{"id":119,"date":"2019-10-24T16:40:06","date_gmt":"2019-10-24T06:10:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/box5786.temp.domains\/~theasid4\/?p=119"},"modified":"2026-09-23T13:05:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T03:35:11","slug":"aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Aliyat Al-Shurta: Iraq\u2019s once great Football Club"},"content":{"rendered":"

The image of Iraqi captain Abid Kadhim and his teammates\nwalking onto field at the Supachalasai Stadium in Bangkok, raising the flag of\nPalestine as they jogged around the field, is looked on as a heroic stand in\nIraq\u2019s sporting history.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Iraqi team of Aliyat Al-Shurta and its officials had\ndecided to take the stance against their opponents, Israeli side Maccabi Tel\nAviv, and sacrifice the chance to lift the country\u2019s first Asian Club Championship,\ninstead making a defiant political statement against the Israeli occupation of\nPalestine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For one of the Aliyat players the moment was a personal one,\nreserve team goalkeeper Latif Shandel \u2013 playing with one eye after the loss of\nsight in his right eye after an infection in his youth – had lost his father in\nthe 1948 war in Palestine at Ras Al-Ain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Aliyat Al-Shurta team, or Police Machinery, were one of\nthe best teams the nation of Iraq has ever produced, winning four league titles\nin five seasons in the 1960s under the quiet and scrupulous trainer Mohammed\nNajib Kaban, who had directed the team\u2019s ascent from the depths of the lower\ndivisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the all-conquering team and the remnants of its\nillustrious history, remain only in the Baghdad District Police League, after\nthe decision by the Iraq Football Association in 1974 to withdraw their league\nmembership and designate only one position to one club from the Police force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was the year the Iraqi League was formed, for clubs\nrather than government institutions, and also when Nadi Al-Shurta Al-Riyadhi\n(Police Sports Club) was founded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently the administration of Al-Shurta made efforts to claim the 1971 Asian Club Championship crown on the grounds Israel was no longer a member of the Asian Football Confederation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

History of Police Club<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Al-Shurta Sports Club has 1932 on its club badge, to signify\nthe year of its foundation, however its history is not all that straight\nforward. The team formed that year, is not the same entity as the club who won\nthe Iraqi League this season. This is in contrast to Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, a team\nformed in 1931 on the British airbase RAF Hinaidi, who despite playing under\nthe name of Al-Tayaran for parts of its history, has been the same football\nteam from its inception. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Al-Shurta has a more complicated history. In the pre-1974 years, it was considered more of a sports movement, comparable to the long-standing Soviet Spartak, Lokomotiv or CSKA sports organisations rather than a singular sports club, as the Police Sports Committee, the main Police sports authority, had various teams representing the police force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Al Shurta XI from 1966
Top (from left):<\/strong>  Basil Mahdi, Douglas Aziz, Abid Kadhim, Masroub Asakayan, Fanous Al-Assadi
Bottom row (from left): <\/strong>Munaim Hussein, Mudhafar Nouri, Jassib Shand, Latif Shandel, Hormis Mikhael, Shaker Ismail <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first Police football side had been formed in 1932 and\nceased being a top-flight team in 1965 after relegation. The other teams of the\nPolice Sports Committee \u2013 Aliyat Al-Shurta, Shurta Al-Najda (Patrol Police),\nQuwa Al-Siyar (Mobile Force) and Kuliya Al-Shurta (Police College) \u2013 took on\nthe mantle to represent the Police force in the Central Iraq FA League, formed\nof teams from the capital. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1974, after the formation of the new Iraqi League, the\nPolice Sports Club was founded, with the rest of the Police teams losing their\nmembership because of their non-club status. Aliyat Al-Shurta and the rest of\nthe police teams instead took part in the Armed Forces League while the new\nAl-Shurta Club side played in the Iraq FA League.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Directorate of Police Sports Games took issue with the\ndecision of Iraq\u2019s sports authorities to allocate only a single place in the\nnew league for the Police teams and, like the Army sports authorities, decided\nto ruin the Iraq FA\u2019s new league, and in act of sabotage decided to field a\nteam of novices for the 1974-75 season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, after two defeats, one a heavy 11-0 defeat to\nAl-Naqil, the sports authorities sat down with the Police Club\u2019s administration\nto solve their differences and it was agreed, players from Kuliya Al-Shurta and\nShurta Al-Najda would be incorporated for the remaining matches, and Al-Shurta\nfinished in a respectable fifth place in the Iraqi League. The following season\nten players from Aliyat Al-Shurta moved to Al-Shurta. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asian Club Championship<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Iraq’s national league had not yet been formed, and so in a\nmeeting held on February 1971 by the Iraqi Olympic Committee, chaired by the\nMinister of Youth Hamid Al-Jubouri, it was decided Aliyat Al-Shurta, the\nchampions of the Baghdad League would represent the country at the Asian Club\nChampionship in Bangkok \u2013 Iraq\u2019s first appearance in an Asian competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Iraq FA had become a member of the Asian Football Confederation at the turn of the year when they received a letter from the AFC confirming its acceptance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Famous Al Shurta coach Mohammed Najib Kabam<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Iraq FA loaned Aliyat Al-Shurta 600 dinars (approx.\nUSD$1680) to cover expenses for the trip to the Far East and on March 18, the\n22-man delegation, headed by the Iraq FA president and former referee Fahmi\nAl-Qaimaqchi, the father figure of the Police football movement and the\npresident of the Directorate of Police Sports Games, left Baghdad for the Thai\ncapital. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team arrived in Bangkok after a 20-hour journey and\nimmediately began preparations for the first game against Taj Club of Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team, captained by Abid Kadhim, beat the Iranians 3-2 in\nthe preliminary round, which was held to determine the groups, with two winners\nand two losers to make up the two four-team groups. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The preliminary round had been rearranged after the Iraqi\nteam had refused to meet the Maccabi Tel Aviv in their scheduled match set to\nhave been played on Monday, March 23.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, as luck would have it, the two teams were grouped\ntogether in Group B with Punjab of India and Thai club Bangkok Bank. The Iraq\nFA protested against the draw, and Aliyat withdrew from the first game against\nthe Israeli side but went onto beat Bangkok Bank 2-0 thanks to goals from\nMunaim Hussein and Sabah Hatim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the following game against India\u2019s Punjab Police FC,\nGhanim Abdul-Hamed scored a hat-trick to inspire the Iraqi team to an emphatic\n6-1 win to progress into the semi-final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The winger never fully realised his own potential after\nmaking a name for himself at the Asian Club Championship. He was a quick and\nelusive attacker who could both create and score goals and was good in the air\ndespite his relatively short stature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He had joined Aliyat Al-Shurta in 1969 from the Police\nCollege, but injuries hampered his career after a serious injury in 1973 saw\nhim out of the game for 13 months and from there on Ghanim never fully\nrecovered his old form. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the semi-finals the Iraqi side beat Taj Club for a second\ntime, with Munaim Hussein and Shaker Ismail on the score-sheet, setting up a\nfinal with Maccabi Tel Aviv.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the Iraqi team had informed the organisers of their decision to withdraw if they faced the Israeli side, and 24 hours before the final the Iraqi team officially withdrew in protest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aliyat’s withdrawal from the final had hit the tournament organisers in the pocket, as they made a reported financial loss of 300,000 baht (approx. approx. \u00a35,000) according to officials from the Football Association of Thailand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The organisers had to hastily arrange an exhibition game between Maccabi and a Bangkok Combined XI to recoup some of their losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was at the presentation, after the game between Maccabi and the Bangkok Combined XI, that Aliyat players, along with their compatriots from Kuwait’s Al-Arabia, paraded around the ground waving the Palestinian flag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Al Shurta players carry the Palestinian flag during the 1971 Asian Club Championships<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This was a very different era, one which saw even the game\nof football utilised to highlight the struggle of the Palestinian people. The\nArab countries had long refused to be a part of the Asian Football\nConfederation due to the presence of Israel, who in 1948 had expelled\nPalestinians from their land and deprived them of their basic human rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1967 came the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, and\nwhile there was an Arab boycott of Israeli interests and linked organisations,\nthe Arab footballing community, led by key players such as Kuwait and a few\nothers, understood their numerical advantage within the AFC could give them a\nmajority share and the decisive democratic vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the pretext the presence of Israeli teams was hampering\nthe advancement of the Asian game, Israel was ousted from the AFC in 1976. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heroic return<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The Iraq FA declared the loan of 600 dinars to Aliyat Al-Shurta would be considered a gift after their outstanding performances in Thailand. The Aliyat team returned to the Iraqi capital victorious and they were met with government ministers and sports figures at Baghdad International Airport, before they were paraded on a team bus as thousands of spectators lined the streets to greet the players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a report by the Iraqi News Agency (INA) a source claimed\nthe plane carrying the Iraqi team from Bangkok had been the target of a\nsabotage attempt planned by Zionist agents. The source alleged the agent had\nbeen seized while trying to cause damage to the rear of the plane as it was\nabout to take-off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The head of the delegation Col. Fahmi Al-Qaimaqchi told the\npress: “Our great victories at the tournament and the encouragement\nreceived by us there, seemed not to the taste of the Zionists, thus they\nplanned the sabotage attempt which was about to lead to an inevitable\ncatastrophe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe withdrawal of our team in the final game and its\ninsistence not to play an enemy team created positive reactions among the\nmasses in Bangkok. This insistence confirmed the Arab right in its anti-Zionist\nstruggle and led to the forming of a pro-Arab public opinion there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the week after their arrival, the team met with\ngovernment ministers and dignitaries as they were honoured for their victories\nin Bangkok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The country\u2019s Minister of Youth Hamid Al-Jubouri told\nthe  players, “the warm welcome\naccorded to you on your return by the \nRevolutionary Government and the people reflects the sentiments of\nthe  people and the national government\ntowards those who raise high the name  of\nthe country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI speak in the name of the Ministry of Youth and all\nsportsmen when I express high admiration for the victory you scored for your\ncountry at the Bangkok tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Aliyat Al-Shurta were in Bangkok, their final two\nmatches in the Baghdad Mumtaz league against Sikak Al-Hadeed (Steel Railway)\nand Mashat (Infantry) had been postponed. In their absence, their rivals\nAl-Maslaha Naqil Al-Rakab (Public Transport Service) had played their matches\nand were top of the table with 20 points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aliyat had won the Baghdad League in the previous three\nseasons and were in second place with 17 points. If they won both their games\nin hand, they would win the league title for the fourth consecutive season. However,\nif they dropped any points they would hand the title to Al-Maslaha. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Aliyat Al-Shurta drew 2-2 with the Railwaymen in the\nfirst of their two remaining games and as a result conceded the title to the\nPublic Transport team. The following season, however, they won their fourth and\nfinal league championship in 1974.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aliyat Al-Shurta lost its license as a member of the Iraqi League and its famous name was thus confined to the history books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photos:<\/em><\/strong> Supplied<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The image of Iraqi captain Abid Kadhim and his teammates walking onto field at the Supachalasai Stadium in Bangkok, raising the flag of Palestine as they jogged around the field, is looked on as a heroic stand in Iraq\u2019s sporting history. The Iraqi team of Aliyat Al-Shurta and its officials had decided to take the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":121,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_gspb_post_css":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[19,23,514,21,26],"class_list":["post-119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-afc-champions-league-elite","tag-al-shorta","tag-club-football","tag-iraq","tag-palestine"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"yoast_head":"\nAliyat Al-Shurta: Iraq\u2019s once great Football Club - The Asian Game<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"ro_RO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Aliyat Al-Shurta: Iraq\u2019s once great Football Club - The Asian Game\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The image of Iraqi captain Abid Kadhim and his teammates walking onto field at the Supachalasai Stadium in Bangkok, raising the flag of Palestine as they jogged around the field, is looked on as a heroic stand in Iraq\u2019s sporting history. The Iraqi team of Aliyat Al-Shurta and its officials had decided to take the […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Asian Game\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-10-24T06:10:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-23T03:35:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Al-Shurta-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"908\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"592\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Hassanin Mubarak\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/hassaninmubarak\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Hassanin Mubarak\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Hassanin Mubarak\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/88d6ffd2eb63f372d22f9106f2c1b3b0\"},\"headline\":\"Aliyat Al-Shurta: Iraq\u2019s once great Football Club\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-10-24T06:10:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-23T03:35:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1925,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/09\\\/Al-Shurta-2.jpg?fit=908%2C592&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"AFC Champions League Elite\",\"al shorta\",\"Club Football\",\"Iraq\",\"Palestine\"],\"articleSection\":[\"FEATURE\"],\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\\\/\",\"name\":\"Aliyat Al-Shurta: Iraq\u2019s once great Football Club - The Asian Game\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/09\\\/Al-Shurta-2.jpg?fit=908%2C592&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-10-24T06:10:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-23T03:35:11+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/09\\\/Al-Shurta-2.jpg?fit=908%2C592&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/09\\\/Al-Shurta-2.jpg?fit=908%2C592&ssl=1\",\"width\":908,\"height\":592},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Aliyat Al-Shurta: Iraq\u2019s once great Football Club\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Asian Game\",\"description\":\"Your home of Asian football\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Asian Game\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/Gradient-Main-White%404x.png?fit=1755%2C762&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/Gradient-Main-White%404x.png?fit=1755%2C762&ssl=1\",\"width\":1755,\"height\":762,\"caption\":\"The Asian Game\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/88d6ffd2eb63f372d22f9106f2c1b3b0\",\"name\":\"Hassanin Mubarak\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/09\\\/Hassanin-Mubarak.jpg?fit=96%2C96&ssl=1\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/09\\\/Hassanin-Mubarak.jpg?fit=96%2C96&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/09\\\/Hassanin-Mubarak.jpg?fit=96%2C96&ssl=1\",\"caption\":\"Hassanin Mubarak\"},\"description\":\"Hassanin Mubarak is an Iraqi football writer and one of the founders of Ahdaaf, the leading source for English-language news on football in the Middle East. He has written previously for Arab News, When Saturday Comes, Goal.com, The Guardian, The Blizzard and AFC Quarterly.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/http:\\\/\\\/www.twitter.com\\\/hassaninmubarak\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/ro\\\/author\\\/hassanin-mubarak\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Aliyat Al-Shurta: Iraq\u2019s once great Football Club - The Asian Game","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\/","og_locale":"ro_RO","og_type":"article","og_title":"Aliyat Al-Shurta: Iraq\u2019s once great Football Club - The Asian Game","og_description":"The image of Iraqi captain Abid Kadhim and his teammates walking onto field at the Supachalasai Stadium in Bangkok, raising the flag of Palestine as they jogged around the field, is looked on as a heroic stand in Iraq\u2019s sporting history. The Iraqi team of Aliyat Al-Shurta and its officials had decided to take the […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\/","og_site_name":"The Asian Game","article_published_time":"2019-10-24T06:10:06+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-09-23T03:35:11+00:00","og_image":[{"width":908,"height":592,"url":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Al-Shurta-2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Hassanin Mubarak","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/hassaninmubarak","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Hassanin Mubarak","Est. reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\/"},"author":{"name":"Hassanin Mubarak","@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/#\/schema\/person\/88d6ffd2eb63f372d22f9106f2c1b3b0"},"headline":"Aliyat Al-Shurta: Iraq\u2019s once great Football Club","datePublished":"2019-10-24T06:10:06+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-23T03:35:11+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\/"},"wordCount":1925,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Al-Shurta-2.jpg?fit=908%2C592&ssl=1","keywords":["AFC Champions League Elite","al shorta","Club Football","Iraq","Palestine"],"articleSection":["FEATURE"],"inLanguage":"ro-RO"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\/","url":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\/","name":"Aliyat Al-Shurta: Iraq\u2019s once great Football Club - The Asian Game","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Al-Shurta-2.jpg?fit=908%2C592&ssl=1","datePublished":"2019-10-24T06:10:06+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-23T03:35:11+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"ro-RO","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"ro-RO","@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Al-Shurta-2.jpg?fit=908%2C592&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Al-Shurta-2.jpg?fit=908%2C592&ssl=1","width":908,"height":592},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/aliyat-al-shurta-iraqs-once-great-football-team\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Aliyat Al-Shurta: Iraq\u2019s once great Football Club"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/","name":"The Asian Game","description":"Your home of Asian football","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"ro-RO"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/#organization","name":"The Asian Game","url":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"ro-RO","@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Gradient-Main-White%404x.png?fit=1755%2C762&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Gradient-Main-White%404x.png?fit=1755%2C762&ssl=1","width":1755,"height":762,"caption":"The Asian Game"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/#\/schema\/person\/88d6ffd2eb63f372d22f9106f2c1b3b0","name":"Hassanin Mubarak","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"ro-RO","@id":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Hassanin-Mubarak.jpg?fit=96%2C96&ssl=1","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Hassanin-Mubarak.jpg?fit=96%2C96&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Hassanin-Mubarak.jpg?fit=96%2C96&ssl=1","caption":"Hassanin Mubarak"},"description":"Hassanin Mubarak is an Iraqi football writer and one of the founders of Ahdaaf, the leading source for English-language news on football in the Middle East. He has written previously for Arab News, When Saturday Comes, Goal.com, The Guardian, The Blizzard and AFC Quarterly.","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/hassaninmubarak"],"url":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/author\/hassanin-mubarak\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Al-Shurta-2.jpg?fit=908%2C592&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9448,"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119\/revisions\/9448"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}