Al-Wathba SC

Al-Wathba Sport Club (Arabic: نادي الوثبة الرياضي) is a Syrian professional football club based in Homs that competes in the Syrian Premier League.^[1]

Al-Wathba SC

Full name	Al-Wathba Sport Club
Nickname(s)	The Knights (Arabic: الفرسان)
Founded	1937; 87 years ago (1937) as Al-Fedaa Club
Ground	Khaled bin Walid Stadium Bassel al-Assad Stadium
Capacity	32,000 25,000
Chairman	Youssef Salameh
Manager	Firas Maasas
League	Syrian Premier League
2023–24	7th
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Al-Wathba active sections
Football	Basketball

History

One of the oldest Syrian clubs, Al-Wathba were founded in 1937 as "Al-Fedaa Club" by a number of young amateur athletes who used "Dar Al-Jodi", located in al-Hamidiyah neighborhood of Homs, to practice their sport activities.^[2] In 1953, the club obtained the license, adding football, basketball games, athletics, swimming, and cycling. They won the Homs championship from 1963 to 1968.

Al-Wathba is the first football club represented the city of Homs in the Syrian Premier League which started in 1973. The club was very close to winning the Premier League many times during the 1980s, the best place they achieved is 2nd in the 1981–82 season.^{[citation needed]}

In February 2013, during the Syrian civil war, Yussef Sleman,^[3] one of the players was killed in a mortar strike at the Tishreen Stadium.^[4]

In 2019, Al-Wathba won the Syrian Cup, to be their first title in their history.^[5] In 2019–20 season, Al-Wathba finished second in the league, their best position since 1981–82.^[6]

Achievements

• Syrian Premier League:

Runners-up (3) : 1981–82, 2019–20, 2021–22

• Syrian Cup:

Winners (1): 2018–19

Runners-up (1) : 2021–22

• Al-Wathba Cup:

Winners (1): 2020

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  SYR Fadi Bitar — GK  SYR Nizar Droubi — DF  SYR Manhal Kousa — DF  SYR Subhi Aqoul — DF  SYR Sabi Al Hamwi — DF  SYR Rami Jablawi — DF  SYR Abd Al Motin Wahoud — MF  SYR Nasser Shandin — MF  SYR Mohannad Al Dikh — MF  SYR Mohamed Kroma — MF  SYR Jamil Mahmoud

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  SYR Mohamed Al Farra — MF  SYR Ali Al Sarem — MF  SYR Fahd Aodi — MF  SYR Deab Al Majzoub — MF  SYR Salim Shatila — MF  IRN Reza Bitaraf — MF  SYR Bakr Ghalioum — MF  SYR Maher Daboul — FW  SYR Anas Bouta — FW  SYR George Kamar — FW  SYR Samer Touma — FW  SYR Ali Ghosn

Performance in the AFC competition

• AFC Cup: 1 appearance

2020: abandoned due to COVID-19 pandemic in Asia

Continental record

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away
2020	AFC Cup	Group B	Al-Faisaly	–	0–0
			Al-Kuwait	0–0	–
			Al-Ansar	–	–

References

1. "Al Wathba". Eurosport. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
2. "نادي الوثبة الرياضي.. تاريخ حافل بالبطولات". SANA. 24 November 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
3. "Syria footballer killed as mortars hit stadium". AFP. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-20.
4. "Syria footballer 'killed in Damascus stadium attack'". BBC News. 2013-02-20. Retrieved 2013-02-20.
5. "لقب اول للوثبة في كأس سوريا". elaph.com (in Arabic). 29 June 2019.
6. "مدير الكرة بالوثبة في حوار لكووورة: كنا نستحق حصد لقب الدوري السوري". kooora.com (in Arabic). 1 August 2020.

External links

• Al Wathba Official site