Al-Shabab (Saudi Arabia)

football club infobox
clubname = Al-Shabab


fullname = Al-Shabab
nickname = White Lions
The Sheikh (Chief)
founded = 1947
ground = King Fahd Stadium
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
capacity = 67,000
chairman = flagicon|Saudi Arabia Khaled AlBaltan
manager = flagicon|Argentina Enzo Trossero
league = Saudi Premier League
season = 2007-08
position = Saudi Premier League, 3rd
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pattern_la2=_shouldersonblack|pattern_b2=_transshoulders1|pattern_ra2=_shouldersonblack
leftarm2=FFFFFF|body2=000000|rightarm2=FFFFFF|shorts2=000000|socks2=000000
current=Al-Shabab 2007-2008 season

Al-Shabab (Arabic: الشباب) is a Saudi Arabian professional football club based in Riyadh. It was founded in 1947, and was named at first Shabab AlRiyadh, but later in 1967 was named Al Shabab. Al Shabab is well known in Saudi Arabia as one of the best in football. Al Shabab club is also well known for producing great players, as Saeed Al-Owairan who scored the crucial goal for Saudi Arabia against Belgium in the 1994 World Cup. Also Fuad Amin, who scored Saudi Arabia's first World Cup goal against Netherland. Al Shabab is also known for selling many players to other Saudi clubs, as Ruda Tokar (Ittihad) and Abdulaziz AlKhatran (Hilal).

History

Al Shabab was the first football club in Riyadh. The club began in 1947, with many conflicts before with its numerous members, but it was settled in 1947 and Abdulrahman Bin Saeed was the president. 5 years later, Al Shabab won its first tournament beating Sakit AlHadeed (Railway Club) in Riyadh. Then 3 years later, in 1955 Al Shabab beat the Military College to win the King Saud Cup. 2 years passed, and a new conflict aroused in 1957. The player, Saleh Jaber, was assigned captain, but then was fired, and the new captain was Ahmed Lmfoon. This did not please some members of the club. Soon the conflict was impossible to solve, and Abdulrahman Bin Saeed and some members, left Al Shabab and created a new football club, which is the club known today as Hilal. The club stopped for half a year due to financial weakness after the departure of its founder Abdulrahman Bin Saeed. Then in the beginning of 1959 another problem began, Abdullah Bin Ahmed, the president then, was all alone taking care of the club. He couldn't take the pressure of handling the club alone, and decided to take a vacation abroad. Before traveling, he disbanded the first team, and most of the players signed for other clubs mainly Ahli Jeddah and Hilal. What was left was the youth team, and the player Abdulrahman Bin Ahmed decided to take care of the youth team. Soon Abdullah Bin Ahmed returned, and many members returned and supported the club. Then Abdullah Bin Ahmed announced the return of forming the first team, and some players returned, but some stayed at Ahli and Hilal. Also in 1959 was the formation of the Saudi Football Federation, and all football clubs were announced official. In 1960 in the first official tournament called King Saud Cup for the Central Province, Al Shabab faced Al Hilal in their first official games between the two, and won 3-0 to win their first cup.

In the 1960s, everyone wanted to play and be part of the club, and after the request of Al Najmah FC and Al Marekh in 1967, they were united as one club and changed their name from Shabab Riyadh, to simply Al Shabab. The colors of the team were at first white and green, then they were changed after the unification to orange and blue, but in 1977 it was changed to white, gray, and black, the current colors. In 1975 Al Shabab was delegated to the 1st Division. But the next season it was able to win 1st place, and was relegated back to the Premier League in 1976. In 1993, Al Shabab became the first club in Saudi Arabia to win 3 premier leagues in a row. In 2007, Al Shabab became the first club in Saudi Arabia to build projects to increase the club's revenue, and began a 200 million dollar project which contains a 5 star hotel, and a shopping mall. During a visit to the club in January 2008, Al Shabab's main supporter, Khalid bin Sultan, announced the launch of two new projects, Al Laith TV Channel, and Al Shabab Museum.

Achievements

*Saudi Premier League: 5
**Champion : 1991, 1992, 1993, 2004, 2006
***Runner-up : 1998, 2005

*Saudi Champions Cup : 1
**Champion : 2008

*Crown Prince Cup: 3
**Champion : 1993, 1996, 1999
***Runner-up : 1992, 1994, 2000

*Saudi Federation cup: 2
**Champion : 1988, 1989

*Saudi League Division 1 : 1
**Champion : 1976

*King Saud Cup : 1
**Champion : 1960

*Asian Cup Winners Cup: 1
**Champion : 2001

*Arab Champions League: 2
**Champion :1992, 1999

*Arab Super Cup: 2
**Champion : 1996 , 2001

*Gulf Club Champions Cup: 2
**Champion : 1993 , 1994

Performance in AFC Competitions

* AFC Champions League: 3 appearances
**Group Stage : 2005, 2007
**Quarterfinal : 2006

2006 ACL Group D Standing

;Out:

World Cup Players

"'World Cup 1994
*flagicon|Saudi Arabia Fuad Amin
*flagicon|Saudi Arabia Saeed Al-Owairan
*flagicon|Saudi Arabia Fahad Al-Mehallel
*flagicon|Saudi Arabia Saleh Al-Dawod
*flagicon|Saudi Arabia Awad Al-Anazi

"'World Cup 1998
*flagicon|Saudi Arabia Fuad Amin
*flagicon|Saudi Arabia Saeed Al-Owairan
*flagicon|Saudi Arabia Fahad Al-Mehallel

"'World Cup 2002
*flagicon|Saudi Arabia Redha Tukar
*flagicon|Saudi Arabia Abdulaziz Khathran
*flagicon|Saudi Arabia Abdullah Al-Waked

"'World Cup 2006
*flagicon|Saudi Arabia Mohammad Khouja

External links

* [http://www.shababclub.com Official Website]
* [http://www.shbabclub.com Official Fans Website]
* [http://www.goalzz.com/main.aspx?team=152 Goalzz English Information of Shabab Club]