Al-Wahda FC (Abu Dhabi)
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- This article is about the United Arab Emirati football team. For other uses, see Al-Wahda (disambiguation).
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| Full name | Al Wahda Football Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Founded | 1974 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Ground | Al-Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi, UAE |
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| Capacity | 20,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | UAE League | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Al Wahda (Arabic: نادي الوحدة الرياضي و الثقافي) is a football club based in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. They won the UAE League in 2004-2005.
International footballers who have played or signed for the team include Nigerian Oluwasegun Abiodun, Zambian Kalusha Bwalya (in 1998), as well as Iranian Javad Nekounam and Egyptian Hany Ramzy who signed for them in 2005.
Al Wahda wear the following colors: maroon, grey and white.
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[edit] History
Al Wahda is one of the UAE's most famous clubs, founded when the Emirates Club merged with Abu Dhabi in 1984. Al Wahda remains proud of the history that formed it's roots, the club's chairman was (and still is) Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, with the head of the executive board for the club being led by Shaikh Tahnoon bin Saeed Al Nahyan. After shaky beginnings, the club began to fill its trophy cabinet in the 1990s with Al Wahda winning the Federation Cup winners in 1995, league champions in 1998-1999 and President Cup winners in 2000. The 1999 season rests in the annals: Hussain Ali was voted the league's best goalkeeper, Fahad Massaood was voted player of the year and Al Bouri Lah finished the season as the league's top goalscorer. During the 1990's Al Wahda boasts many internationals in their ranks, Yasir Salim, Abdul Raheem Jumaa and Abdul Salam among them, but also relied on a well-organised scouting system with a tradition of unearthing young talent. Since 1993, it has organised an annual international U-17 tournament for sides from Europe and South America now called the Zayed Cup (formerly called "Al Wahda Cup").
Al Wahda has a large following in the UAE, and are always considered as one of the favourites in major competitions within the UAE. Al Wahda also had stints with regards to major Asian competition, and reached the last 8 of the Asian Champions League, but lost after away and home matches to Bakhtakor FC of Uzbekistan (2003/2004 season).
Al Wahda also won the League title in 2004/2005 season.
[edit] Achievements
- UAE League: 3
- Champion : 1999, 2001, 2005
- UAE Cup: 1
- Champion : 2000
- UAE Super Cup: 1
- Champion : 2002
- Al Etihd "Union" Cup: 3
- Champion : 1985, 1998, 2001
[edit] Al Nahyan stadium
The Al Nahyan stadium is home to Al Wahda, and although Al-Nahyan Stadium is perhaps less impressive in terms of infrastructure (20,000 seats) it still boasts a fervent atmosphere on match days and has the added advantage of being only three kilometres from the city centre.
[edit] Famous Players
Oluwasegun Abiodun
Kalusha Bwalya
Nawaf Falah
Abdulraheem Jumaa- Ismael Matar
- Fahad Masood
Javad Nekounam
Hany Ramzy
[edit] External links
| UAE League Division 1 2006-2007 |
| Al-Ahli | Al-Ain | Al-Jazira | Al-Nasr | Al-Shaab | Al-Shabab Al-Arabi |
| Al-Wahda | Al-Wasl | Dubai | Emirates | Fujairah | Sharjah |
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 This article about an Asian football club is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
