Kalba FC

Kalba
نادي كلباء
Full nameKalba Football Club
Nickname(s)The Tigers
Founded1945 (1945)
GroundIttihad Kalba Stadium
Capacity7,701
OwnerZayed sulaiman alsharari alzaabi
ChairmanZayed sulaiman alsharari alzaabi
Head coachVuk Rašović
LeagueUAE Pro League
2024–25UAE Pro-League, 9th
Websitewww.ittihadkalbafc.ae

Kalba Football Club (Arabic: نادي كلباء الرياضي الثقافي), more colloquially abbreviated as Al-Ittihad, is a professional football club founded in 1972 and based in the city of Kalba, in the Emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The team competes in the UAE Pro League, the top tier of Emirati football.

History

Kalba Football Club was established in 1972 through the merger of three clubs: Al Shabab, Al Rooba, and Al Riyadiya.

Kalba has won a record breaking 7 Division 1 titles with their last one being in the 2013-14 season.

From 2009 to 2018 the team spent these years jumping up and down between divisions; since the 2018-19 season they have managed to consistently compete in the top tier, and in the 2020-21 season they reached the UAE League Cup Semi-finals, where they were eliminated by Al-Nasr Dubai on penalties after a draw on aggregate.

League record

Season Position Number of teams Tier President's Cup League Cup
2008–09 5th 16 2 Round of 16
2009–10 1st 8 2
2010–11 11th 12 1 Preliminary Round First Round
2011–12 1st 8 2 Quarter-Finals
2012–13 14th 14 1 Round of 16 First Round
2013–14 1st 13 2 Preliminary Round
2014–15 14th 14 1 Round of 16 First Round
2015–16 2nd 9 2
2016–17 13th 14 1 First Round
2017–18 2nd 12 2
2018–19 11th 14 1 First Round
2019–20a Quarter-Finals
2020–21 8th Round of 16 Semi-Finals
2021–22 11th Quarter-Finals First Round
2022–23 8th Round of 16
2023–24 11th
2024–25 th

Notes^ 2019–20 UAE football season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates.

Current squad

As of UAE Pro-League:

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
2 DF  UAE Farid Abdulla U23
3 DF  UAE Mohammed Sabeel
4 DF  BRA Michel Dreifke
6 MF  ALB Rejan Alivoda U23
7 MF  UAE Habib Al Fardan
8 MF  BRA Caio Eduardo
9 MF  UAE Fahad Barout
11 MF  ITA Daniel Bessa
12 DF  UAE Salem Rashid
15 DF  UAE Abdulaziz Al-Hamhami
17 GK  UAE Saif Yousif U23
18 MF  YEM Khaled Al-Asbahi
20 DF  UAE Abdulaziz Al-Kaabi
22 FW  UAE Mohamed Ali
23 DF  UAE Waleed Rashid U23
24 MF  UAE Khalid Al-Darmaki
25 DF  UAE Abdusalam Mohammed
No. Pos. Nation Player
27 FW  UAE Yaser Al-Blooshi U23
33 GK  UAE Sultan Al-Mantheri
37 DF  CIV Kouadjo Koffi U23
42 FW  PLE Ahmed Abunamous
44 MF  IRN Saman Ghoddos
55 GK  UAE Hamad Al-Mansoori
70 FW  IRN Shahriyar Moghanlou
77 MF  BRA Leandro Spadacio
80 FW  SRB Nemanja Jović U23
88 MF  UAE Saif Obaid U23
95 MF  UAE Ali Salmeen
97 DF  MAR Anas Radi
99 FW  GHA Cornelius Agbenyegah U23
GK  UAE Jamal Abdalla
MF  MLI Sékou Gassama (on loan from Al Ain)
FW  FRA Sekou Lega U23

Out on loan

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  UAE Eisa Hooti (on loan to Dibba Al Fujairah)

Honors

  • UAE Division One
    • Champions (7): 1979–80, 1988–89, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2013–14

Club staff

Position Name
Head coach Vuk Rašović
Assistant coach Gabriele Pin
Saeed Fawaz
Musa Abdulbassit
Youth Coach Ervin Boban
Fitness Coach Vladan Popovic Physiotherapist Sultan Basheer

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See also

References