997, 1999 | |
| Continental | AFC Champions League | 2 | 2004, 2005 |
| Asian Cup Winners Cup | 1 | 1999 | |
| Regional | Arab Champions League | 1 | 2005 |
| GCC Champions League | 1 | 1999 |
- record
- s shared record
Team Players
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Players Not Currently Registered
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Players On Loan to Other Teams
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Famous Players
Here are some notable players who have played for Ittihad and also played for their national teams:
| From Saudi Arabia | From Asia | From Africa | From Europe | From South America | From North America |
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Club Staff
Current Coaching Team
| Position | Staff |
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| Head coach |  Laurent Blanc |
| First Assistant head coach | Franck Passi |
| Assistant coach | Thomas Fernandez Hassan Khalifa |
| Goalkeeping coach |  Jesús Salvador |
| Fitness coach | Nicolas Girard |
| Fitness coach | Adrian Aguirre |
| Data analyst | Antoine Clare |
| Video Analyst | Cedric Tafforeau |
| Medical Team |  Sergio Gomez |
| Medical Team |  Ali Yagdah |
| Psychiatrist | Laya Vinaksa |
| Physiotherapist | Iván López |
| Nutritionist | Vitor Teixeira |
| Academy manager |  Marco Koorman |
Board of Directors
| President | Loay Mashabi |
| Vice President | Abdulaziz Al-Zaid |
| Chief Executive Officer | Domingos Soares de Oliveira |
| Director of Football | Ramón Planes |
| Board Member | Fahad Sindi |
| Board Member | Abdullah Al-Ghamdi |
| Board Member | Abdullah Al-Husaini |
| Board Member | Fares Al-Hejailan |
| Board Member | Suhaib Jamjoom |
See also
In Spanish: Al-Ittihad Jeddah Club para niños
- List of football clubs in Saudi Arabia
